| Event Details & Pricing |
Where: Lismore Speedway (Showground) When: 20, 21, 22 March 2009
Times: March 20 - Party (Evening) March 21 - Static Display 10-2 then Demonstrations March 21 - 'How it was' Speedway Meeting 7PM March 22 - Demonstrations from noon
Cost: Entry Per Day: $20 Welcoming Party: FREE Nomination Fee: (Midgets, Sprints, Sedans) $60 Nomination Fee: (Solos, Sidecars) $30 Discount Package: $90 (includes Nom Fee & 2 Single Day Passes - SAVE $10)
Contact: David Lander on 0408 222 908 |
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Welcome to the Australian Vintage Speedway Festival website!
Congratulations! You have just logged onto the Australian Vintage Speedway Festival website. This festival is the most exciting thing to happen in vintage speedway circles.
We look forward to seeing you here often to be kept up to date with the latest happenings for what has to be the biggest and best gathering of vintage and historic speedway ever seen.
The Australian Vintage Speedway Festival will run on March 20 through to March 22. and will include static displays, a Welcoming (meet the legends) party, and each car will get numerous demonstration runs throughout the weekend. With cars from all over Australia and featuring some of the original Australian and American drivers this is a festival not to be missed!
Thanks again for visiting...
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INAUGURAL VINTAGE FESTIVAL HAD SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE |
Monday, March 23 @ 11:00:30 EST |
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The
inaugural Australian Vintage Speedway Festival, held this past weekend at
Lismore Speedway, brought together bikes, cars and stars from the past in two
sensational days of nostalgia.
While
inclement weather resulted in a late change to the programme format for the
Saturday night “How it Was” re-enactment of a typical race programme of the
‘sixties’ golden era, the overall show during the evening was highly successful.
Two three and four wheel machines went through their paces in demonstrations
runs, much to the appreciation and adulation of
patrons.
Many
of the Dusty Heroes from our glorious past were in attendance including six
times World Solo Champion Ivan Mauger, Sidecar National Champion Graham Young,
1970 National midget titleholder Bob Morgan, test riders Ricky Day and Greg
Kentwell, as well as sidecar exponents Ray Andrieux and Greg
Griffiths.
One of the major
attractions was the Indy Offy Champ Car that competed in the 1950
Indianapolis 500 owned by local resident Brian King.
The
fabulous ex-Barry Valentinna Offy
midget, owned by Perth’s Rex McKay attracted plenty of attention, while the Offy
line-up was complimented by Graham Gallagher’s ex-Bob Tattersall #36 midget and
the sleek 1948-model Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser also owned by Brian
King.
The
fabulous HRD Vincent sidecars were displayed and also took to the track for
their exclusive demonstration run. Solo motorcycles – including two-valve Jawa,
Weslake and JAP powered bikes were
displayed.
Overall, the weekend represented the ultimate trip down
memory lane. It all started with welcoming
get-together attended by over 200 people on the Friday
night.
Check
this website for further details and latest news on next year’s proposed
Australian Vintage Speedway Festival.
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BIKES, CARS AND STARS READY FOR THIS WEEKEND'S AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE SPEEDWAY |
Friday, March 20 @ 17:09:11 EST |
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By Dennis Newlyn.
The most ambitious – and potentially the biggest – gathering of yesteryear's race machines and stars in the nation will be held this weekend with the inaugural Australian Vintage Speedway Festival at Lismore Showground.
Lismore Speedway will turn back the hands of time for two very special days that rekindle the golden era of Australian speedway when bikes and cars were the major attraction in mixed programmes across the country.
It starts tonight with a welcoming party that will be held in a pavilion on the grounds of the Lismore Showground Speedway commencing at 6:30PM where the cuisine of choice will be hot dogs as the pavilion reverberates to the sounds of the 'sixties belted out on a juke box .
Nomination numbers have rapidly increased over the past six weeks and everything indicates a record number of machines will be displayed.
“I think we could be in for a shock,” promoter David Lander said today as the early nominations rolled into town.
The interest in the Festival has “gone through the roof” in recent weeks after the Lismore Speedway administration were inundated with enquiries.
Some of the most famous Offenhauser speedcars that raced in Australia during the halcyon days of the 'sixties golden era, while solos, sidecars, speedcars, hot rods, super modifieds, sprintcars and sedans will be displayed over the next days. Many of the great machines will participate in demonstrations runs on both days.
Highlight on Saturday night, March 21, will be the “re-enactment” of a typical 'sixties speedway programme with solos and sidecars in the first half of the show before speedcars take over the second part of the programme which culminates with a demonstration speedcar feature race.
“We want to go back in time and make this show as close to how it was,” David explained.
“We have a lot of bike entries while the speedcar numbers also are very impressive,” he added.
Arguably the greatest international speedway rider the sport has ever produced, New Zealand's Ivan Mauger MBE, OBE, will be in attendance. Ivan is a history-maker in his own right after he became the first man in the illustrious history of the World Speedway Bike Championship to win three consecutive World Championships – in 1968 (at Ullevi, Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden), 1969 (London's Wembley Stadium) and 1970 (Katowice, Poland).
Australian Sidecar Champions Bob Levy (1966 – Sydney Showground) and Graham Young (1969 – Sydney Showground), along with former speedcar stars Howard Revell and Peter Bowland will attend.
Former Australian test rider Ricky Day also will bring his Weslake powered solo which has been maintained in excellent condition over the years and its pristine condition has ensured the bike is as good in appearance as its last race appearance 25 years ago.
The full line-up of past Dusty Heroes has yet to be finalised, such are the expectations of the numbers who will be present at Lismore Speedway this weekend.
The beautifully restored Offenhauser midget that American legend Bob Tattersall brought to Australia in 1966 and cleaned up at the Sydney Showground when he won both the Australian Speedcar Grand Prix and the World Speedcar Championship also will be displayed. The car will be seen in demonstration runs driven by current owner Graham Gallagher.
The day commences at 10:00AM Saturday, March 21 when the gates are officially opened to the public. The meeting tomorrow night starts at 7:30PM and runs through to approximately 10:30PM. Demonstrations will be held on the track Saturday afternoon., while Sunday also will be a full day set aside for demonstrations and static displays.
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THE OFFY NUMBERS STACK UP |
Friday, March 20 @ 08:10:35 EST |
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By Dennis Newlyn
A highlight of the Australian Vintage Speedway
Festival is the display of fabulous Offenhauser speedcars that graced the
national scene of past decades.
The line-up of cars is only a percentage of the
overall numbers that were seen regularly in Australian competition during the
'sixties.
That has led to the obvious question regarding the
overall tally when these fabulous American engined cars were at their peak in
car counts here in Australia.
We remember the days back in the 1961-62 season at
the Sydney Showground when the never before promoted “all Offenhauser match
race” was a star attraction on the programme.
American imports Bob Tattersall and Leroy Warriner
took on Australian legend Ray Revell and Victoria's Jack O'Dea.
The burly O'Dea was aboard the ex-Tony Saylor
Offy left here from the previous season after Tattersall rampaged across the
country in the car winning almost everything, including the 1960 Australian
Speedcar Grand Prix and World Speedcar Championship at the Sydney
Showground.
The car looked very similar to when Tattersall
stepped out of the yellow #55 machine and sold it to O'Dea. Only major
difference was the number O'Dea ran - #65- instead of Tattersall's #55 of 1960.
