In the February 2000 issue of 'Motor Sport' Bill Boddy mentions 'the dangerous 7/8th-mile Matourba banked trank, which opened in December 1925.'
Does anybody know any details of this circuit?
Australian Race Tracks from the 1920's
Started by
Stephen Herbert
, Jan 24 2000 07:25
3 replies to this topic
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#2
Dennis David
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Posted 24 January 2000 - 11:17
Sure, Ray you were there when they opened it weren't you? ;-)
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Regards,
Dennis David
Yahoo = dennis_a_david
Life is racing, the rest is waiting
Grand Prix History
www.ddavid.com/formula1/
#3
Ray Bell
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Posted 24 January 2000 - 18:04
You're a laugh a minute, Den. We'll make up a comedy team next time you come to Australia. When will that be, anyway?
But back to the real question (about Olympia Speedway at Maroubra - that's the correct spelling), which I can only answer with second hand information since the trace was being turned into a housing estate as I grew out of nappies (diapers).
A full article about the track appeared in Motor Racing Australia about two years ago, showing that it went through a number of owners in its relatively brief existence. A concrete saucer with lighting for night racing, it saw the odd car go over the top. Racing ceased for good about 1935.
It was the reason that the 1919 Indianapolis Ballot (5-litre straight eight) was imported to this country (this car now resides in a museum in Lyons, and it has a story to tell - including Rolls Royce front axle and Ford V8 engines along the way, not to mention bits taken over the wall at the Commonwealth Aircraft Corp to get foreign order repairs done to the crankcase), as well as a number of Type 37 etc Bugattis, the odd Alvis etc.
If I knew how to put pictures on this BB I would scan a few and post them, but apparently it can't be done.
The land was a sandy suburban gully with not too many houses about. Being only about seven or eight miles SE of the city centre, this had to change. Just after the war it was largely covered with brick and tile homes.
Later on I'll post a couple of email addresses for people to contact if you're really serious about learning more. If you'd like to chase up the magazine with the story, try them on at chevron@magna.com.au.
But back to the real question (about Olympia Speedway at Maroubra - that's the correct spelling), which I can only answer with second hand information since the trace was being turned into a housing estate as I grew out of nappies (diapers).
A full article about the track appeared in Motor Racing Australia about two years ago, showing that it went through a number of owners in its relatively brief existence. A concrete saucer with lighting for night racing, it saw the odd car go over the top. Racing ceased for good about 1935.
It was the reason that the 1919 Indianapolis Ballot (5-litre straight eight) was imported to this country (this car now resides in a museum in Lyons, and it has a story to tell - including Rolls Royce front axle and Ford V8 engines along the way, not to mention bits taken over the wall at the Commonwealth Aircraft Corp to get foreign order repairs done to the crankcase), as well as a number of Type 37 etc Bugattis, the odd Alvis etc.
If I knew how to put pictures on this BB I would scan a few and post them, but apparently it can't be done.
The land was a sandy suburban gully with not too many houses about. Being only about seven or eight miles SE of the city centre, this had to change. Just after the war it was largely covered with brick and tile homes.
Later on I'll post a couple of email addresses for people to contact if you're really serious about learning more. If you'd like to chase up the magazine with the story, try them on at chevron@magna.com.au.
#4
Ray Bell
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Posted 01 February 2000 - 05:54
Yesterday I saw a couple of photos of interest. One was of the two men who built Maroubra (one of them was the first person to take a team of speedway bike riders to England), the other of the track under construction.
Large formers were made up to give the contour of the bowl, and these were moved around as they concreted the place.
I daresay it was a big job in the mid-twenties.
I've only ever spoken to one person who drove there, and he wasn't racing. That was John Butler. He went out there in the mid-thirties to try out a car he'd built using details from a Dykes Encyclopedia from 1919.
Anyone wants to see some good stuff, look at the ad in this book for the cylinder head he used - the Laurel 4-valve 'roof' head.
It lists the multitude of advantages - from racing to more efficient deliveries in your T-Model truck!
There's even a picture of two lightweight T-Models parked in the snow.
But the kick is in the bottom line:
MADE IN THE PUNCTURE PROOF CITY
and the address is Anderson, Indiana.
Anyone know what this puncture proof business is all about?
Large formers were made up to give the contour of the bowl, and these were moved around as they concreted the place.
I daresay it was a big job in the mid-twenties.
I've only ever spoken to one person who drove there, and he wasn't racing. That was John Butler. He went out there in the mid-thirties to try out a car he'd built using details from a Dykes Encyclopedia from 1919.
Anyone wants to see some good stuff, look at the ad in this book for the cylinder head he used - the Laurel 4-valve 'roof' head.
It lists the multitude of advantages - from racing to more efficient deliveries in your T-Model truck!
There's even a picture of two lightweight T-Models parked in the snow.
But the kick is in the bottom line:
MADE IN THE PUNCTURE PROOF CITY
and the address is Anderson, Indiana.
Anyone know what this puncture proof business is all about?
