Monday Memories
Date line Sydney Showground Speedway January 23rd 1965
Saturday night January 23rd 1965 was just like every other Saturday night as the boys prepared to head out to the Sydney Showground Speedway. All done up in our cool gear, jeans, white T Shirts and Dunlop’s on the feet. Fuelled up the Morris 840 and after watching Johnnie O’Keefe 6 O ‘Clock Rock on the television we were pumped for an exciting night.
Dirt in the eyes, the smell of methanol in the air. Meat pie and coke what could be more perfect. For those who can remember here is the front page of the program. Cover price was just 1/- (10cents in today’s money
Front cover program date Jan 23 1965
Back in those days we were lucky to have a program of Solo bikes, Sidecars Speedcars and Stockcars.
Featuring on that Saturday night were international Solo riders ,Greg Kentwell remember his red leathers ,Brian Collins ,Billy Bryden .Sidecars were headed by Bill Bingham, Doug Robson ,Doug Tyerman and Ted Preston .
Speedcars, the mighty Midgets were running a 20 lap Feature with Johnny “Super ” Stewart in his McGee-Shell Special. Pitted against Stewart were Peter Cuneen in the Yellow M&D Holden , len “Lead foot “Brock in a Mackay Offy, Lew Marshall in the Wells –Esso and Bryan Cuneen in the Yellow Linklater 55 Holden.
The back makers on that night off 70 yars behind were Johnny Stewart and Jeff Freeman in the RC Phillips Offy.
The battles between Johnnie Stewart and Jeff Freeman were not to be missed .
The track records from that time ,
Track records Sydney Showground Speedway Jan , 23 1965
Speedway Jottings from that night: A short introduction to race fans on US Champion Bob “Two Guns ” Tattersall , Tatts as he was known was the most spectacular US racer to visit our shores and was the master of the the difficult Sydney Showground track ..Aggressive , colourful best describes the racer from Streator Illinois .
The Sydney Showground Speedway was closed on April 27th 1996 it is now an Entertainment complex owned by Fox Studios.
Speedway Jottings Jan 3 1965