So Australia fielded two Offys on that historic
night watched by a crowd of over 20,000 fans!
As the 'sixties rolled on a lot more Offies stayed
in the country under local ownership.
The numbers started to climb and to really get a
better evaluation of just how many Offies were housed in Australia at any one
given time, we firstly need to look to the Offy capital of Australia,
Brisbane.
Around that 1967-'70 era their numbers were the
biggest for weekly shows in Australia.
There came a time when a night at the Brisbane
Exhibition Ground was almost on a par with a feature race on the sensational
United States Auto Club (USAC) when Offies filled the feature race field.
Around the 1968 era Brisbane had plenty of Offies.
A quick stock-take from 1968 revealed Offies were driven by Blair Shepherd, Bob
Morgan, Ron Wanless, Barrie Watt, Gary Sacre, Gus McClure, Bill Goode and Barry
Valentinna.
Shepherd and his WRM Performance Cars Offy
team were the benchmark. After originally buying the Cascio Offy (driven by
Tattersall during the 1961-62 season) from Empire Speedways, Shepherd later
visited America and purchased a sleek Offy (now restored and owned by
Sydney's George Liebrand). The car first appeared here painted red and numbered
three, but is best remembered as the black #99 that Shepherd drove to victory in
the 1969 Craven Filter National Speedcar Drivers' Championship.
Wanless ran an ex-Warriner Offy, Watt had the
ex-McGreevy - Joe James Offy, Sacre raced the former Saylors – Bert Marwood
Offy, McClure was behind the wheel of the ex-Tattersall-Shepherd Cascio Offy,
Goode campaigned the Offy brought here in 1964 by the legendary three times USAC
Natonal Midget Champion Jimmy Davies, while Valentinna had the Johnny Pawl El
Toro II Offenhauser.
To get an even better guide to the Offy numbers,
Saturday, May 24, 1969 provides some interesting statistics.
That was the night of the 19th running
of the Golden Fleece sponsored “Little Indy” speedcar 100.
The entry list was high on Offy representation –
11 IN TOTAL..
Goode, Morgan, Wanless, Shepherd, Watt and Sacre
were joined by southern stars who pushed the total to the final number.
Lew Marshall was there driving the Eric Morton
ex-Billy Humphries #72 Offy. He was accompanied by Ray Oram in the McGee Tornado
which by this time ran an Offy instead of the Ford Falcon. Ron Mackay raced his
father's Capital Motors Offy and his team-mate at the time, ten times Australian
Sprintcar Champion Garry Rush, was aboard the ex Valentinna El Toro II Offy.
Brian Cunneen fronted for the 100 lapper driving the
ex-Tattersall-Valentina-Johnny Stewart -Hollywood Spring and Axle car from
Tattersall's 1965 national campaign.
From that number we can add a few more in the
nation to push the numbers even higher!
In Adelaide there were two Offenhausers. Former
Rowley Park promoter Kym Bonython had the sleek ex-Warriner-Hank Green Offy
roadster, while in that 1968-69 era Roy Sands possessed one of the nicest Offies
I had ever seen, the “black deuce” #6. Over in Perth a couple of Offies ran –
one being an ex-Warriner-Don Mackay Offy raced firstly by Perth's Garry Ellement
and later Geoff Stanton.
Yet to be mentioned dealing with this specific
time of the 1968-69 era is the Johnny Stewart former Tattersall car brought
here for the 1967 international season by Bob Tattersall. Sadly, this is
the midget Des Kelly lost his life in a race crash at the Brisbane Exhibition
Ground in April, 1967.
Then, of course, there was a Merle Bettenhausen
Offy from the 1969 season and the Harry Conklin Offenhauser that Tattersall
raced in Australia during thast same 1969-70 season that stayed in
Australia.
While it may be open to conjecture, a quick
tally of the Offy numbers from the specific 1968-69 era comes up with a total of
18 OFFENHAUSERS!
I'll stand corrected, but crunch the numbers and
see what you come up with. I reckon it's close to that same amount!
The figures stack up – just take for example March
23, 1968 at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground and the night of the quarter-mile
World Speedcar Championship.
On that occasion the line-up included Bob
Tattersall in the Kischell Offy which stayed here under Blair Shepherd
ownership, Barry Butterworth (Mackay Offy), Ray Oram (ex-Meacham-Don Mackay
Offy), Bill Goode (Mulcahy Offy), Blair Shepherd (WRM Offy), Barry Valentina (El
Toro II Offy), Ron Wanless (Brennan Offy), Barrie Watt (James Offy), Gus McClure
(ex-Cascio Offy).
Johnny Stewart was not in attendance who at that
time had Lew Marshall as a team-mate driving the ex Tattersall Hollywood Spring
and Axle 1965 era Offy.
Also include those other cars from interstate and
it's a figure that again nudges upward of the final 18 mark.
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McGEE FALCON TORNADO REPRESENTS PAGE FROM THE PAST |
Tuesday, March 17 @ 22:07:18 EST |
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BY DENNIS NEWLYN
A famous Australian-built midget speedcar that survived Darwin's Cyclone
Tracy will make its first general public demonstration run at Lismore Speedway's
Australian Vintage Speedway Festival this weekend.
Car is the McGee Ford Falcon powered Tornado
originally from Sydney that has been superbly restored back to its 1967 era by
Sydneysider Wayne Sansom.

The McGee Ford Falcon Tornado in 1967 with Len brock at the wheel following his great victory in the Australian Speedcar Grand Prix at the Sydney Showground.
The beautiful yellow #13 midget restoration has
turned back the years to the night in February, 1967 when one of the biggest
names of the 'fifties-'sixties era Len Brock drove the car to a sensational
victory in the Australian Speedcar Grand Prix at the Sydney Showground.
The Tornado has a colourful past – much like Brock
– and ended its years as a competitive racecar in Darwin.
That was where Sansom found the car and so began
an association with the midget that during its era was also driven by Sydney's
Ray Oram, Brian Mannion and legendary American Bob Tattersall.
There was a time when the car was powered by an
American Offenhauser engine, but the McGee Tornado is best remembered from the
days of 1965-1967 when it had a Ford Falcon motor under the bonnet.
Sansom stumbled onto the car in Darwin almost by
accident when he placed an advertisement in a racing magazine for the sale of a
“dog-box.”
He received a call from an interested party in
Darwin. After the sale and following more than six months of communication, it
was then Samson realised the midget in possession of the Darwin race team was
the famous former McGee Tornado out of Sydney.
Samson then completed negotiations to buy the car
and transported it to Sydney for restoration to its former glory.
That was seven years ago and Samson only recently
completed the job. The car had changed considerably over the years but Samson
had enough proof from previous owners that this indeed was the original McGee
Tornado that blazed a trail of glory around the Sydney Showground in the halcyon
days of the 'sixties.
“The car came with the original steering box, the
front spring was there and it also had the original rear coils,” Sansom
explained.
“But when I got the car back, ninety-percent of
the body panels, front and tail, fuel tank were in a different style from the
original car.”
So the chase began as Wayne secured an array of
items that were the same design used in 1967, including brakes, front stub,
diff, “dog box,” and, of course, a fuel-injected Ford Falcon motor. It sometimes
became a frustrating and painstaking assignment because he also needed to use
exactly the same tyres and wheel rims the car ran back in the 'sixties.
