Hi all


I just read that Oran Park is now closed to racing and houses are to be built on it Seems a bit sad to me, some great memories from there I am sure, I don't get the mentality at all


David

Not the Nurburgring, but it's a shame it's gone.

First of all happy new year to all forum members.
Yes Oran Park has gone, another track gone to the Sydney urban sprawl.The company i work for is in the housing industry and we have done some work on several houses at Oran Park already, i think these houses are located at the end of the main straight.
The new "town" has a very original name........Oran Park Town.

What an awful programme cover.......Pretty sure that the corner at the end of the straight was sharper than that.

Yeah, satelite shot it aint.....not miles out though is it? Perhaps you went through there quicker in your day?

Robin Orlando.....Energol........Craven A.

All gone, along with the double decker bus that was the control tower..........which was eventually used as landfill.

I can imagine the contractors doing a bit of cut and fill levelling for foundations having to ring the office and explain how they hit a bus

Here's a link to Google Earth http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sour...mp;t=h&z=17

I can recall running off the road at the flip flop, hitting bloody greats ruts in the dirt and sailing through the air for what seemed a very long time....result: cracked spine; Joe Eastmure's old 500 Suzuki bent to buggery. Also, once did a wall of death at Energol after the front brake lever fell off All seems a very long time ago, especially when recalled from snowy London.

Suttons corner, the scene of Louie the Fly crashing into my rear end (Swann Series 82) and having a tantrum, leaping up and down on the spot, all captured on TV as the dust settled Flys flys and more flys. Dust, gravel, extreme heat, an audience with Les or the Blizzards..those were the days!!!

Worth mentioning that Oran Park is not finished yet, it hosts its final meeting January 23/24



In fairness that programme cover is of the short circuit, might you be thinking of the GP circuit, the first main corner as you say was much sharper

Not at all......the short circuit first corner came back on itself and was off camber.......The first corner on the GP circuit was more of a kink taken in 4th gear (depending on the bike).

Luke, as is confirmed by the satelite picture, the programme map is not at all far out.......off camber?

Maybe Russell is right and you were just going too fast?


David

Unfortunately Oran Park's race has run (or in this case, not run, as the final meeting was cancelled due to lack of entries).
The final meeting was a car race meeting run on January 15/16.

Over the past 12 months or so I've been posting images of my old slides on various TNF car threads but I also have a couple of sidecar images from Oran Park. Can anyone tell me who are the riders and passengers.





Also, I'm interested to see any information about Ross Pentecost - I know his daughter and son-in-law and they would appreciate any information or photos anyone might have of Ross. Thanks

30 looks like one of the Bayliss outfits...rider's too svelte like for Stan so the young bloke - Steve, was it? And 1 could be Orrie Salter?

Quality pics!!!

More than a little sad....had my first race there.
http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=125143

Had my first (and only) success as a "team manager/entrant" there. 1982 Yamaha 750 proddie race, 600 class with Mike and Iain Pero; REVS magazine Yamaha XJ550. Happy days.

The strange thing is, that even in its demolished state, it still looks to be in better condition than Pukekohe!

A belated congratulations

I was also there, hanging the pit board out with the gap from Iain and Mike for John Wood. How bad is my memory? I can't remember who John's co-rider was. I can't even remember if they finished. That's terrible. I do recall Mike and Iain winning the class. I can also remember being second reserve, and did not get to practice on the bike. My brother did, and he did mention something about sticking with TZ250's rather than riding proddy bikes.

I was never really fond of the actual circuit. Low grip, especially when it was cold, and bumpy. But, irreplaceable with not a lot of options elsewhere in the future which is truly sad.

edit:- Revs magazine......was Bernie Summers Johns team mate?

Yes, well known REVS ad man (and finally, I believe) now an Australian champion of a class unknown to most, Bernie Summers. I know he lurks on this forum , so perhaps he will come out, so to speak. And, of course, John Wood. A great guy who was killed at Surfers.

Eek, I didn't know that, Peter. John Wood was as hard as nails, and a wildly-underrated racer. I seem to recall he was a contemporary of John Woodley, may have even had the same RNZAF Woodbourne origin : but after finding his way in NZ, he was a main man in the feast of 350 action that took place several times a year at Oran Park. When I was living in Sydney, and writing occasionally for NZMCN, Dave Jones the Oran Park manager at the time couldn't have been more accommodating, and so for a couple of years I was privy to some awesome race action : yes, Aussie superbikes were in their nascent period, piloted by Wayne Gardner, Dennis Neill, Roger Heyes, Rob Phillis, Jim Budd, Mick Cole, Greg Pretty, the Blanco brothers, Rod Cox, Mal Campbell and all, but for me the soon-to-be-gone 350 class (what the hell were they thinking ?) had all the action, with torrid battles featuring Ron Boulden, Gary Coleman, Mark Pace, Steve Fisher, Lee Roebuck, Wayne Gardner, Wayne Clarke, our mate John Wood, Steve Trinder, Paul Lewis, Graeme Geddes, Andrew Johnson,Rob Phillis, Steve Hardwick, Murray Ogilvie, and a host of would-bes chasing them along. Yes, the Swann Series had some amazing dices, Crosby vs Trinder, Gardner vs Campbell, Magee vs McElnea, but for me the 350 racing of the time was what Oran Park was all about.
Sadly, for some reason I'd never heard that poor John Wood had been killed at Surfers. Shame. A good guy...

