Where, When and What's Wrong?

aggie57 · December 30, 2011, 10:39:59 AM

As a little bit of a light hearted summer quiz, can you tell where this photo was taken and what's wrong? Bonus points for the date and the drivers.....

Victor Lee · December 30, 2011, 11:34:42 AM

Classic stuff!

Going through old photos, Al? Do I get a chocolate fish for the right answer?

aggie57 · December 30, 2011, 02:30:49 PM

Quote from: Victor Lee on December 30, 2011, 11:34:42 AM
Classic stuff!

Going through old photos, Al? Do I get a chocolate fish for the right answer?

Of course Victor - but you know the answer so let's see if someone who wasn't there can put the dots together first eh!

colcol · December 30, 2011, 05:28:09 PM

Was that the day we had parade laps by driving round the track clockwise, Colin.

Barry Edmunds · December 30, 2011, 08:03:15 PM

Alister

That photo looks a bit familiar. Am I barred from contributing to the discussion?

Barry

alfagtv58 · December 30, 2011, 10:22:31 PM

Great photo! Really great.

Ok I wasn't there so I'll have a crack, as the Honda signage is there (PI turn 4) I'm gunna guess the year Gardener won the first PI 500cc GP - 1989. And what is wrong? - obviously the direction (unless that is too obvious)

No idea who though!

Barry Edmunds · December 30, 2011, 10:53:06 PM

Fairly certain the Phil is correct with the year. The club had a sprint event a few weeks befere the first of the 500cc Moto Gps which would be 1989, the year that Gardner had his first PI win.

Race direction for one run on the day was reversed which meant that competitors had to completely rethink their braking points and lines and which saw a few club members miscuing their lines into (and out of) corners. Brian Horman came to grief on the exit to Honda and bent his Alfetta and I think that was the end of that experiment. Sure was a novel experience though.

I thought that my top speed down the front straight in my old white Super was quite fast, until I saw the 500cc bikes pulling at least 100kph more at the same spot on the track a couple of weeks later.

Barry

colcol · December 30, 2011, 11:14:00 PM

And geez you would get up to Lukey heights and there would be this massive fast downhill run to Siberia, but as you were coming down off Lukey you would see the magnificant view of the ocean, that was a stunner, and then you would relize that you were going rather fast for Siberia, and it would be hard to slow down, but the view! the view!, worth the walk up to Lukey, just to look down on the ocean, do they still flag at Lukey Heights?, one of the best flag points to be at, one of the worst, Rob Dale and me flagged at Siberia for what it seemed like for days in the cold and rain and when we thought it couldn't get any worse, it started to hail, watching race cars drive on hail, worth the cold freezing weather, and i think i was still shivering when i got back to Melbourne, Colin.

aggie57 · December 31, 2011, 11:18:08 AM

Yes, correct Barry. But Victor still gets the chocolate fish for getting in first

.

As Colin says in WD the run from Lukey's to Siberia is dramatic and fast; it's a big drop and you get to Siberia in no time, and it feels like if you go off the track you'll end up in Bass Straight.

The other part of the track that I particularly remember is the climb out of Southern Loop up to the Start/Finish. It's seriously steep and if you don't have any power it seems to take forever. Luckily Rob Rogers had his GTHO there that day so we got to experience what it's like with a reasonable amount of Aussie grunt!

Oh, the drivers were myself in the red GT and Bruce Jerrett in the Blue GT. And yes, we called it off when Brian Horman's 1750 ended up in the bank on the exit of Honda. Most of the runoffs and barriers are in the wrong place for a WD event and CAMS were none too pleased.

Mind you, in those days you could argue that many of the barriers and run off areas were less than ideal even for the normal direction. Combined with the speed we were loosing a car a meeting for the first couple of years. It took a concerted effort by all involved to turn that around; it's pleasing to see Neil continuing that work today.

Victor Lee · January 01, 2012, 10:51:09 AM

The date: 8th April 1990. The event format was a "Practice Day" so no official timing.

At the time, the entry to Honda (in the normal direction) had a 1.5 metre high earth embankment running parallel on the left hand side about 20 metres (?) from the edge of the track. So obviously going WD and going wide, you had this immovable wall in front of you! If only Brain's 1750 had 1 or 2 metres more space! I can't recall how much damage was done to the nose of the car, but what sticks in my mind was that the windscreen popped out and was just sitting on the bonnet...unbroken!

As Alister said, in those early days in the late 80's when the PI track was re-opened, the Club was either writing-off a car or sufferred panel damage that rendered it undriveable (excluding mechanical breakdowns) EVERY time the Club went there (I recall 8 out of 8 events). It was getting so serious that we were organising someone to bring trailer. That's when we said enough was enough and the Club took a hard line towards safety.

Also, the "fast" benchmark then was a 2:12!

aggie57 · January 01, 2012, 11:24:05 AM

And a 2:10 was the goal! Unfortunately Brian's car was a right off. The front right hand corner was pushed hard into the passenger compartment and the young driver suffered ankle damage.

But the incident that still sends shivers down my spine was when one of the Mauceri's (I think it was Corrado) backed his Alfetta GTV at full speed into a barrier at the start of the pit wall. The car was completely destroyed and he was concussed. Very, very lucky.

I didn't mean this thread to become a sermon on all things safety but events like these put paid to comments you hear to the effect that 'this is only club motorsport'. Many of us do 200km/h plus around the island and corner speeds are well above the old ton at times.

colcol · January 01, 2012, 04:54:16 PM

And i remember seeing the 105 go off at Honda into the dirt wall,as i was following it and i was one of the party that went and recovered it, and there was a lot of body filler around it, which is no substitute for proper rust repairs, you are only fooling yourself if you think that body filler is as strong as steel, and the Alfetta that went off coming onto the main straight, it had road tyres on the back and "r" tyres on the front and the tail just come round and there was a sickening 'thud', when the car hit the dirt embankment and the dirt went 30 metres in the air, this is why you should not 'blue' with the scrutineers, your safety is their responsibility, Colin.