26 replies to this topic

[Wirra]

I can't recall an actual race at Warwick Farm, but I do remember some demos by Kel Carruthers, et al. Anyway, someone may be able to identify these riders. I haven't cropped the photos as I think it adds a bit to the venue setting.

Edited by Wirra, 07 November 2010 - 21:47.

[vc1954]

50 Bryan Hindle.....127 Laurie Turnbull......1 Len Atlee.......63 Ron Toombs......69 Keo Madden.....Bike with no fairing is Alan Burt and I think 8 could be Mike Steele and 51 Les Kenny maybe??.......I had the opportunity to ride my TD3 around there as my first job was with Geoff Sykes who was the organiser and promoter of the meetings there.....Lovely man and loved bikes. The above pics are a demo at a car race as Geoff really wanted bikes there.

Edited by vc1954, 07 November 2010 - 22:05.

[Ian G]

I mentioned this in the AARC thread,did Hailwood do a couple of demo laps at the Farm in the late 1960's?,may have been on a Saturday but he was definitely in the pits pre F5000 days.

[GD66]

50 Bryan Hindle.....127 Laurie Turnbull......1 Len Atlee.......63 Ron Toombs......69 Keo Madden.....Bike with no fairing is Alan Burt and I think 8 could be Mike Steele and 51 Les Kenny maybe??

Reckon you're onto it VC, and maybe 10 is Denny McCormack...
What do you reckon Allen Burt is riding ?

[vc1954]

Reckon you're onto it VC, and maybe 10 is Denny McCormack...
What do you reckon Allen Burt is riding ?

No idea what Alan Burt is riding but I would imagine it being a 4 stroker....10 looks too big for Denny!!!....I know that both Eric & Rob Hinton were involved that day. Got a feeling that 93 is Crymble (cannot remember his first name). These pics are 1972 maybe 73!!!
Could 10 be Max Robinson?

[GD66]

Was it Shaw Crymble ? Think he had a bike shop.

[vc1954]

Was it Shaw Crymble ? Think he had a bike shop.

Yep thats him....shop was in Beverly Hills.

[7okai]

No idea what Alan Burt is riding but I would imagine it being a 4 stroker....10 looks too big for Denny!!!....I know that both Eric & Rob Hinton were involved that day. Got a feeling that 93 is Crymble (cannot remember his first name). These pics are 1972 maybe 73!!!
Could 10 be Max Robinson?

Yep, I reckon Max Robinson, and would Burtie have been riding Toombsies' TD2 instead of his own AS1?

[Russell Burrows]

No idea what Alan Burt is riding but I would imagine it being a 4 stroker....10 looks too big for Denny!!!....I know that both Eric & Rob Hinton were involved that day. Got a feeling that 93 is Crymble (cannot remember his first name). These pics are 1972 maybe 73!!!
Could 10 be Max Robinson?

Or is it a few years earlier, cos they all seem to be TR/TD Yams and I'm half convinced that the bottom picture is Phil O'Brien on his Drixton Aermacchi chasing Turnbull? So, perhaps 1970?

[vc1954]

Or is it a few years earlier, cos they all seem to be TR/TD Yams and I'm half convinced that the bottom picture is Phil O'Brien on his Drixton Aermacchi chasing Turnbull? So, perhaps 1970?

Could be....I just remember being there that day and thinking that those guys were nuts

[Wirra]

IIRC this is Kel Carruthers on his solo demonstration. I do remember the commentators going silent so everyone could hear every gearchange right around the circuit.

[vc1954]

Was talking to Ross Hannan last night.....turns out it was he who approached Geoff Sykes to try and get bikes at the Farm and organise the demo

[lyntonh]

IIRC this is Kel Carruthers on his solo demonstration. I do remember the commentators going silent so everyone could hear every gearchange right around the circuit.

Warwick Farm Saturday 6th December 1969

Kel Carruthers ran just after the Improved Touring Car practice session,
while the course was being cleared for the next session.

Bob Jane stopped at Creek near the end of practice,
& I photographed all the goings on as they removed the car,
with Carruthers going past in the background.

The bike ran around five laps if I remember it.

 

What they were trying to do with the oil drum obviously didn't work!!

Edited by lyntonh, 02 July 2014 - 02:02.

[philippe7]

What kind of Honda is this , that Kel Carruthers is riding ? Yellow plates, so I assume a 500, but 4 cylinders , so it's not one of those CB450-based Drixton jobs... And 1969, sounds a bit late to be a former factory 4 from 66/67 ? And with those seemingly chromed pipes, whereas the latest factory 500 had black exhausts didn't they ? Lots of puzzling points really....

[vc1954]

What kind of Honda is this , that Kel Carruthers is riding ? Yellow plates, so I assume a 500, but 4 cylinders , so it's not one of those CB450-based Drixton jobs... And 1969, sounds a bit late to be a former factory 4 from 66/67 ? And with those seemingly chromed pipes, whereas the latest factory 500 had black exhausts didn't they ? Lots of puzzling points really....

