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Thread: Street races "old farts memories"

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    Street races "old farts memories"

    Here's a thread for the old (& not so old maybe - some of us are still out there......) to tell a story on your best or worst experience of the good-ole-days when street circuits had plenty of exposed curbs & waratahs + a bunch of other stuff to negotiate on the way round.
    The list from memory for non-current street circuits in no particular order is: Manukau, Gisborne, Lyall Bay, Gracefield, Hamilton lake, Onekawa, Hawksbury, Whangarei, Auckland downtown, Paritutu new Plymouth, Taupo, + the many more I cant remember.........
    Last edited by codgyoleracer; 13th September 2007 at 11:49. Reason: spelling

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    I remember going to an Avondale street race when I was a teenager. There were some guys racing Moto X bikes on street tyres (like TM 400s). Way before I'd ever heard the term Motard.
    If you love it, let it go. If it comes back to you, you've just high-sided!
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    geez, showing your age grandad

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    I was a track marshall at a "round the houses" in Porirua once.

    Before there was racing at Paritutu, there was racing around a road circuit at Tikorangi near Waitara. That was followed by the use of a track around the roads of the old Airport at Bell Block. This latter was one of those quaint arrangements that were almost completely sealed...
    There is a grey blur, and a green blur. I try to stay on the grey one. - Joey Dunlop

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    My mum used to take us to Gracefield races every year. Bring a blanket and food and sit at the end of the main straight. On the inside of the left hander where the first set of traffic Islands are! Bloody good family day out, can't remember it ever raining either. Good racing and some good prangs. I saw some guy pulled out of the creek at the top end one day after he went straight on and through the crowd.
    Bloody good days probably set me up for my love of street/road circuts when Karting. I did Masterton, Cemetry, Manfield, Puke, Taupo, Napier and a few others I can't bloody remember. Most of the Race track meets where kart only meetings but most of the street ones where with the bikes. Great days out!
    On a Motorcycle you're penetrating distance, right along with the machine!! In a car you're just a spectator, the windshields like a TV!!

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    I can remember having a big one at the end of the straight at Onekawa in about 1973 . Kawasaki H2 into bales and a phone pole ! While lying in the ambo, the B grade Prod race came on and my mate Bill Biber (Mach 3) was run over by another Kawa H2 after falling in front. We went to hosp together and I can remember lying there with Bill on stretchers thinking "is this it " ? I pissed blood for a week after that. We were not well chooks at all.
    But six or seven weeks later I won at Gracefeild , so thats the good and bad of road racing. Gaz.

    You'd never go hungry with Nigella Gaz.
    If it weren't for flashbacks...I'd have no memory at all..

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    Quote Originally Posted by pritch008 View Post
    I was a track marshall at a "round the houses" in Porirua once.
    Yip,Did my first racemeeting at the old Porrirua Grand Prix,1971.Frightened me shitless and Ive never recovered.Still it was a good experience to meet and race against such legends as John Woodley,Stu Avant,Geoff Perry and many more

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    At last ..... a thread named after what i am ROADRACINGOLDFART .

    Gracefield, Lyall Bay, Masterton, Wanganui, Hamilton, thats the road circuits i have raced on and i loved them all. I have never done or in fact never been to Pearoa so i must get there one day.
    If i had to pick a fav it would be Gracefield as it was on my back door when i lived in Lowry Bay and had a girlfriend in Wainuiomata and you just have to get the hang of the corners when you travel the road everyday aye .
    Did the Malboro series and Brut 33 series, then countrywide series.
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    Cheers Paul.

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    Dunedin Wharf circuit

    Next to last lap in the all in production race - sometime in the mid-late 70's. I though i was pretty hot while getting the 400 Kawasaki triple slightly airborne over the rail track on the main straight, until Graeme Crosby lapped me and I swear his handlebar went over my head. Fair put the bloody willies up me he did.
    Lets hope the new Dunedin circuit goes ahead in May 2008 as planned, good luck you guys.

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    Gaz I've had a look through my photos and sadly I can't find any of 111 before Aaron Slight claimed that number.
    Cheers

    Merv

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    Quote Originally Posted by codgyoleracer View Post
    Here's a thread for the old (& not so old maybe - some of us are still out there......) to tell a story on your best or worst experience of the good-ole-days when street circuits had plenty of exposed curbs & waratahs + a bunch of other stuff to negotiate on the way round.
    I remember a certain Kawasaki rider having to stop to refit his seat and then spend the rest of the race pulling giant weelies for the crowd at race speed.
    Dallas Rankin was shaking his head everytime that rider passed the pits.
    Does that ring any bells at all Glen????

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    Quote Originally Posted by terbang View Post
    I remember going to an Avondale street race when I was a teenager. There were some guys racing Moto X bikes on street tyres (like TM 400s). Way before I'd ever heard the term Motard.
    Didn't Robert Holden win his first championship on a TM or RM125?

    Couldn't find any pics of him, but here's Simon Turner (I'm pretty sure) in his early days on an RM125 at Lyall Bay.
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    Cheers

    Merv

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    Quote Originally Posted by roadracingoldfart View Post
    Dallas Rankin was shaking his head everytime that rider passed the pits.
    Does that ring any bells at all Glen????
    You mention Dallas, here's pics of Dallas on the 600 Ducati at Lyall Bay for you.
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    Cheers

    Merv

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    Quote Originally Posted by merv View Post
    You mention Dallas, here's pics of Dallas on the 600 Ducati at Lyall Bay for you.

    Rob Holden went on to make that bike a giant killer. It was at Lyall Bay where he demonstrated the plastic fantastic if memory serves me rite .

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    I remember in '87 my first year swinging for Scrivy, We were at Wanganui.
    It started to rain lightly & Scrivy was so wired he didint notice the spits on his visor.
    We started passing other competitors that we had never passed before & Scrivy thought he was on fire, but i knew that we were simply in the shit.
    we got to the bridge & it locked the front wheel & we went straight ahead into what seemed like (from my position kneeling on a piece of ply 4 inches off the road) a fifty foot high wall of hay bales.
    We went straight through them & took out the TV crew, knocking one poor bastard out & smashing his teeth, & did a few injuries to ourselves & the machinery as well.
    Last time i saw the crash on TV was when a helicopter crashed in Milford sound while filming for the Holmes programme, killing one of the occupants, it was the same poor bastard we had smashed up at Wanganui & they showed highlights of his time with TVNZ.
    Of course Scrivy is a lot more sensible these days.

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