24 replies to this topic

[Ray Bell]

That will be the fortieth anniversary of cars rolling out for the first official practice sessions on the Sydney circuit. Moves are afoot to have a party of some kind, with drivers who raced there, cars which raced there, people who wanted to be there coming along.
One suggestion is for a 'Cocktails on the Causeway' centrepoint to the celebrations. The Causeway is the sole remaining piece of the circuit, and it still subdivides the lake in the middle of the racecourse, making it something of a departure from the placid scene that exists there normally. But not much of a departure.
Whether we can go on to something else from there is yet to be determined, but a huge late-into-the-night memory session would be sure to ensue. Maybe a walk around where the circuit used to be, complete with discussion about how Fred went off there, and that great passing move here... how such and such baulked someone in that corner...
Nobody should miss this... interested parties please advise us here:

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Barry Lake]

I'm interested.

[Ray Bell]

So's Bob Levett, and I can't see Archie staying away... can you? I've faxed Max about it.. spread the word.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[theMot]

I only live about 15 minutes from there. I didnt know that there was a car racing circut in there though. I only knew about the Horse racing track.

[iota]

I'd love to be there but can't get out of Tassie to attend.
When i migrated from England in 1969 as a kid of 14 we lived in Cabramatta and i attended Cabramatta high school, we could hear the cars practising on Fridays for a meeting on Sunday and i recall disapperaing from school around Lunch time, walking across the paddocks at the back, crossing the Hume Hwy and slipping through the fence at Ledger to watch the goings on
On Raceday it was either Creek Corner,(along with the Bugler), or the esses, (just under the footbridge)
I can recall many great moments:
Skinny Manton in a Mini, glued to the back of Pete's Mustang

Neil Allen losing an Oil Cooler in his F5000 at Creek and taking out the guy in front(who was that?)in an almighty shunt

Leaning over the wooden fence at the Esses so that the wing mirrors virtually clipped my nose as Moffat slammed the Mustang between John Harvey and the fence to take the lead with Jane and Pete hard on their heels "Open wheelers are for sheilas--In touring cars you're with MEN!"

Kev Bartlett and Max Stewart in the Mildren-Waggotts,nose to tail for lap after lap and going like bats out of hell.

I don't think i have experienced the same Buzz at a Race meeting since the Farm closed you just can't get as close to the action these days
Mind you it was Bloody Dangerous but Bloody good too

[Ray Bell]

Kids!! What further evidence do you need that you should hang around this forum more often?
Go to the "Australian Grand Prix in former times' thread and read about the AGP at Warwick Farm (4 or was it 5 times?). Check my details for icq contact and we can keep in touch on this.. I can't work out how to add you to my contact list, Mot.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Ray Bell]

Dangerous? The only person ever killed there drowned when his Vee went into the lake on a private practice day...
Niel (note the spelling, please) Allen had is harmonic balancer fly off... may have taken the oil line with it... and ran into the back of Frank Matich.
I understand what you say... Cabramatta, the creeks, slipping under the bridge and climbing the fence, I can picture it all! What memories we have!
That's why this has to be done right... Surely you can work out a way to get up from Tassie for something this important?
After all, Baskerville is very much shaded by that memory, as you say...

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[iota]

Ray,
so Niel hit Frank! ooooerrr, Frank wasn't noted for his equanimity at the best of times, even more surprising that Niel survived.

Hmmm, given that its December i might be able to convince "she" that we need to visit her relatives for Christmas.

[Ray Bell]

Yeah, there's a photo in Racing Car News of them 'discussing' the incident... I think old Frank took it all right.. Niel was one of his best tyre customers!

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Falcadore]

If I have any holidays left at that time of the year (I usually don't in December, the cancellation of October Bathurst will help with that though) I'd love to come, and there's a huge group of people I know who would love to come.

[Ray Bell]

I think you've got to set up a site so I can post photos long before then... got to get together soon, any chance of you dropping by Virginia on your way home from work?
Some Warwick Farm photos could go in this thread.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Alfisti]

So there is no real racing????? Well i guess i'll tag along as well....i'd love to see Ray and Falcadore drunk.

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"Life will not break your heart, it'll crush it" - Henry Rollins.

[Ray Bell]

Ray, I can assure you, is a real cheap drunk, so he won't be drinking very much at all. Can't speak for Mark, however.
And as for the racing, there'll be so many people with such descriptions of the many great things that happened there, and photos and cars on display, that you'll feel you would have been cheated if you'd had to watch races. The real heroes are gone, so anything that could happen there today would be an anti climax.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[AUSTRIA]

Could be a reason to take a plane ...

[theMot]

Ray, Do you have the address of where this place is? Like i said, i olny live a few minutes from there so i wouldnt mind checking it out one afternoon.

[Ray Bell]

Do you have access to an old Sydney Street
Directory... preferably a UBD?
In there you'll find the racecourse, and the circuit is marked out on that... it crosses the racecourse in two places, with the Pit Straight in front of the grandstands for the racecourse. Hume Straight was down along the highway, more or less, to Creek Corner at the Creek..
Maybe I can get a map posted... or can somebody else?

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Ray Bell]

For realism we'll have to get Bob Jane along. He was at almost every meeting ever run there... Maser 300S - with and without hardtop, Jag Mk 2, E-type, Lightweight E-type, Mustang, Camaro, Elfin 400, Monaro, Elfin Mono, probably even an old Holden.
And we'll get him to stage another one of those lectures he used to give Moffat... late on Sunday nights near the race control, telling him how he shouldn't be biffing these expensive race cars...
Those were the days...!
Just a shame Gary Campbell can't be there...

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[This message has been edited by Ray Bell (edited 05-14-2000).]

[Ray Bell]

Hey, Mot - I would have reckoned that if you flashed across Meadows Road, you'd be there in about ten minutes... has traffic got that bad?

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[theMot]

I would make it in 5 but i value my licence

cheers for the map by the way!

[Ray Bell]

That's okay... I sent it to Alfisti, too, and he's going to have a go at posting it... are the spectator mounds still there down Hume Straight?

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Alfisti]

Directions to Ray's house......



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"Life will not break your heart, it'll crush it" - Henry Rollins.

[Ray Bell]

As Barry will quickly point out, this map is erroneous in that the homestead is shown on the outside of the corner rather than the inside... where it's shown is in the middle of one of the main spectator entrance gates.

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Barry Lake]

It was bloody rough through there when you tried to keep the house on your left...

[Ray Bell]

Especially the mud and the fences... and wasn't there a shed?
Also, remember the day Col Green took out one of the yellow flags that used to mark the drain about 50' off the circuit on Hume Straight (which you would have to go over if you went the wrong side of the house) and many thought he'd run over a flaggie?

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Barry Lake]

I remember it well. He flashed past with the flag and stick flapping about at the rear of the car. Most disconcerting!