SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2021 BIG CROWDS: The track drew 12,000 people to its fi rst meeting and this shot from a 1972 meeting shows the crowds kept coming back, a s t h e y d o t o d a y . The Gisborne Herald Speedway clocks up half ton fi le pictures It was 50 years ago today that what became the Gisborne Speedway Club raced for the fi rst time on the Awapuni Road track that has provided so much entertainment for Gisborne fans over the years. Speedway reporter and commentator Murray Robertson takes us back to look at the history of the club, ahead of a special race meeting planned for next Wednesday night to mark the 50th anniversary. t is 50 years ago on Saturday that the not large, some exciting dicing developed. Gisborne Speedway Club at its Awapuni “ e meeting also featured speedway Road raceway fi rst opened its gates to a motorcycles and TQ midgets. Napier’s Freddy Irace meeting. Timmo made ‘breakfast’ of the rest of the A special meeting has been organised for fi eld in the motor-cycle races.” next Wednesday night (January 6) to mark e sport of speedway in Gisborne had the occasion. previously operated from a track at Patutahi, e Eastland Group Speedway, aka Awapuni and before that at Showgrounds Park. Speedway, was opened on January 2, 1971, “Bill Northe organised an initial meeting at before a crowd estimated at 12,000, who the Sandown Park Hotel to gather support paid an admission fee of $1 for adults and 40 for the formation of the Gisborne Speedway cents for children. Club and the construction of a new track at e Gisborne Speedway Club was known, at Awapuni,” said 50th anniversary organiser that stage, as the Gisborne Motor Cycle and Trevor Mullooly. Midget Car Club. Northe won the fi rst ever stockcar race at e Gisborne Herald’s story about the the January 2, 1971 meeting in a 3.3 Cresta- fi rst meeting read: “ e crowd far exceeded powered Anglia, and was third behind the expectations, and parking facilities were taxed reigning New Zealand champion Kevin Freer as offi cials and traffi c offi cers handled the of Rotorua, and a driver from Napier, in the heavy infl ux. fi nal feature race of the opening night. NEW TRACK: What was once farmland became the new home of the Gisborne Speedway “Stock cars and production saloons had “After a decision was made to go ahead Club in the early 1970s, and after many hours of voluntary work, the track was offi cially opened on January 2, 1971. their premiere, and although the fi elds were there were many long hours spent at the site Continued on page 2 It’s your life, your funeral Why plan ahead? Prearranging your funeral provides peace of mind for you and your family. It allows you to leave clear instructions to your family on how you would like to be remembered and the style of farewell you would like. Start the conversation – help take the burden off your loved ones by making your end-of-life decisions in advance, in a calm and thoughtful atmosphere. We are happy to meet with you and guide you through the prearranging and prepayment process. Goodbye is as important as hello. A meaningful Evan’s Funeral Services Ltd. Ph 06 867 9150 Fax 06 868 5312 farewell supports healthy grieving. 171 Ormond Road, Gisborne. Email offi [email protected] 33889-02 2 THE GISBORNE HERALD LEAD THe INITIaTOr: Stock car racer Bill Northe (pictured) organised the first meeting that got the new track project started, and it was appropriate he won the first stock car race on it. The Gisborne Herald pictures Possibly the fastest track in NZ From page 2 years of their lives, and helped a lot of families by providing a place where they by a large group of dedicated enthusiasts could be families together. including John Monk, Fred Phelps, Trevor “We pride ourselves on being a family club. Jukes, Graham Gooch, Gerry Huberts, Harry So this 50-year journey has been a really Hessel, Harold Ingram, Clyde McGrory, good one.” Terry Warren, Basil Te Aho, Graham Mullooly said the early seasons at the track Wahlstrom, Bernie Story and many, many saw many competitors from around the more,” Mullooly said. country come here, and at times some from early years: “Friends, families companies and small overseas. The Speedway businesses banded together to make this “Ivan Mauger, Bryce Subritzky, Ronnie attracted great project come to fruition.” Moore, Barry Briggs, Freddy Timmo, Ole international Clyde McGrory, the current club president, Olsen raced on the solo bikes, then you had stars like Barry Briggs(left), Ivan said speedway racing lost the ability to race the likes of Ron Kendall, Rod Coppins, Bill