“The car came back intact but I had to replace the
running gear, while the car also had a different nose to the original one
fitted. The car also had a Datsun motor fitted,” Wayne said.
In its racing days the Tornado was owned by Sydney
engineer and camshaft/fuel injection proprietor Hedley McGee, while Hedley's son
Phil was chief mechanic. Phil was the driving force behind Brock's great win in
the 1967 Australian Speedcar Grand Prix.
Brock also ran the car when it was powered by an
Offy, likewise in 1969 when another Sydney star of the day Ray Oram raced
the car. This also was at the time the McGee team picked up sponsorship from the
Quiet-A-Drive automatic transmission company. Oram spectacularly crashed the car
on the pit corner at the Sydney Showground in 1969 and soon after the McGee
Tornado was sold to high profile super-talented promoter of Adelaide's Rowley
Park Speedway, Kym Bonython.
With an Offy motor fitted, the Tornado became the
“house car” at Rowley Park and was driven by interstate and overseas visitors
for the next few seasons.
When the Tornado was sold to Bonython a new era of
highs and lows began in its history.
Phil's younger brother Chris takes up the story:
“Several Yanks were flown in each
year to drive it. I understand that one of the Yanks put the car into orbit and
the damage was probably not repairable. Kym’s crew chief, Mac Diamond flew out a
back half from Don Edmunds (Californian racecar builder) and replaced the kicked
up section and added torsion bars.”
Chris still holds fond memories of the sleek
yellow #13 and was immediately impressed after viewing emailed photos of the
car's completed restoration.
“The car
looks great. It sure brings back a lot of memories. It's good that Alan Bonser
is still around to re-create the lettering. I was only about 13 when the car was
built. Phil built most of it with help from Ken Mason, Doug Hodson and Peter
Nunn.
 T
he McGee Ford Falcon Tornado fully restored in 2009/
Howard Marks
from Brisbane later owned and raced the car before it was then sold to Alice
Springs interests and was later based in Darwin.
According to
Wayne Samson the car was housed in Darwin at the time of Cyclone Tracey in the
mid 'seventies and withstood the full brunt of the Cyclone when it swept through
the city on Christmas Eve 1974.
The McGees
debuted the original Ford Falcon Tornado in the summer of the 1965-66 and
installed ten times Australian Champion Garry Rush as its driver. The car was
state-of-the-art for its era and even had a specially contoured-designed seat
built especially to suit Rush.
His stint
behind the wheel was relatively brief and probably remembered for the photo of
Rush driving the Tornado off the safety fence on the Sydney Showground pit
corner in a spectacular “wall of death” incident.
It was not
until the 1966-67 era that the Tornado really hit the headlines with veteran
driver Len Brock at the wheel. In what many have rated as Brock's best ever
drive, he raced to a sensational victory in the 1967 Australian Speedcar Grand
Prix in Sydney after he held off the determined challenges of local Brian
Mannion and American ace Bob Tattersall.
In the latter
stages of the event a frustrated Tattersall nudged Mannion out of the way on the
back straight as the latter spun to the infield. Tattersall made a desperate
lung at Brock over the final two laps, but Brock held on and drove the Tornado
into history.
Tattersall
was later disqualified from the placings, Mannion was on the infield and denied
what looked a certain runner-up finish and Brock was the hero of everyone in a
great home town victory.
The Tornado
also was one of the first cars in Australia to fit a cockpit roll cage. This was
in 1969 shortly after the safety device was made mandatory in American speedcar
racing.
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HISTORY MAKERS AT FESTIVAL |
Monday, March 16 @ 12:14:43 EST |
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Some of the greatest champions the sport has ever
produced will be in attendance at the inaugural Australian Vintage Speedway
Festival at Lismore Speedway on March 21-22.
The two day Festival will feature cars and bikes
from past decades, while demonstration runs and a “How it Was” fixture will be
the Saturday evening highlight when many of the great names from previous eras
will be introduced to the fans.
 The restored Don Mackay Offy that was driven successfullly by the late, great Jeff Freeman. Photo: Brian Darby.
Arguably the finest international speedway rider
of all time, New Zealand's Ivan Mauger MBE, OBE, will be on hand to participate
in the activities.
Mauger is a six times World Speedway Champion,
three time World Long Track Champion and member of victorious World Team Cup and
World Pairs sides.
He became the first rider in the long and
illustrious of the World Speedway Motorcycle Championship to win three
consecutive world titles. His first victory was recorded in 1968 at the Ullevi
Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden, then followed with championship wins at London's
Wembley Stadium (1969) and in 1970 at Katowice, Poland. Incredibly, Mauger
dropped only one point to his opposition from those three great victories.
Meanwhile, five times Australian super
modified/sprintcar titleholder Dick Briton will attend. Briton came through the
transition era from super modifieds to sprintcars and is the only driver who won
national titles in both categories.
When he recorded his fifth career victory in 1975
at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground he became the first driver to win the national
title in a sprintcar.
The presence of former Australian Sidecar Champion
Bob Levy represents genuine history for the sidecar category displayed at the
Festival.
Levy created his own piece of Australian speedway
sidecar racing history in 1966 when he won the National Championship at the
Sydney Showground.
 Owner and former sprintcar/speedcar star Rod Bowen pictured with his restored Offy that was part of the Don mackay stable during the 'sixties. The car was driven by Jeff Freeman who lost his life in a race crash at Sydney's Westmead Speedway on May 9, 1965. Photo: Brian Darby.
Levy on that occasion rode the HRD Vincent machine
he throttled to victory, while four years earlier in 1962 he was passenger, with
rider Bill Bingham, in their successful Australian Championship assault at the
Brisbane Exhibition Ground. After his win as rider in 1966, he was the first
sidecar competitor to win a national title as both passenger and then
rider.
Another great Australian Sidecar Champion Graham
Young will make an appearance at the Festival.
Young was a sensation of the sidecar ranks back in
the 'sixties and in 1969 won the Australian Championship at the Sydney
Showground.
He also took out the NSW Championship. While most
sidecar riders of the era rode HRD Vincent powered machines, In addition to
riding Vincents, Young later campaigned a JAP 880-engined sidecar while he also
is remembered for the years he experimented with a Hillman motor adapted to
speedway sidecar racing.
Young also tried his hand at speedcar racing
during his great career.
The Festival also will feature trade and
memorabilia vendors and static displays will be highlighted with the appearance
of some of the most famous cars and bikes in Australian speedway history.
NOMINATIONS ARE STILL BEING TAKEN for the
Australian Vintage Speedway Festival. Entries can be lodged by 'phoning the
Lismore Speedway office during business hours 6621-2733; email: office@lismorespeedway.com.au or
0408-222908.
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Lots to see at AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE SPEEDWAY FESTIVAL at Lismore. |
Friday, March 13 @ 18:03:17 EST |
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Lismore Speedway will turn back the hands of time
next weekend when it conducts the inaugural Australian Vintage Speedway
Festival.
The two day/night fixture represents a salute to
Australian speedway's magnificent history since the inception of the sport in
this country back in the 'twenties.
Cars and bikes from past decades will be featured
in static displays during both days. Saturday night, March 21, will be the
highlight of the Festival when Lismore Speedway will conduct a fixture run on
the same format in a replay of the golden 'forties-'fifties-'sixties eras when
bikes started the show and were featured in the first half of the programme
before the car sections took over the second half of the meeting.
