Old-school Bathurst bike racing on Mt Panorama (1968) | RetroFocus | ABC Australia

[@petercrawford4651]

From Larry Simons, one of the riders that day: "Hi Peter, I hope all's well, yes, I first saw that a few days after the 1968 Bathurst (Easter Saturday 13 April), it was on tv probably around 17th April, I was very surprised to see it back then, I had no idea it was filmed or was going to be shown. I picked up very quickly on myself while we watched it, I appeared for less than 2 seconds - #23 coming over the top of the 575 foot climb in second place at 4 minutes 18 seconds to 4' 20" & out of shot. That's the first lap of the Unlimited B grade race, I started from the third or fourth row & pretty well gathered up those in front of me on Mountain straight, about 1000 yards in length, before the quite steep right-hander & climb of about 1 in 10 towards the tiger parts of the track. The bike ahead of me was Brian Scobie from New Zealand on #34 a 500 Manx, following me was John Warrian on his 750 Triumph with a locally made chrome-moly frame, much the same as the Seeleys, following him is Brian Crane on #120 a Dunstall 750 Norton, I past the Manx around the top of the mountain but approaching the very tight 'Esses' (where the guy - 'Garry Thomas' lost his front wheel & tumbled) was passed by both John & Brian Crane as they out-braked me into the steep drop down towards the start of Conrod Straight. I repassed the 750 Norton on the Straight but again was severely out-braked again slowing from about 135 / 140 mph down to about 40 mph. Just over a half a lap later, I could barely see where I was going & had no front brake at all, amazingly every time I heard another bike close to me, I'd push-on a bit harder & managed to hold onto second place. Later that day with some rough old repairs - cardboard & a 50 cent coin packed between the caliper piston rubber & the solid brake material disc pad (no piston because nobody told me there was supposed to be one in there lol) I managed a 7th place in the Unlimited GP, without boiling the hydraulic fluid BUT without a rear brake because the plastic covering over the inner cable had slipped & the cable was rubbing against another steel part & wore through very quickly. That 1968 Bathurst clip was put into a documentary called 'The Bikies' (I'm sure that's the name). I find it very puzzling that some guys said they feel sick & weak before a race, I've never had those sorts of feelings, it's always been "come on, let's get this race going" etc, just recently some friends of mine were discussing their racing & said that almost every time a race meeting came up, they'd vomit & couldn't eat immediately before it, just what have I missed to cause that?"

[@gazzas123]

Thank you for putting this up on KZbin. I lived a few mms from the track and started going there from when I was young about 8 or 9. I loved the old 4 strokes. I remember some of the great riders and has an autograph book with lots of the riders signatures. I remember #87 Vincent engine in a Norton featherbed frame.

[@MrScotbar]

As a boy went up to Bathurst at Easter a couple of times in the early 1960s with my dad to see the bikes. Loved those old Nortons with the fairings (Manx?). Incredible speed down Conrod Straight, when it was actually straight. Maniacal riding with only drum brakes for stopping power. Some pretty brave characters for sure .

[@billmago7991]

Family talked him into racing........ Wanna go racing motorcycles son?? HELL YEAH DAD!!!!😂

[@anthonydanglmaier1762]

That was Peter Christie from Richmond

[@IanLavery1313]

The true heritage of Bathurst.😎😎😎🤙🤙🤙

[@robertcameron2808]

Thanks for the memories i was there at Easter on the drink women and good racing ride up from Sydney pity they stopped it.

[@Afro408]

Don’t ya just love the sound of the old single bangers?!! 👍😁 With one angry bee noise in the mix.😏

[@marlonbrando9279]

Yes i do ,, they are great ..

[@alanh9159]

I noticed Robert Madden on a Yamaha TD1B. I owned and rode that very same bike but never mastered it before selling it to Kevin Cass.

[@malcolmwhite6588]

When you think about it, the Le mans start has always seemed like a crazy idea to me

[@pmacc3557]

Real men❤❤ what a sound

[@redtobertshateshandles]

Geez, the ABC allows comments on this video.

[@AnusMcFly]

Weird that the title says 1961 but the program from the races in the video lists it as being 1968.

[@abcaustralia]

At 0:35 - good pickup. Our archive records must've been incorrect. Thanks Peter!

[@ihateemael]

@@abcaustralia this is terrific do you have more from the 60's and 70's please.

[@paddy2661]

@@abcaustralia Hi ABC great footage love it . I'm trying to find footage of Victorian road racing championship 1969 my older cuzan Cliff Mott won vic upto 125cc title , his club was the Harley club vic , I know he raced on winton, Broadford, Calder, sanddown and Philip Island. Any footage 67,68,69 in Vic would be awesome thankyou heaps , or any other contacts would be very predicated .

[@malcolmwhite6588]

It took seven years to post it as there was no KZbin in 1961😂

[@r.giovannosdn]

Wow

[@gregoryturnbull1815]

Wow there not that slow back in the day those single ha

[@TheHandymanQld]

And the track today is as boring as bat s***. ... and a big thank you goes out to all the idiots that forced the hands of those in charge to stop the bikes from ever racing at Bathurst again.

[@pmacc3557]

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