Youtube Video of Racing at G&D in the Eighties!! Wow !!

[stoo23]

Hey guys,

Hoff mentioned this and it was discussed at our Retro Meeting this evening, so figured I'd go have a look.

As the Brain Cells were being worked on, I DID vaguely remember there was a Video/TV crew out there at one stage,..From memory, they did spend quite a bit of time shooting footage and interviewing people and getting background information,..but I NEVER saw the released footage,..Until NOW !!

Great Stuff here,..Old Wing Cars and Many, Many Old but Very Much Younger looking Faces !!!,..



We have Geoff Cowell, Garry Johnson as Race Director, along with People like 'Big Dave'!, Mark Fox (looking Intense as usual,..lol), a glimpse or two of the late Steve Slowe, Gary Bell and right near the End, even Myself !!,..Looking Much, Much younger and Handsome!!,..ROFL, looking very Neat, with,..God Forbid,..SHORT Hair !!!,..Eeek !!,..

Too many other Faces that I know,..but with the passing of time,..can't put Names to,..

If anyone else Can,..Please add them to this 'Post', as it IS a Great piece of our Rich Aussie/NSW Racing Heritage, of which we really have so little of to call upon.

Absolutely Great Stuff,..Thanks for finding this piece Hoff !!

[SlotBaker]

Excellent.
Very cool.
Thanks for posting it.

[Koford1]

Drivers Ready, Thumbs Down, Go.

I guess Garry was catering for Geoff Cowell.

Great to see this!

[David R]

At 3 minutes and 14 seconds you will see a young good looking Stumpy

[stoo23]

I also 'posted' this on the MR Forum and Peter suggested that if one looks Very closely, one can see a Very Young 'Tamminator' !!

Must be one of the 'Children that are asked to Stand Back' lol

So does anyone actually remember just What specific race this was?

I must admit I also found it rather interesting and also a bit sad, that the person interviewed and informing the interviewer about How the Wings on a Wing Car work, was,..like Many others both then and now somewhat mislead by what is actually happening with the side dams, with special regard to the 'Vacuum being formed' ???!!! wtf? and 'Ground Effects' etc,..sigh,..

It IS amazing just How Many people actually did believe or possibly Still believe this theoretical scenario,...but,...
What Looks like an aerodynamic Bucket, smells like an aerodynamic Bucket and works like an aerodynamic Bucket,..IS actually,..just that,..an aerodynamic Bucket !!,..

Guess it made it sound Very High Tech etc,.pity that it's Wrong,..lol

I showed this clip to Wayne B and I must admit, he has an Amazing Memory for Names!!
He could name about half of the people in the clip!!

Will have to see if we can put together an "in order of appearance' list or something!

I did notice a young Lindasy Byron crawling back out from 'The Loop', probably after a quick 'Goo-ing'

Re; "Thumbs Down",..Yes I guess so, as probably Geoff was the ONLY person Still using a Thumb Controller at that stage, but it was amazing just how long that Terminology stayed with us and was used eh!?

[SlotBaker]

I thought it might be a bit easier to identify people with still shots.

Some of them are a bit fuzzy, but if you recognise anyone in the clip, you might like to add their names for each pic.
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[SlotBaker]

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[SlotBaker]

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[SlotBaker]

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Bob Wilson

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[SlotBaker]

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If there are others that I've missed, please make a note of the time stamp and post it here.
I will cut that frame and post it.

[RePete]

Thats classic Stoo!!! What a great piece of slot car history, although some might say it's not history at all seeing so many of the faces are still playing with their cars.

Funny how it mentioned the hopes of slot car racing were riding on wing cars

Slot cars ain't dead yet and who knows where they will go next ?

Pete

[Garry J]

I remember the day, if only for the fact that many of the people attending hadn't been seen at a Wing Car race at G&D before or since.
If only they turned up when the cameras weren't there.
The guy explaining wing car bodies was from SSME I think.
I never saw him race a wing car and it's a pity they only showed his less than impressive machine.
Bob Wilson was there (pic #22), a great innovator whose hand built chassis were works of art that a jeweler would have been proud of, why didn't they show his car?

"Thumbs down, go" was the traditional call for the start of a heat.
The only Track Calls were for Track Faults, (braid up, etc) and even those were hard to get.
I've seen a car go out the window during racing at G&D (it was on the 2nd floor) but the power stayed on.

The track itself was way ahead of it's time when first built. Very fast, deceptively simple and hard to win a race on.

Admin' EDIT:
It was modified later by Geoff Cowell, when moved from it's first Parramatta location (above the Mick Simmons store), to upstairs across the road, when the extra extensions seen in this video, had been added.

[Koford1]

Geoff also modified this track from the original configuration by removing the second set of Esses and the dogleg which led into the bottom corner.
In those days race control was sandwiched in the esses and the main straight.

And who can remember the infamous Variac charging arrangement for the batteries and how we dream't of creeping under there and changing the settings.

Geoff also hosted one of the Geoghegan races there in the late 70's and the entry list was huge. You had to wait 3 deep just to get some practice.

The track in its original configuration was challenging, but then again so was Chester Hill, Yagoona and Glendale and to a lesser extent the 10 lane flat track at Waitara.

Just had the thought that in its original configuration it may have made an excellent Aussie Retro track with the great combination of the double esses and dogleg and a the releif of the long straight to get you ready to do it once again...............hopefully without deslotting.

Can anyone pin down the year that these changes were made.

I recall also looking up at the lapboards which was all that was left after the tracks, counters and other paraphanalia had been removed and remembering how important it was to get your name up the list in qualifying times. At that stage there must of been provision for about 12 -15 names in each class which I think were Opens G27???? and maybe G12, these were the years before the stamped steel flexikars became an entry level slot car.

Glory days.......

[stoo23]

Well, actually, I Don't think Geoff Cowell Built the 'Original' Track !!

I'd have to Verify it's Original Location, but I believe it had already been in Two locations, Prior to Geoff purchasing it, I think one of them was Villawood? (Hutcho' would know for Sure).

In fact I am unsure as to it's Original Exact configuration, (perhaps as it was when First above Mick Simmons).
I think in fact some Length was 'Added' to the Main/Back straights by Geoff, when he Moved across the Street and Up a Couple of Extra Flights of Stairs,..lol

The Track (AS Shown in this 'Clip'), Does have 'Extensions' added by Geoff, of which I Think there were Three, This 'Clip', showing the 'Paper Clip' like extension that headed Back towards the Centre of the Track, joining the 'Back Section' to the Top Corner and Main straight.

This version was in fact an Easier Track to Circulate, than the Earlier version that had those Nasty Two Tight corners joining the Two Sections.

[lindsayb]

I had seen the video before, dont think I was there for that race. I heard about it after it happened.

I first raced on the track at Villawood sometime around 1970. The place folded a few months after the race and Geoff bougt the track. It was assembled when they were above Mick Simmons. I remember helping move the track up the stairs to the new location. It was assemble in original formation. Geoff changed the track years later.

Prior to Villawood the track came from Newcastle. Driving the esses was a challenge 3 quick squirts.

Parramatta what can one say, dont bounce the cue, no fazz gears and for Denis T, watch out for Geoff glueing the braid down with a 120W iron while ur on the track practising for the nats.