All of the categories on hand – including solo
motorcycles, sidecars, speedcars, hot rods, super modifieds, sprintcars and
sedans – will participate in demonstration runs on the track.
Promoter David Lander, who as a former super
modified driver competed during the 'sixties at venues such as the Sydney
Showground, Westmead and Windsor Speedways, always wanted to host a spectacular
that paid tribute to the sport's illustrious past.
“This fixture is a celebration of the sport of
speedway,” Lander acknowledged.
“We will have big numbers of vintage cars and
bikes on hand for static displays, there will be memorabilia and souvenir stands
trading on both days.
“The Saturday night show will really be a
re-enactment of what used to take place at Showground venues across the country
every Saturday night. The machines will only be demonstrating on the track at a
controlled speed, but it will give fans the chance to see these great cars and
bikes, some of the most famous in Australian Speedway history, in action,”
Lander added.
There also will be a “Tribute to Speedway's Dusty
Heroes” honouring former great champions of the past in attendance.
Legendary New Zealand speedway rider and winner of
six World Championships, Ivan Mauger MBE, OBE, will be on hand. Mauger is
hailed by many experts as the greatest speedway competitor of all time who
during his time was an international superstar of the sport.
Former Australian Champions from the Sidecar,
Speedcar, Super Modified and sprintcar categories also will be honoured on the
Saturday night.
Many of the highly acclaimed American Offenhauser
Speedcars that were brought to Australia during the 'fifties and sixties by big
name American drivers that have since been fully restored to their former glory
under Australian ownership also will participate in demonstration and static
displays.
One of the most famous Offenhauser speedcars
driven at venues throughout Australia in 1966 by American speedcar legend, the
late, great Bob Tattersall, will be seen in action. The car is now owned by
long-time speedway devotee Graham Gallagher.
Lismore Speedway next weekend remembers the “way
we were” and takes a trip down memory lane in two days of nostalgia that will be
heaven on earth for long time followers of the sport.
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REX McKAY'S EL TORO II OFFY A STAR ATTRACTION AT LISMORE FESTIVAL |
Thursday, March 12 @ 17:48:47 EST |
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One of the most famous American Offenhauser
speedcars in Australian speedway history – the ex-Barry Valentinna #23 El Toro
II midget – will be one of the star attractions at Lismore's Australian Vintage
Speedway Festival, March 20-22.
The car is owned by former Victorian speedcar star
Rex McKay who will make the long haul from Perth to be a part of what promises
to be one of the biggest and most celebrated vintage and nostalgic speedway
gatherings ever held in Australia.
Restored Valentinna Offy in
demonstration run.
The sleek yellow and black Valentinna Offy is a
“picture perfect” restoration – exact to the most precise detail – to the days
of the 'sixties when Valentinna raced the car successfully at the Brisbane
Exhibition Ground and the Sydney Showground.
Valentinna was one of the first interstaters who
made the break through and won a feature race at the hallowed Sydney
Showground.
A proud Rex McKay pictured
with the magnificent former Barry Valentinna Offenhauser.
The part the car played in Australian speedway
history is very significant. The Valentinna car was driven the very last time
American speedcar legend Bob Tattersall raced in Australia – at Sydney's former
Liverpool Speedway in April 1971 – and also represents the final occasion
Tattersall competed in a midget before he succumbed to cancer on
October 27, 1971.
The El Toro II Offy was built by the Kurtis Kraft
company in 1950.
In 1966 Indiana's Johnny Pawl rebuilt the car for
Barry Valentinna who purchased the midget (the second of two Offies raced by
Valentinna in his career).
Barry Valentinna seated behind
the wheel of the beautiful EL Toro II Offy at Sydney Showground in
1968.
Barry debuted the car during the 1966-67 season at
the Brisbane Exhibition Ground. Over the next two years Barry raced the car
successfully before he moved to New South Wales and based his racing operation
out of the Sydney Showground during the 1968-69 season. A racing trip to New
Zealand followed before Valentinna sold the car to Sydney Offy owner Don Mackay
in 1969.
A new era in the car's history dawned. The car,
painted dark blue and yellow and numbered 14, was driven by Garry Rush.
Rush turned in a big drive in the annual 100-lap
race at the Sydney Showground in the 1970-71 season and was placed third, though
denied the placing by officials who believed he was a lap down. (These were
the days long before transponders and laps were recorded by infield
scorers!!).
Former Australian Speedcar Champion Ron Mackay and
American Hank Butcher also drove the car. In 1971 the car was repainted
red, numbered 3 and was raced at Liverpool Speedway by Tattersall.
Ray Oram then took the car to Western Australia
where it raced as the Greatway Motors Offy.
It was then sold to Peter Brady and campaigned in
Perth as the Swan Crest Offy, driven by Bob Goddard and Des Nash.
In 1973 Brady then sold the car to current owner
and restorer Rex McKay in Victoria.
It was repainted orange/green and carried Vic #10
on the tail.
In the 1974 Australian Speedcar Championship at
Ballarat's Redline Raceway the car was driven by WA's John Fenton into third
placing. After damaging the Offy engine it was fitted with a 2 Litre Cortina
engine. The car raced until 1979 when it was retired.
With the formation of the West Australian Classic
Speedway Association in 1994, Hilton McGee, who owned the Leroy Warriner, Hank
Green Offy ( now under Rod Bowen ownership), talked Rex into restoring the
Kurtis Kraft midget. The job was completed in 1995 and the car was displayed
with the Cortina fitted until 1997 when Mckay, who in later years resided in
Perth, purchased an Offy engine while in USA.
With the Offy in the chassis rails, the car has
been displayed and demonstrated at many Vintage shows. It was last seen on the
East Coast at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground in 2006.
Meanwhile, Rex McKay wishes to thank Kevin
Small and the staff at GKR Transport for their assistance in
transporting the Valentinna Offy and equipment to and from
Lismore for the Vintage Speedway Festival.
The Australian Vintage Speedway Festival is indeed
privileged to have in attendance one of the most famous American Offenhauser
speedcars to ever race in Australia. The Offy has a great heritage and history
in keeping with the Festival theme of “the way we
were.”
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IVAN MAUGER MBE, OBE TO ATTEND VINTAGE FESTIVAL |
Saturday, February 28 @ 13:38:50 EST |
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By Dennis Newlyn
The man many astute experts claim the greatest
speedway rider the sport has ever produced – New Zealand's Ivan Mauger – will be
present at the Lismore Speedway Australian Vintage Speedway Festival, March
20-22.
The legendary six times World Individual Speedway
Champion this week confirmed his intention to attend the event after speaking
with promoter, David Lander.
It is a major coup for the Festival to have Mauger
on hand as his presence adds even more prestige to this event.
“It's great to have Ivan at the Festival,” Lander
said.
“His stature in world speedway bike racing through
such an impressive list of world title achievements clearly makes him an icon of
speedway and I am delighted he will be in attendance.”
Sixty-nine year-old Ivan Mauger from Christchurch
throttled out a career with records that will stand the test of time.
Taking special place are the six World Speedway
Championships achieved in an era of “one-off'” World Finals long before the
introduction of the modern era's Grand Prix series.
Ivan is the only man in the history of the World
Speedway Championship who recorded a hat-trick of title success – even more
impressive in three different nations!
His first victory came in 1968 at the Ullevi
Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden, he then retained the 1969 championship at
London's hallowed Wembley Stadium before he and the world title broke new ground
when he won in 1970 after the title was held in Poland for the first time.
