Old MX pics

**clmintie** · 1st July 2008, 11:06

An old friend sent me these pics from '73/ '74. I took them with a Kodak Instamatic

1/ Start line at QE2 park, Paekakariki. l to r.. 2 Morley Shiriffs, 58 Geoff Trudgen, 84 Greg Brinck

2/ Ivan Miller and Peter Ploen both on either RH250 or RN 370 Suzukis at QE2

3/ Start line at QE2 125s. Probably '73, most of the bikes were TM125ks, within a short time that changed to Honda Elsinores.....

4/ Otaihanga Sand track start line, this was very cool as it was just across the road from where I lived.....

5/ Peter Boyle, TM125L. I remember him and Morley having some fantastic battles, with Morley usually winning. Peter was very spectacular, but it often ended in tears.......

**camchain** · 1st July 2008, 19:01

Beautiful old photos and some great names there too clmintie. saved pics to hard drive. It'd be good if some keen VMXer out there gathered up these old photos and recorded the info as well. Would like to see a book of NZ dirt history. In a hundred years or so they will be very rare and even more fascinating (looking back on the quaint internal combustion engine).

Love that shot of Ploen and Miller. Greg Brink got into car racing and lately into those big offshore powerboats. I saw Lester Yates's name on an enduro result last year - still going strong.

BTW. There was an RH for sale on Trademe recently reputed to be ex Ivan Miller. Guy wanted 20k for it! Bike looked right (sand cast engine cases) and in real good original condition.

Like you, where I grew up there was a 'scramble' practice track over the creek behind my house. Every time I heard a bike I'd be out there watching. One guy I remember well had a TM400. I'll never forget the growl that thing made when he throttled off.

I bought my first motorcycle magazine in '74 (Aussie 2 wheels). I remember being fixated by an ad for the new Elsinores. (CR250 out in '73 - CR125 came in '74 I think??)

Pic below: I Found and took pity on a very battle scarred example (Paid $150 for it in 1980?). Tidied it up a bit and discovered the reason it didn't run right when doing top end. Some hairless primate had attacked the barrel with a porting tool so vigorously that I'm surprised the piston didn't fall out the ports.
Pic on right is at a motocross in Ohakune. I still have the program somewhere. There was actually prize money on offer - $200 in total for the day! I didn't win any.

Staying away from oblivion since 1963...

**clmintie** · 1st July 2008, 21:01

clmintie... It was originally a spelling mistake and it just kinda stuck. Was supposed to be calamity, as in "oh dear, it's all gone wrong again".. you could try saying "climinty"...

Nice Elsinore by the way... I did something similar with an old TM125 about 1990, spent a lot of time and money on it, but after riding it a few times, realised why we have modern water cooled, well suspended bikes now. I sold it to Mike Jolly, don't know if he's still got it..... I'll try to find a pic of it ....

**camchain** · 2nd July 2008, 13:15

Climintie was what I was going with. Has a nice ring to it.

Saw a mint tm 125 on trade a month ago. Didn't sit for long (maybe yours). Know what you mean about the old bikes, but I still like the old raw simple look of the 70s mxers though. Like the idea of getting an old twin shock air cooled job for some VMX paddock bashing - one day maybe.

I got a real kick out of all those old photos. Very nice.

**vifferman** · 2nd July 2008, 13:40

D'Oh!
I have virtually no photos from the '70s - was too busy riding, and the (borrowed) camera I had wasn't very portable anyway.
Those pix (and names) take me back a bit - used to be a regular attendee of motocross events around Rotorua, as one of my classmates raced.

I had an MT250 from '76 to '77 - mostly just tooled around on it, but did the odd "strip all the road gear off and go for a bush ride" thing.

**short shins** · 10th July 2008, 15:42

Hey I was there somewhere!

I was always to poor to actually own a bike but I did have the parents car and a camera (started with a fixed lens jobbie).
Some of my ex classmates raced, most notably Gary Whittaker (No 19)

Most weekends you would find me at one of the local tracks (QE2, Jacksons, plus others long lost to the memory.)

Eventually I joined the sadly now defunct Hutt Valley Motorcycle Club

and got to get into meetings for Free!
All I had to do was bash in some pegs, wave a flag and get dusty/cold/wet!

I then discovered Club officialdom/Politics and all round fun times!
I had done trail rides and some beach racing but I was into Road Racing so it wasn’t until 1998 that I actually entered a real Moto Cross!

I had a 1972 TM125 sitting in the shed doing nothing so a quick freshen up and I was away!
So it was fitting that I had discovered VMX!

Thanks to Macca and the Mr Vintage MotoCross team

I'll Start with some rare colour shots From QE2 park

Enjoy the pics If anybody recognises themselves or a buddy feel free to let us know

**NordieBoy** · 10th July 2008, 16:31

That last shot is sweet and looks like a cool track

**camchain** · 11th July 2008, 14:24

Shit hot shots Short Shins.

**short shins** · 11th July 2008, 16:53

Here are some more for your entertainment

racing a TY.... why not it was the 70's

**Danger** · 11th July 2008, 17:49

I like these old pics, much more interesting than the same ole same ole that we see these days. Keep em coming!

**clmintie** · 11th July 2008, 18:28

Hey short shins, we were there at the same time, but that was the sand track at Otaihanga,do you remember the track was carved out of a huge blackberry patch? You must have been standing next to me when you took the middle pic above.....

pic1/ Dave Murray in the stripped shirt.

pic 2/ Brad Poulter DT360 (I think).... and maybe short shins standing with his mates......

**short shins** · 15th July 2008, 08:29

Clmintie

Could be me in the photo, doesn't look short or round enough tho…

I do believe you are correct!
Those shots are at Otiahanga.
Your first post had me thinking that some of my photos looked like they might be in the same place, but for some reason (I blame the Mad Cow for the temporary memory loss!) I thought mine were taken at QE2.

So how often was QE2 park used? I saw Gaston Rahier there and the Mr MotoCross series plus the Nth Vs Sth
Was it used much for club racing?

I am now remembering the blackberry bushes and the long trek to the back of the track, and also hearing a call for the owner of car rego number CK **** to come and shift it as it was in the way.. Then realising it was my car! Being too far away to do much about it I watched the first couple of races and then made my way back to where I had left the car. It was with some relief I saw it had been unlocked and pushed out of the way. No one hassled me about it when I left.
You couldn't do that these days!

Any ideas who the Bultaco rider is?

I'll scan some more and post them up. The photo quality does get better… along with the equipment

Here are some I know are at QE2

Pic 2 Ivan Millar on a Suz 370 with c forks
Pic 3 #54 Pete Daniels & #21 Reg Dixon on a CCM

**NordieBoy** · 15th July 2008, 09:33

Originally Posted by short shins

So how often was QE2 park used? I saw Gaston Rahier there and the Mr MotoCross series plus the Nth Vs Sth

The Nth Vs South is in Blenheim this year

**clmintie** · 15th July 2008, 19:38

3 more from the old album I was given back recently. Most are very hard to see, but at least I thought to write details on the back....

1/ Greg Brinck in probably his first race, TS185

2/ Mark Boyle TM125

3/ Start of a Harescramble somewhere near Ashurst, April 1980. 'Black Bear' maybe?