Yes, John was ex air force. And those hangers at Woodie turned out some amazing stuff. Some very talented servicemen with far too much spare time! John and wife stayed with us for a short period in the UK, They moved up north, to Bolton, I think, where he worked and tried to get a ride or two. Actually left me his toolbox (empty, mind) when he went back to Oz.
Glad you mentioned Dave Jones. He really was a great bloke who knew the value of good press.
And you're right about the standard of Australian 350 racing. But perhaps it was the same throughout various parts of the world during that period; a golden era.
Coincidentally, heard from John (not Mark) Pace today. The throttle hand is itchy again and he's making the right noises.

Uppercut ! That's what you get for typing beyond your speed skills ! Of course I meant John, at that time he was going strong on the Fred Rose Tuning TZ350. Hope he does get back aboard, one of the neatest in my opinion.

Mark Pace, (ex-Honda Australia motocrosser) incidentally, has been having the odd gallop as well...

I remember Ian Pero. He worked ar Action Suzuki in Parramata for a while and nearly convinced me to buy a Superstreet, (remember that shortlived class), GSX, (yes that's right) 600 off of him. But the Late Duncan Read got in first and convinced me to buy a GP bike instead......

I rember losing my front brake lever on my first race there on my Benelli Tornado Post Classic Bike..........

Hmmmm Racing and freshly painted bikes...... never a good mix....

#4 may be Brian Payne on the Tranzac. I'd say #30 was Steve Bayliss, but that doesn't look like Graeme McGregor in the chair...

...I'm out.
I was really pissed off that Iain & Mike had got the REVS sponsorship for that race. I was riding pretty good that year on the REVS TZ250 & thought I was bound to get the magazine's support for this race. When I was told Iain & Mike were getting the ride I teamed up with Woodie on his employer's, West Ryde Motorcycles, XJ550. After practice & Qualifying we knew we were in with a pretty good chance for the class win. We were in the lead when unfortunately the valve stem tore out of the front tube at Yamaha Corner (was Robin Orlando) while I was riding (about midday??). It took me about 10 mins to push the unridable bike back to the pits & then a bit more time to get it raceable again. Woodie was generally a faster rider than me but there wasn't much in it that day. I had one of the more memorable rides of my life in that race; I seemed to be in "the zone" - I couldn't seem to do anything wrong. I remember passing Wayne Clarke and others so easily; Clarkie commented later that he had no chance of sticking with me. I think (peterd or 7okai may know) that we finished on the same lap as the Peros.

O/T but...
Woodie was bloody good rider and a great friend. He always rode the wheels off his TZ350 & as far as I'm aware was never given the chance he deserved to have a go riding for a professional team. His freak accident at Surfers Paradise raceway was supposedly caused when he hit water that had been splashed onto the track by another rider's off track excursion ("Wally" Campbell?) under the bridge. John ran off at great speed & collided head on with another rider who had also ran off & was pushing his bike back in the opposite direction. Both died as a result of the collision. A dark day at Surfers Paradise Raceway.

Glad to see you've come out, Bummers.
I was reminded today of the RD350LC pairing which unsuccessfully protested the Peros. That they managed to achieve such huge mileage between gas stops was surely down to that special "NSW-spec" oversize fuel tank!
Ah, what would an Oz proddie race be without a protest!

And now you can tell us about the day you beat Jeff Sayle and Richard Scott on a "real" bike. 250 GP race at Oran Park later that year? New class lap record?

I think that was '83 - when did Jeffrey come back?

Another in "the zone" day - I still have em, occasionally! - don't get in my way

So what are your championship-chasing plans this year?

I raced against these guys and my guess is Barnie Bayliss followed by George Heggie. The other photo is (i think) Orrie salter No1 and Bob Levy No4

Welcome Bob, got any pics?

Yes i have a few photo's but they are prints and im new to computers, so as soon as i work out what needs to be done i will send some. Glad i found this site, cheers!

I just read that a round of the 2011 V8 Superbore Series is slated for Oran Park!
Apparently, the developer who owns the housing development has some spare land to build a new track on somewhere near the original. Anyone closer to the source know the details?