Even more incredible, Ivan dropped only one point
in his three consecutive victories with 44 points out of a possible 45!
After Ivan won in 1970, two Americans George Wenn
and Ray Bokelman honoured their earlier pledge and had Ivan's title winning bike
gold-plated. The bike became a popular museum piece over the years –
particularly in Ivan's home city at the Christchurch Museum.
He added to his World Individual Speedway
Championship tally with victories in 1972 (at Wembley), at a wet and muddy
Ullevi Stadium at Gothenburg in 1977, before he raced to a record breaking sixth
world crown in Poland in 1979.
(Sweden's Tony Rickardsson equalled Ivan's six
titles when he took out the 2005 World Grand Prix Championship.)
In what ranks the most consistent performance in
World Final history, Ivan was never out of the top three title placings from
1967 to 1974.
That achievement is one of many that will
obviously stand the test of time.
He also was the first person to win the World
Speedway, World Longtrack, World Pairs, and World Team Cup, Championships
(achieved 1971 with the World Longtrack win); he was the first rider to ever win
the World Individual Speedway Championship and World Long Track Championship in
the same year. (Ivan has three World Long Track Championships in addition to his
speedway world crowns).
Combining both speedway and long track events,
Ivan rode in a combined total of 52 qualifiers/World Finals, while he has a
multitude of international victories including four European Championships, four
British Championships, two Australasian Championships and was Inter-Continental
titleholder in 1975.
Ivan first broke through in England when he took
out the Provincial League Riders' Championship in 1963 and 1964. He also won the
Northern Riders' Championship in 1964 and followed up with victories in 1967,
1968, 1969, 1972 and 1980.
He had an outstanding career in the British League
and was British League Riders' Champion in 1971 and 1973.
He rode for five clubs during his years in England
– Wimbledon Dons, Newcastle Diamonds, Belle Vue Aces, Exeter Falcons and Hull
Vikings. For many years Ivan recored an astonishing 11-plus match average.
League Championships and KO Cup successes are part of his career achievements in
the years he spent in British League racing.
It was a far cry from his initial attempts to
break into British speedway when he joined the Wimbledon National League club in
1957.
By his own admission he struggled. He could not
come to grips with the demands of league racing in England and returned to New
Zealand in 1958.
Somewhat dejected, Ivan marked time for a few
years. The turning point was a letter he sent to Adelaide's charismatic promoter
Kym Bonython asking for a chance to ride at the famous Rowley Park venue. Kym
gave him an opportunity and Ivan's career was kick-started. He settled down at
Rowley and those early years he spent in Australia set him on the road to
stardom.
He was Australian Longtrack Champion in 1962 and
Victorian Speedway titleholder in 1962 and '63. The time was right to again try
England and in 1963 he was signed by Mike Parker to ride for the Newcastle
Diamonds club.
After three years with the Diamonds, his career
was now ready to step onto the international stage and in 1966 he rode in his
first World Final. He finished an impressive fourth (at Gothenburg) with 11
points from a possible 15 in the year fellow countryman Barry Briggs raced to
his fourth world title success.
Ivan's record at World Championship level spanned
from 1966 to that memorable win in 1979.
Ivan was awarded the MBE in 1976 and the OBE in
1989. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
He also was a two times New Zealand Champion.
For many years Ivan and his wife Raye have resided
on the Queensland Gold Coast.
Christchurch gave the world of speedway bike
racing three great champions who between them hold 12 World Individual Speedway
Championships – Barry Briggs (1957, 58, '64 and 1966), Ronnie Moore (1954 and
1959) and Ivan Mauger (1968, '69, 70, 72, '77 and '79).
Lismore Speedway is indeed proud to welcome the
great Ivan Mauger MBE, OBE, to the inaugural Australian Vintage Speedway
Festival.
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METHANOL AVAILABLE AT VINTAGE SPEEDWAY FESTIVAL |
Wednesday, February 25 @ 21:17:53 EST |
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A representative from the ELF company will be on
hand selling methanol at Lismore Speedway's upcoming Australian Vintage Speedway
Festival March 20-22.
Anyone wishing to make a purchase to participate
in demonstration runs during the Saturday and Sunday fixtures can do so at the
ground.
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REX McKAY'S SUPERB VALENTINA ELTORO II OFFY ENTERED FOR FESTIVAL |
Tuesday, January 20 @ 19:32:53 EST |
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Great news for the Australian Vintage Speedway
Festival following the entry of WA's Rex McKay and his beautifully restored
Offenhauser midget.
Car is the ex-Barry Valentina Offy out of
Queensland which holds claim as one of the best-looking speedcar
restorations on the current national scene.
Rex will make the long haul from Perth to be a
part of the Festival which will be held at Lismore Speedway March 20-22,
2009.
The Valentina Offy, known as Eltoro II, was
purchased by Barry from the Crown Point, Indiana workshop of Johnny Pawl in
1967. The car arrived in Australia in absolute mint condition and Barry enjoyed
great success in the beautifully-engineered Offy. He recored victories at not
only his home track – the world famous Brisbane Exhibition Ground – but was also
one of the first Queensland drivers to break through for major success on the
hallowed Sydney Showground during the 1968-69 season.
The Eltoro II Offenhauser was seen in Sydney
throughout the 1968 summer racing season when Barry concentrated his racing
operation at the Showground venue.
The car also raced in New Zealand before it was
later sold to prolific Sydney speedcar Offenhauser owner Don Mackay.
Keep watching this website for a more detailed
story on Rex McKay and his immaculate Eltoro II Valentina Offenhauser as
well as some great photos of this magnificent machine.
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AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP STROUD-TATTERSALL OFFY AT FESTIVAL |
Wednesday, December 24 @ 11:12:22 EST |
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The
Offy midget that American legend Bob Tattersall drove to victory in the 1969
United States Auto Club (USAC) National Speedcar Championship will be displayed
at Lismore Speedway's Australian Vintage Speedway Festival, March 20-22,
2009.
The
car, which was judged the 2002 Vintage Classic Restoration of the Year by the
NSW Vintage Speedcar Association, is owned by club member Graham
Gallagher.
Known
as the “Honker II” Offy, the #3 car was owned by Jack Stroud of St Louis,
Missouri and was built in 1967 at the Don Edmunds Auto Research factory in
California.

Great overhead shot of the Honker II in action with Graham Gallagher driving at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground.
It assumed the “BIG HONKER”
race number (35) for the 1967 and 1968 seasons.
It was
painted blue for the 1967 season then the championship colours of yellow and red
for 1968.
Bob
Tattersall drove this midget in USAC competition in 1967 and 1968 for Jack
Stroud, finishing fourth in 1967 and third in 1968.
There was also a 1969 version of
the “HONKER 11” which was also built at the Don Edmunds Auto Research
workshops in California. It was similar to the 1967 model, with the exception
that it incorporated parallel as well as cross rear torsion bars. It was also
fitted with the latest 120 cubic inch Offenhauser engine, No 445.
The 1967 and 1969 versions of the
“HONKER 11” had a very similar external appearance while for the
1969 season, were both painted yellow and red with racing number 3 allocated to
Jack Stroud from the results of the 1968
season.

The Honker II pictured last July at Sydney's Bankstown Paceway during a demonstration run.