Mauger and Ole at Patutahi and they needed a new home. Hay, Dave Robertson, Steve Clare, Brian Olsen. “The Awapuni property was loaned to the Read, Myles Richardson, Allan Marshall, club initially by the owners of the farm it Ross Baker and Ross Decke in the saloons. was situated on,” he said. “Trevor Morris, Barry Butterworth, Dave “We eventually bought it from them.” Strickland (USA), George Tatnell (Australia) Mullooly said many hours of work went and Ron Wanless (Australia) came here into building a track surface and wall in their midgets, and in the TQ’s, Peter made of railway irons, railway sleepers and Duckworth, Tony Jackson, Selwyn Wooster the flags in an entertaining fashion in the “The track became faster, there were bluegum logs. and Warren Higgins. role he held for many years.” more car rollovers and the set-ups for cars “After they put up a large wire fence “In the stock cars we had some of the big The Gisborne club’s first New Zealand title changed. around the track, it was ready for action,” he names including Charlie Bernstein, Sam went to John Beckett who won the New “The track has been refined over the years said. Ferabend, Graham Peddle, Harold Ingram, Zealand Production Saloon title in 1973 to provide one of the fastest if not the The opening night featured stock cars, Trevor Jukes, Jim Page, Mike Beale, Bill followed in second place by Steve Clare also fastest track to race on in New Zealand.” production cars, bikes and TQ midgets. Northe, Brian Joel, Ron Mogford, Barry from Gisborne. The classes raced at the track today “Those classics have continued through the Hunter, Graham Venn, Stan Hickey and Bill “These production saloons were the include super stocks, stock cars, saloon cars, ongoing seasons to the present day, although Rigney to name a few. equivalent of our super saloons today. Since production saloons, TQ midgets, sidecars, the classes have greatly changing in looks “These are just a handful of the many then the club has had a good selection of mini stocks, street stocks, with other classes and performance over the seasons, and more competitors who have graced the Gisborne New Zealand champions and place-getters on occasions. classes have developed as the years have Speedway track over the last 50 years.” over the past seasons.” McGrory said next Wednesday night’s gone on.” Mullooly said Roger Petterson was the After a trip to America in the early 2000s, meeting would be a special occasion. McGrory said it had been quite amazing to first ACU Track Steward who controlled the the then club president Myles Richardson “Racing-wise, we’ll see at least 15 super see the way the club had developed over the racing aspects of the meetings. and the then track sponsor Joe Faram put stocks, perhaps twice as many, as the main past 50 years. “Roger was known as a very fair and forward the idea of banking the track. feature, and all other classes will be racing. “We started out with nothing and now we consistent steward who has been followed by “So after some discussion, work started “We’re inviting all past competitors to have a facility that is a million-dollar-plus men who have a task not always wanted but in August 2005 and the new banking was attend free-of-charge, to enjoy the racing, asset, for ourselves as a club, and for the who have done a great job controlling our ready for racing for the 2005/2006 season,” and afterwards hear a few speeches, share in people of Gisborne. meetings. Mullooly said. supper and catch up with old clubmates.” “Along the way we have helped a lot of “The official starter and flag man at the “From that moment forward, things • The Gisborne Herald will preview that 50th young people through the tough teenage opening meeting was Phil Walsh who waved changed as far as the racing was concerned. anniversary meeting next Tuesday night. SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2021 3 PROFILE Dreaming of the ‘empty line-up’ A LIFE BEHIND THE LENS: Wainui Beach- Logan Murray is a name that has been synonymous with surfi ng in New based surf photojournalist Logan Murray has clocked up 50 years in contributions to Zealand since most surfers can remember but that recall is assisted by more than overseas surf publications and is in no hurry three decades of surf photography, as Logan explains to Mark Peters. to stop. Picture by Liam Clayton xploration of remote locations is sometimes populated with gnarly farmers.” a series of pristine waves as they unzip in Chris Bystrum’s book e Glide — e key to surf photojournalist Logan For trips to hard-to-reach surf locations, sequence.