I'm not closer to the source, but Tony Perich, whose company owned Oran Park, owns quite a bit of nearby land.
He once said he wanted to build a similar track to Oran Park near Wilton, which is about another 25km out of Sydney.
I have read that the land he wants to build the track on would require re-zoning, but given how much housing is expanding in that part of Sydney, you would wonder how long it would be before somebody starts complaining about noise levels.
If he did build the track, he has stated that it would be self funded and would not cost the taxpayers a cent.
He has quietened down a lot about building a new track after the NSW Government decided to go ahead with the V8 Supercar race at Sydney Olympic Park, so don't believe anything about a V8 Supercar race in that area in the near future (if at all).

Oran Park had a round of the World Superbike Championship in 1988 and 1989 before it went to Phillip Island.



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And had an appearance of the locally built Hunwick-Hallam in the Australian Superbike Series round.


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Brilliant pics ! This looks like Stephane Mertens and he's on a Bimota , so presumably 1988 ? Incidentally, the two legs of the race that year were won by an unknown local wildcard, a certain Michael Doohan on a Yamaha

Fabrizio Pirovano leading , but that's about all for me in terms of riders ID .....

#27 is Fred Merkel from the USA. I think I'm right in saying he won the title that year.

Doohan won both legs by 30 sec from Mike Dowson from memory. AJAY was meant to demo the "syndicate" superbike but the throttle stuck open and it ended in tears at the end of the straight.

Correct . And Rob Phillis was 3rd in the first leg and 4th in the second , so a good showing by the "locals"

The following year (1989) the 1st leg was won by Peter Goddard and the second by Michael Dowson , so another OZ success.

Then the race moved over to Philip Island

What about this lot then ? I think I can make out a "Terry" on the leathers of the first rider, so maybe Mr Rymer ? The helmets of the two others don't ring any bell I'm afraid...

Terry Rymer on the Stern's disco RC30, #34 Robert Dunlop propably on one of PJ O'Kanes bikes, and the other rider is Andy McGladdery, I think.

From F1network.net. It still leaves a few numbers out, but is interesting to look at anyway.

1988 World Superbike leading entries:
no. rider entrant bike
1 Virginio Ferrari ITA Honda RC30
2 Davide Tardozzi ITA# Bimota SpA Bimota YB4EI
6 Stéphane Mertens BEL# Bimota SpA Bimota YB4EI
3 Joey Dunlop NIR Shell Gemini-HRC Honda RC30
4 Michael Dowson AUS Marlboro Dealer Team Yamaha Yamaha
25 Mick Doohan AUS Marlboro Dealer Team Yamaha Yamaha FZR
7 Anders Andersson SVE Team Suzuki Sweden Suzuki GSX-R
8 Kenny Irons ENG+ Bridge Garages (Exeter) Honda RC30
8 Gary Goodfellow NZL# Don Knit Sugano Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R
9 Roger Burnett ENG# Honda UK Honda RC30
10 Fabrizio Pirovano ITA# Yamaha FZR
11 Roger Marshall ENG Padgett’s of Batley Suzuki
12 Robert Scolyer AUS Honda
15 Jari Suhonen FIN# Arwidson Racing Yamaha FZR
17 Fred Merkel USA# Rumi Honda RC30
17 Eric Delcamp FRA Kawasaki France Kawasaki GPX
19 Adrien Morillas FRA# Kawasaki France Kawasaki GPX
18 Andy McGladdery ENG Francis Neill Motors Suzuki GSX-R
32 Malcolm Campbell AUS# Honda
32 Yukiya Oshima JAP Suzuki
32 Rob Phillis AUS Team Kawasaki Australia Kawasaki GPX
33 Terry Rymer ENG Sterns Disco Honda RC30
36 Ken’ichiro Iwahashi JAP Honda
39 Marco Lucchinelli ITA# Cagiva Ducati 851
44 Edwin Weibel SUI# Muhlenbach Honda
45 Alex Vieira POR# Honda France Honda RC30
46 Christophe Bouheben FRA# Honda France Honda RC30
Ernst Gschwender BRD Suzuki
Aaron Slight NZL Super Angel Racing Team Bimota YB4


+ Irons was killed in a racing crash
# Tardozzi also raced number 1
# Mertens also raced number 8
# Goodfellow also raced number 11
# Burnett also raced number 26
# Pirovano also raced numbers 83, 12, 3 and 7
# Suhonen also raced number 11
# Merkel also raced numbers 73, 8, 27, 4 and 39
# Morillas also raced numbers 47 and 14
# Campbell also raced number 3
# Lucchinelli also raced numbers 15 and 2
# Weibel also raced number 23
# Vieira also raced numbers 17 and 6

I think this is Oran Park - anyone want to ID these blokes?

I don't think it is Russell the crowd is too far away for any of the left handers there, and no idea about the riders sorry.

I think you're right....might be Calder? The TR2? pilot now campaigns a pretty swift ES2 Norton; the other bloke is Malaysian Sonny Soh on his TR500. They're competing in a '72 series I've now forgotten the name of .

Is it Laurie Turnbull????