In 1969 Stroud won the car owners
USAC championship and Bob Tattersall the USAC drivers championship with the 1969
version of the “HONKER 11” though the
original 1967 Honker II played its part in the USAC Championship success in
1969.
Bob
Tattersall used the backup midget (1967 version) for four meetings in 1969, at
Jackson, Lansing, Davenport and Madison.
The
midget was constructed to the specific requirements of Stroud and Tattersall.
The modifications to the normal Edmunds built speedcar obviously had an affect
as Tattersall enjoyed his best-ever season in American speedcar
racing!
After
consideration to the makeup of the 1969 USAC championship rounds with the number
of ¼- mile dirt, ½- mile dirt, ¼- mile pavement, ½- mile pavement tracks on the
schedule, Stroud decided to build a midget with the shortest permitted wheel
base, space frame chassis, cross leaf front spring and cross ½ rear torsion
bars.
The
“Honker II” followed in the wake of the first “Big Honker” which also will be
displayed at the Lismore Festival. Jack Stroud sold the “Big Honker” to
newspaper publisher Hank Hansen in 1967 before many years later Gallagher
secured the car and brought it back to Australia for a complete restoration to
when it was here in 1966.
The 1969 design of the original 1967
Honker II (the car owned by Gallagher) was actually the third of the Offy
midgets owned by Jack Stroud in this mid-to-late 'sixties era.
The other midget was formerly the
Marquette Offy and under Stroud's ownership was raced as #25 until 1967.
This
#25 midget was brought to Australia in 1967 and carried #2 on the tail. The car,
known here as the Valvoline Offy, was sold by Bob TattersaIl. It is restored and
currently owned by Rod McMahon in Brisbane.
THE HONKER 11:
USA 3:
SPECIFICATIONS:
Chassis: Edmunds – chrome molly space frame – incorporating Jack
Stroud’s special requirements.
Chassis No: XLM048.
Engine: 110 Cubic inch Offenhauser: Serial No.
390.
Suspension: Front - Solid chrome molly axle with cross leaf
spring.
Rear - Solid chrome molly axle
with cross ½ torsion bars & external *****pit
lever adjustable weight- jacker.
Brakes: 4 wheel magnesium Airheart hydraulic disc brakes with
brake balance valve.
Fuel system: Methanol – Hilbourn direct mechanical
injection.
Drive: Offenhauser dog – box, enclosed chrome molly drive
shaft.
Differential: Halibrand aluminium midget quick
change.
Steering Box: Schroeder cast aluminium.
Wheels: Halibrand magnesium alloy. Front 12 x 4.5, Rear 13 x
8.
Body: Edmunds – fibre glass nose, hood &
tail.
Aluminium side & belly
panels.
Colour: Yellow & red.
Racing No 35 – 1967/68, No. 3 – 1969.
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FAMOUS TATTERSALL OFFYS AT LISMORE FESTIVAL |
Sunday, December 14 @ 19:33:34 EST |
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The car American speedcar legend
the late Bob Tattersall drove to victory in the 1966 Australian Speedcar Grand
Prix and World's Championship at the Sydney Showground will be one of the
prominent exhibits at the Australian Vintage Speedway Festival at Lismore
Speedway on March 20-22, 2009.
The #35 Jack Stroud “Big Honker”
Offy, which is owned by NSW Speedcar Association member Graham Gallagher,
is one of the most famous midgets Tattersall ever brought to
Australia.

Graham Gallagher runs the famous #35 Jack Stroud-Bob Tattersall Offy.
Proud owner Gallagher has had a
close affinity with the Illinois-based Stroud family for almost two decades and
he will also bring to Lismore another famous Stroud Offy nicknamed “The Honker
II” that Tattersall raced successfully in America.
This is the car in which
Tattersall used to win the coveted United States Auto Club (USAC) National
Midget Championship in 1969.
Both cars are absolute showpieces
and will certainly be very popular attractions at the Festival.
Tattersall made a clean sweep of
the major events at the world famous Sydney Showground in 1966 driving the #35
“Big Honker.”
He started the campaign in January
1966 with a feature race victory and then followed up with the AGP and World's
Speedcar Championship successes.
Tattersall also won major events
in the #35 car at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground including the Golden Helmet
title and the Australian ¼-mile Speedcar Championship.

The hallowed, lost and still much lamented Sydney Showground is the perfect backdrop for this great photo taken shortly after completed restoration of the #35 Big Honker. Tattersall raced this car to some great victories at the Sydney Showground in 1966.
Major wins also followed at
Adelaide's Rowley Park Speedway and Claremont Speedway, Perth.
The #35 car was almost unbeatable in
Australia with Tattersall at the wheel and the 1966 Down Under campaign
represented one of the most successful visits by Tattersall in his 13 year
association with Australia.
The “Big Honker Offy" was
built in 1949 in the USA by Al Hendrix, chief Kurtis Kraft factory midget
builder. It's interesting to note the car was constructed to Jack Stroud’s
specific requirements from a basic Kurtis Kraft Kit.
The midget was raced extensively in
the US Midwest for over 30 years.
In addition to Tattersall, some other
famous US drivers who drove the "Big Honker" were Danny Frye, Bob Wente,
Jimmy Davies, Aussie Billy Humphreys, Carl Williams, Bud Tinglestead, Eddie
Johnson, Jud Larson, Mel Kenyon,Gary Byers, Shannon Finley, Danny Frye
Jnr.,Chuck Weyant, Tommy Copp, Arnie Knepper, Dick Gaines and many
more.
“The “Big Honker” was one of
three midgets brought to Australia by Bob Tattersall that went back to the USA,”
Graham explained.
“The midget was air freighted back to
Jack Stroud at the conclusion of Tattersall’s 1966 Australian tour in late March
1966 and was raced in Bob’s USAC campaign with Jack Stroud until season end,
December 1966. Tattersall finished fourth in the 1966 USAC midget championship,”
he added.
The heritage of the car is as
interesting and as colourful as some of the drivers who raced the #35 machine.
“The “Big Honker” was sold to
a local automotive newspaper publisher named Hank Hansen.
Hank ran the midget for several years
in the Midwest with Gary Byers and Billy Humphreys doing most of the driving,”
Graham said.
“Hank sold the midget to long time
car owner Joe Finley, who also ran the car for several years, winning several
local championships. His drivers were Danny Frye Junior and Shannon
Finley.
"Joe sold the car to Illinois
interests who changed the power plant to a Sesco. It was then later sold to
Garry Corley in St.Louis, Missouri who then sold it to me. Six owners in over 50
years is not bad for a race car,” he proudly stated.
(Keep watching Lismore Speedway's
Australian Speedway Vintage Festival in the next few days for an in-depth story
of Graham Gallagher's magnificent second Stroud car the “Honker
II.”)

Graham Gallagher gives the Honker II a run.
BIG HONKER OFFY USA #35 TECH
TORQUE:
Chassis: Kurtis Kraft: chrome
molly single main tube .
Chassis No. 350
Engine: 110 Cubic inch.
Offenhauser. (Serial No. 138.)
Suspension: Front. Solid chrome
molly axle with cross-spring.
Rear. Solid chrome molly axle with
parallel torsion bars.
Brakes: *****pit selectable 2/4
wheel Halibrand magnesium caliper hydraulic
disc brakes with foot and external
hand operation.
Fuel System: Methanol – Hilbourn
direct mechanical injection.