It was a 250 IIRC

Edited by vc1954, 11 November 2010 - 07:58.

[fil2.8]

It was a 250 IIRC

I think , if you look it has chrome pipes and is the ex-works 250/4 he rode for several seasons in the early to mid sixties , cleaning up at most meetings , before he came to Europe , and the UK

[philippe7]

Ah, OK then, thank you guys, does make sense with the chrome pipes, still puzzled about those yellow plates but no big deal

.....and by the way, I never knew Kel had an ex-works 250 Honda down under

[GD66]

I think it was originally a 1960 model (hence the chrome pipes) that was sent out to Bennett and Wood (NSW), Kel rode it for years and won all capacity classes with it.
But how about the front brake ? Looks more like a Fontana than Honda gear...

[Russell Burrows]

What kind of Honda is this , that Kel Carruthers is riding ? Yellow plates, so I assume a 500, but 4 cylinders , so it's not one of those CB450-based Drixton jobs... And 1969, sounds a bit late to be a former factory 4 from 66/67 ? And with those seemingly chromed pipes, whereas the latest factory 500 had black exhausts didn't they ? Lots of puzzling points really....

It's a 250 four of around 1960 vintage; Kel rode it to many famous wins in the mid sixties. I think too that it was earlier ridden by Tom Phillis. In the late sixties I worked for the NSW Honda distributors and we used the bike for promotional events and bike shows. I can't recall who actually owned it, but I can remember it often being stashed unceremoniously among the crates of unassembled bikes down the back of the warehouse. I think though it spent most of its life with Jack Carruthers in his Gladesville workshop. I can remember conversations about firing up at work but I don't thing it was ever done; I do though remember ripping the arse out of my trousers when demonstrating to work collegues how one should assume the racing crouch on it.

Edited by Russell Burrows, 11 November 2010 - 11:39.

[Russell Burrows]

I think it was originally a 1960 model (hence the chrome pipes) that was sent out to Bennett and Wood (NSW), Kel rode it for years and won all capacity classes with it.
But how about the front brake ? Looks more like a Fontana than Honda gear...

Yes GD, definitely a Fontana, probably accompanied Kel during his vist home after lifting the world title in '69. I remember him coming into Bennett Honda on that trip and being really patient with the questioning from a road racing mad youngster from London.

[lyntonh]

I've been scanning negatives from my collection, & came across these four shots from 30th April 1972 at the Farm.
Taken at Northern Crossing, by the way!







I reckon they're from the same day as Wirra's originals.

Edited by lyntonh, 14 February 2012 - 03:52.

[7okai]

Shaw Crymble?? or "Gorgeous Gordy" Gordon Doble?

Billy Dillow?

Max Robinson

Elmer McCabe

Edited by 7okai, 02 January 2011 - 09:58.

[Ray Bell]

I wonder if Geoffrey knew?

That 1972 meeting wasn't long before the farm closed, just one year and one meeting, in fact. I wonder if Geoff put on that demonstration so he could have bikes on 'his' circuit just once in its lifetime?

Yes, Tom Phillis did do a demo run too, I'm sure I heard my uncle talk about this at some time. And I think we saw Kel Carruthers do a few laps on the bike he won the 250 title on. Or is that not so?

[fil2.8]

And I think we saw Kel Carruthers do a few laps on the bike he won the 250 title on. Or is that not so?

Yes , Ray , Kel Carruthers and the ex-works 250/4 Honda are the stuff of folk law , think he won many , many races on the 1960 model against machines of all sizes before coming to the UK and Europe in the mid sixties

[Ray Bell]

I know I saw him race at Longford on the Honda...

He won the 250 race and then he won the 350 race on it, IIRC, then he took a Manx Norton out and won the 500 race, I think. I don't follow the bikes, but that seems to be what I recall.

[Stinky]

Hi All;
I believe the Farm could not be licenced for motorcycle racing because of the gaps between the bottom of the fences and ground level.
Pity a few loads of loam were not placed in a few places!!
I was out there the day of the "Demonstration" in the pictures above.
So the story goes if the "Demo" was started with a flag it was classed as a race and the Old Fossilonians of CAMS would have been after Geoff,s head!!
You know GPF would never break a rule (bend it a tad maybe.)
So the start of the "Demo" was when Mary dropped a white cloth out of the timing bus.
So the field (sorry exhibits) took off.
With around 20 odd of the top A grade riders about what the hell did people think would happen??
It turned into I think it was a 12 lap absolute screamer!!
Magic!!
When the "Exhibitors" returned to the pit area it was VERY common knowledge that there was a couple of cartons on the outcome!!
Should have been more of it!!
P.S. The Saturday "Sighting Laps" (PLEASE let's not call it practice) had bikes going off everwhere!!
Memories.
Cheers.
Roger.

[tcbumblebee]

Hi all, Number 93 is my dad, Sid Lawrence