76 Qld MX titles

[Wombat]

Well I'll be buggered...I just checked your forum profile so I know what name to look for in the program.
If I'm on the right track I find a J. Kittle listed in the B grade unlimited race; six laps consisting of 11 riders.
It has you down as # 09 on a 250 Yamaha; sponsored by Donny Pask at Mermaid Beach.
Is that you?

[Maico31]

Yes Wombat that's me..back in the good old days

[Wombat]

Maico31, the more I think about this the more I'm sure we've actually met; it was at Conondale a few months ago.
Brett Bull is a mutual friend and he introduced us.
A few weeks later I called to ask your opinion re the $8000 Maico for sale in Bendigo; remember I e-mailed a photo of that flash yellow jobbie?
There can't be too many John Kittle Maico devotees in SEQ?

[Maico31]

Yes Graham i remember. Did you buy a Maico? The one in Canada? Shouldn't you be at Conondale...

[PERM250]

hi maico 31 did  you know noal harker many years ago as a boy 1975 i had a mate who worked at annand & thompson yamaha at buranda who send me down to phill thews for some phill spew stickers  when i walked in and asked for some phill spew sticker noel was there and he smiled and said to phill this kid wants some phill spew sticker . old phill got up and said what did i want. i said that the boys and a& t sent me down he laughed .i think both stores had a good rivaliy. but that  harker  he could do some great wheel stands he would go to get lunchs on a large road bike with a box on the carry bag and call at a& t  stir them up then they would egg him on to pull a wheel stand so he would leave go down logan road come back under the bridge and go passed on the back wheel all the way down to deason st       unreal to see for a 15 year kid.arr the good old days.ed   

[David Lahey]

Is it possible that the RM370 rider at the Qld Titles at Rockhampton was (Redlands based) John Walmsley?

I too as a kid used to go to Phil Thew's Suzuki shop in Wellington Rd East Brisbane for bits for my TS185 and remember well being served by Noel Harker and Phil. It was great they set up there as it was much closer to home that having to go over to Mayfairs on Bowen Bridge/Gympie Road for parts.

The reason that Gaston had a damaged wrist was because the day before the Tivoli racing he had been doing some riding for the cameras promoting his visit and crashed.

I also remember watching Gaston doing some demo riding on an RM at the Ekka speedway track between heats one Saturday night. I reckon his speed around the track there would have had him going pretty well against the speedway bikes - very impressive.

Just also remembered the wheelie guy at the Ekka with stage name "Alberto Bonsarelli" (like Vincent Fonsarelli from Happy Days). He rode a TT500 around on the back wheel a lot out on the infield and did a few stunts.
Does anyone know who that was?

[Wombat]

Maico31, that Canadian Maico ('78 Magnum 440) should be setting sail any day now; I'm sending the money tomorrow having only just received my import approval.
I think I mentioned this bike was built by the same bloke who built the tidy #23 Maico on the front cover of the latest VMX magazine?
Fortunately I'd bumped into his web site by chance in the weeks prior to the magazines release - he tells me the phone has been running hot since the magazine article came out.
He's had several offers on 'my bike' since then.

No Conondale as yet, I'm spending the meantime arranging knee braces and helmet and leathers and ...........everything required for a fresh start in '08.

[Maico31]

Feetupfun and PERM250 it's good to hear your stories from the 70's. That rider at Rockhampton probably was John Walmsley, i remember him being Qld #1 in '77 on an RM370. The wheelie guy at the Ekka was a stunt man who also went under the name of Johnny Fogwell and made a few distance jump record attempts over cars as well. Phil Thew Moto was a great shop and had all the latest trick stuff. They also sponsored some of the best riders from the era like Randy Jones on RH Suzukis, Peter Boyle, Grant Macrae, Noel Harker and Stuart Mclauchlan on RM Suzuki's. Unfortunately Phil Thew passed away a couple of years ago after a heart attack while spectating at the Masters Games MX at Reedy Creek.

[dkupf]

That Johny Frogwell used to do the show curcit in the late 70's under the name of Johny Leap The Frog. I met him out west in Blackall (Central Westen Queensland)1976 seemed like a decent sort of guy. Darcy

[Wombat]

dkupf I remember him as 'Johnny Wonder'; but 'Johnny Leap the Frog"!?? are you sure?
I'm pretty sure Johnny Fogwell has moved up to the sunshine coast.
He lived across the road from me until he sold up about three years ago; he owned the bike shop in town for a while.
We only chatted a few times but he seemed a friendly down to earth bloke - and fit.
Every now and then he'd blast around his track on his dirt bike in a fast but controlled style.
I'm told he does bike stunts for movies but I've no idea if there's any truth in that.

[Hoony]

i saw Jonny Fogwell down here in Vic with Gary Wells (US stunt rider) attempting the world ramp - ramp jump record, i have it on dvd after transferring it from Super 8 film, Fogwell was on a XR500 Wells was on a CR250. Fogwell overjumped and landed past the ramp at the base and the front wwhell collasped on impact, he went down hard but got up OK, it was no declareda record as he did not ride it out.

[firko]

Is Noel Harker the same bloke who ran a top fuel Kawasaki drag bike 10 or 15 years ago. His brother raced a funny car and runs Harker Transport. Same bloke?

[Maico31]

Hi Firko, Noel has 2 brothers Steve and Brad that are into drag racing, they are the guys you are talking about. One of them lives in the states full time drag racing. Not sure about the transport company but could be them.

[Doc]

Firko that's the guy I was referring to! The guy that did my backcutting was indeed the Noel Harker that ran the kwack dragbike. His engineering shop was at Albion/Newstead down the streets behind the Breakfast Creek Hotel. I first met him at Brisbane Kawasaki maybe 20 years ago. 2 Noel Harker's??..I'd estimate the one I knew of would now be 50-55ish. Not really important but just seems too much coincidence. Would either of these gents be the ones in question? Brad Harker on left and Noel Harker on right?

[Maico31]

Doc that's Noel Harker on the right, he races a 490 Maico these days.