Drive: Offenhauser dog-box,
enclosed chrome molly drive shaft.
Differential: Halibrand aluminium
midget quick change rear end.
Steering: Nordon cast
aluminium.
Wheels: Halibrand small slot- six
pit – knock on type magnesium alloy. Front
12x4.5, Rear 12x6.
Body: Kurtis Kraft aluminium
tail,side and belly panels.
Fibreglass nose and
Hood.
Colour: White / Gold /
Red.
Racing No.
35.
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AMERICAN HISTORY AT VINTAGE FESTIVAL |
Saturday, November 15 @ 15:34:33 EST |
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Local NSW north coast businessman Brian King has a
collection of cars that represent genuine American auto racing history that have
been entered for the upcoming Australian Vintage Speedway Festival at Lismore
Speedway, March 20-22, 2009.

Walt Adler Drove this car at the 1950 Indy 500
There are in fact very few people in Australia
that are aware of the great cars Brian owns – a pristine 1948 Kurtis Offy
midget, a fully restored Offy Dirt Car that raced in the 1950 Indy 500 and a
1975-model Edmunds VW midget that was driven by Larry Patton.
Brian's “secret” has been a revelation to the
Australian vintage movement and these cars will certainly prove a major
attraction at the Festival.

Sixty five year-old Brian King from Alstonville near
Lismore, has been involved with engineering all his working life and is an avid
collector of vintage cars.
The 225ci Offy Dirt Car that Brian owns was part
and parcel of the tough Indy racing scene in the great era of the late
'forties-mid 'fifties.
The sleek white #27 machine was owned by Alden
Samson and was driven in the rain-shortened 1950 Indianapolis 500 (won by Johnny
Parsons) by Walt Adler.
Adler, from New Jersey, qualified the car at
129.940 mph and started out of position 29 in the 33-car Indy field.
The car at one point of the Indy 500 was placed as
high as sixth before it was ultimately credited with a twenty-second finishing
position when the race was flagged at the 123 lap mark of the 200 lap race.
It was the one and only appearance by Adler in the
Indianapolis 500.
Meanwhile, the magnificent yellow #22 Kurtis Offy
midget is a show-stopper.
 1956 & 1957 URA championship winning car
The midget was built in 1947 by Californian Tom
Sparks from a Kurtis Kraft kit and was raced initially with a V8/60 engine. The
car's greatest achievement came in later years under Offy power when Don Cameron
drove the midget to the 1956 and '57 United Racing Association
Championships on the “red” circuit.
The car was owned by Doug Carruthers whose status
in American midget racing has been well do*****ented over the years. His son Jimmy
Carruthers took out the 1970 United States Auto Club (USAC) National Midget
Championship.
The Carruthers family were hit by tragedy in 1971
after Doug's other son, Danny, was killed in a Californian speedcar
accident.
The car was rebuilt in 1980 by Chuck Porter and
was later purchased by another Californian, Joe McPherson, in 1995.
Brian King bought the car off Joe McPherson
earlier this year, and along with the other two purchased cars, freighted the
three machines to Australia.
The beautiful #35 Don Edmunds VW midget was raced
in west coast and USAC events in the 'seventies by Larry Patton.
The car was one of the first that came off the
production line from the Don Edmunds workshop in Anaheim, California.
These cars are a magnificent addition to the
Australian Vintage Speedway Festival at Lismore Speedway on March 20-22, 2009.
They will certainly be a major attraction at the
Festival.
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US ACE DON MEACHAM SET FOR VINTAGE SPEEDWAY FESTIVAL APPEARANCE |
Tuesday, November 04 @ 21:43:43 EST |
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The Australian Vintage Speedway Festival at
Lismore Speedway on March 20-22 has received a tremendous boost after
Californian midget driver from the 'sixties era Don Meacham announced his
intention to attend.
David Lander , from Lismore Speedway, promoters of the
event, said today he was delighted to have such a distinguished American
speedcar star from the golden era on hand for the Festival.
“That's great news,” David Lander beamed.
“Don is a name well known to long serving
Australian speedway fans. He brought to Australia what I have always considered
to be one of the best looking Offy midgets ever to come out of America.
“The iridescent blue number three car with the
wrap-around windshield was a showpiece,” he said.
Meacham, who raced with the United States Auto
Club midgets at the height of their popularity in the 'sixties, will be
participate in demonstration runs during the Festival.
Meacham visited Australia in the 1967-68
season as tourning partner to the legendary Bob Tattersall (Stroud Valvoline
Offy) and Billy Mehner (Richardson Offy).
Meacham's debut at the Sydney Showground in
February, 1967 was on a night that saw one of the most dramatic incidents in the
long and illustrious history of the world famous “Royale.”
New Zealander Barry Butterworth almost incited a
riot when he was disqualified from the feature race, ultimately won by
Tattersall with Meacham in the runner-up spot.
Meanwhile, the Lismore Australian Vintage Speedway
Festival promises to be one of the biggest nostalgic events ever attempted.
Two great days of exhibitions, static
displays and demonstration runs featuring cars and bikes will be
conducted.
David Lander wants as many vintage clubs to
support his event which will be heavy promoted in the weeks leading up to the
Festival with a strong media advertising campaign.
Lander is keen to have representation
from Associations throughout Australia and welcomes participation from as many
car and bike vintage clubs as possible.
For More information on the Australian Vintage
Speedway Festival, phone David Lander on 0408-222908.
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ANDRIEUX HRD VINCENT SIDECAR FOR AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE SPEEDWAY FESTIVAL |
Tuesday, September 09 @ 16:09:21 EST |
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The latest nomination for the Australian Vintage
Speedway Festival at Lismore Speedway next March is from former Sydney
sidecar rider Ray Andrieux.
Ray will present his fully restored 1000cc Vincent
machine for demonstration sessions and static display.
The HRD Vincent – the workhorse of Australian
sidecar racing throughout the 'forties, 'fifties and 'sixties – has left a
legacy of history and tradition.
It's very significant that one of the well known
bikes from the great era of sidecar racing at the former Sydney Showground
speedway will be present for Lismore Speedway's Australian Vintage Speedway
Festival which promises to be the most ambitious nostalgic trip down memory lane
ever attempted in this country.
Ray is delighted to have the bike back in his
possession after he last raced the sidecar thirty years ago.
“I got most of it back after selling it thirty
years ago,” he explained.
“I have spent the past two years finding parts and
restoring it back to the way it was when I last raced it at the Sydney
Showground in 1978,” he added.
The Andrieux Vincent was built by 1972 Australian
Sidecar Champion Geoff Grocott in the 'sixties.
Grocott rode the machine for a time before in
later years he changed the face of Australian sidecar racing when he won the
National Championship riding a 750cc Kawasaki powered outfit.
The now well do*****ented Japanese invasion, which
changed the face of Australian sidecar racing as Vincents ultimately disappeared
off the radar, became reality courtesy of Grocott's sensational victory.
However, there will always be a very special
nostalgic place in Australian speedway for the tried and proven HRD
Vincent.
The Andrieux Vincent was also ridden by former
National Champion, the late Garry Innis and Lee Fieldsend.
The HRD Vincent Andrieux that will be seen at
Lismore was fitted with McGee fuel-injection and was one of the most competitive
bikes of the era.
Ray throttled out many victories on the Vincent in
both scratch and handicap competition where he rode off the 80 metre mark.
The Australian Vintage Speedway Festival welcomes
former Sydney sidecar rider Ray Andrieux – a member of the Veteran Speedway
Riders Association of Australia – to the 2009 Australian Vintage Speedway
Festival at Lismore Speedway.
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Accomodation Guide now available for festival. |
Wednesday, August 06 @ 19:49:10 EST |
A wide range of accommodation packages are available for the Australian Vintage Speedway Festival that will be held at Lismore speedway on March 20, 21 and 22, 2009.
All are priced to suit everyone's budget with high standard of comfort and service.
The most recent corporate partner to come on board with Lismore Speedway for the 2008-2009 season was the AZA Motel located at 114 keen Street, Lismore.
Motel accommodation features 30 units with all facilities available, while there is ample truck and trailer parking. AZA Motel can be contacted or 6621-9499 or check out their website: www.azamotel.com
Karinga Motel once again this season backs Lismore Speedway.
Karinga offer 3-star accommodation, with ample space for transporter/truck parking. Karinga Motel is located at Molesworth Street, Lismore, phone 6621-2787.
The Lakeside Lodge Motel also is part of the Lismore Speedway accommodation guide.
The Lakeside Lodge Motel can be found at 100 Bruxner Highway, Lismore. They can be contacted on 6621-7376 or visit their website: www.lakesidelodgemotel.bestwestern.com.au
Melville House is upmarket bed and breakfast accommodation.
Antique furniture settings from the 'forties are a feature of this facility with accommodation packages that are priced to suit the budget as low as $50 per night.
Melville House also has available rented houses in the area and is certainly worth a look at www.melvillehouselismore.com. Melville House is located at 257 Ballian Street, Lismore (Phone: 6621-5778).
The Hotel Northern Rivers, is located on the corner of Terania and Bridge Streets, North Lismore, close to the Lismore Speedway venue.
It's the ideal place to stop if you want to be right on the door step of the racing action. (Phone 6621-5797).
For more information on accommodation for the Australian Vintage Speedway Festival at Lismore Speedway log on to the event's official website: www.vintagespeedwayfestival.com
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LANDER ANNOUNCES VINTAGE SPEEDWAY FESTIVAL DETAILS |
Thursday, June 26 @ 09:07:41 EST |
David Lander, Managing Director of Lismore Speedway, is proud to announce the
biggest vintage gathering ever held in Australasia when the Lismore Speedway
venue hosts the inaugural Australian Vintage Speedway Festival on March 20,
21 and 22, 2009.
The festival commences with a gigantic welcoming party on Friday evening,
March 20. The following two days will comprise static displays,
demonstration runs featuring cars and bikes from past great eras of
Australian speedway and novelty events.
There will also be a Memorabilia Swap Meet conducted on Saturday, while
every endeavour will be made to have in attendance some of the biggest
competitor names on the national scene from past decades.
The Australian Vintage Speedway Festival will be unique to anything
previously conducted with an attempt on the Guinness Book of Records for the
most number of famous Offenhauser speedcars featured in a demonstration run.
“The All Offenhauser” run is open to all owners of restored Offys and early
indications are that some of the most famous Meyer & Drake cars ever brought
to this country will be involved.
After the welcoming party, where the featured cuisine will be hot dogs on
sale from on site vendors in a throw back to the days of such nostalgic
venues as the Sydney Showground, Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Melbourne's
Tracey's Speedway, Rowley Park Speedway, Adelaide, and Perth's Claremont
Speedway, the first event on the Saturday will be the Memorabilia Swap Meet
and car/bike displays.
DML Holdings would like to see as many vintage clubs/associations
represented at the festival. There also will be a competition for the best
display, to be voted on by a panel of judges, and is open to every car/bike
association in Australia. Trophies and awards will be part of the
competition.
Cars/bikes will go on display from 9AM each day and gates will be open to
the general public from 10AM.
The demonstration run sector of the day's activities will commence on
Saturday at 3PM featuring solos, sidecars, speedcars, super modifieds, TQs,
Formula 500s and other car categories and will run through to 10:30PM.
The track will be rolled and prepared to 'sixties-'seventies conditions.
Sunday's track time starts at 11AM and continues to 6PM, while the festival
is set to conclude at 8PM. Gates will open at 10AM Sunday.
Every vintage car and bike speedway association or competitors group is
invited to attend what will be a sensational weekend of fun, excitement and
great nostalgia as the City of Lismore acknowledges the golden years of
Australian speedway.
Entry cost per vehicle or motorcycle is $60.00 for the festival. (Pricing
covers cost of insurance, NSW ambulance etc). Payment can be made by cheque
or money order to: DML Holdings, PO Box 675, Lismore, NSW., 2480. Nomination
forms can be downloaded from website and submitted for entry accompanied
with photo of car or bike for purposes of website posting and press release
details. (Also check website for accommodation updates and relevant
information.)
Admission per day is $20.00. It is anticipated six runs per car and bike
will be conducted, however that number is obviously subject to number of
nominations.
For more information on the festival, visit the recently built website –
VINTAGESPEEDWAYFESTIVAL.COM – or contact David Lander on
0408-222908.
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INAUGURAL AUSTRALIAN VINTAGE SPEEDWAY FESTIVAL AT LISMORE, MARCH 2009 |
Tuesday, June 03 @ 22:33:00 EST |
The inaugural Australian Vintage Speedway Festival will be held over two
days at Lismore Speedway on March 21 and 22, 2009.
This is a new and exciting addition to the national vintage events and
promoter David Lander wants to make this the biggest ever gathering of race
machines and personnel from the great days of yesteryear.
Planning already has commenced for the “ultimate trip down memory lane” and
David Lander hopes to have as many former competitors present for the
activities. The emphasis will be turning back the hands of time and the
event will commence on Friday evening, March 20 with a welcoming party where
the choice cuisine will be hot dogs, sold from on site vendors.
“We grew up in that golden era of Australian speedway when Saturday night
meant a night at the Sydney Showground, Brisbane Ekka or Tracey's in
Melbourne,” David Lander said.
“Friday night also was Adelaide's Rowley Park or Perth's Claremont Speedway
when the stars of bikes and cars thrilled thousands of fans. We want to try
and recapture that past golden era with a display of some of the most famous
machines in Australian speedway history,” he added.
The Australian Vintage Speedway Festival will be “a happening” with the
exhibition of solos, sidecars, speedcars, TQs, hot rods, stock rods, super
modifieds and even some of the very early years of Australian sprintcar
racing and the machines that helped make what sprintcar racing is today.
The demonstration run format will be like a race programme from the past
with firstly solos and sidecars on the track, before the emphasis then
switches to four wheels.
David also said that he wants to conduct Australia's first “all Offenhauser”
demonstration run.
“We know there are a number of guys who have restored Offies and I want to
bring together as many of these great cars as possible to hold a very
special demonstration run.”
One can only anticipate the crowd reaction when as many available Offys as
possible fire up and take to the track for the demonstration run, with a
pulsating sound and an engine note that will be music to the ears of
long-time followers.
David welcomes the involvement of all vintage associations (cars and bikes)
to make this weekend in March, 2009, full of nostalgia and something very
special. On site sellers for a memorabilia swap meet and souvenir sales also
will be part of the two day show.
For more information on the inaugural Australian Vintage Speedway Festival
phone David Lander on 0408-222908.
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Advertise Here -
Contact David on (02) 6621 2733 0408 222 908
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