Bikes I raced before early 90's Retros

I started racing after having a hotted up roadbike - a cb750 with 900 carbs, exhaust, GPZ750 fairing, 900 antidive forks with the bigger brakes etc - and hearing of a rider training day at Oran Park. This must have been about 1991. So I took my roadbike and had a ball - taking instruction on racelines, braking and launch control etc.

Turned out Wayne Gardner was there overlooking our progress. half the bikes were racebikes - mostly 250s and 600s. I heard that there was a move to allow CBs etc to race seperately under the Forgotten era title, so I decided to build a seperate bike: a CB900 was built. This was raced for years with good results and many friends were made. I went through probably about 4 versions of these bikes in various specs and moved from 900cc to 1100cc engines. I also built a 1220cc version with sponsorship from Caltex-Havoline Oils by Metropolitan Fuels Sydney. I met my now wife vanessa at a trophy presentation, went to phillip Island, then New Zealand for the 1996 TT (6-2-1 finishes=second overall), raced at Bathurst in 2000, in the Formula Extreme nakedbike series, as well as the Post Classic NSW series.

After a 6 year absence from racing, I decided to move to a newer class: try my hand on the awesome YZF750 we used to fear! Having said that, we are going to rebuild a CB for forgotten era racing from all my spares - sometime...

Early days of CB racing: me on #6 with my 'flying wings' goof, with Roger on Wayne Fox's #52 Cb900.

That's me -relaxing- in the pits. Not sleeping!


This poster was a promo poster when being sponsored by Caltex as well as the other businesses mentioned, including my own pest Control business.

Some of the best races were dicing with Tim Lilley on his NRC Ducati



At Wakefield Park in 99.



The above bike is roger Quinlan's Ex-graeme Crosby's Moriwaki Z1100. I had the privilage of punting this around Eastern Creek, now in retrospec finding the handling amazingly like my yzf750's - smooth and balanced - not the same on the brakes, but this was allowed fro by the huge horsepower over a 750. thanks rog


At the Formula Extreme Nakedbike rounds - we even got TV coverage!



I'm at the front middle grid position at Eastern Creek here: had an awesome day with consistent 2nd positions to Tony Marsden on his very hot GSX1100.

Fallen rider rescued

What a Saturday! After lunch about to turn last corner into my street, I see a horse walking down the road coming out of the bush - with no rider on the saddle! I figure that's not good as the rider must be hurt somewhere! So I pull over, go sweet-talk the heavily sweating huge beast, lead it back to my place, tie it to the front tree, Vanessa calls the cops, I fuel up 6YO daughter's 70cc zuma, ignore the half flat rear tyre, and no front brake lever assy - off to get replaced - and ride around the corner to the foot of the watagan mountains looking for the rider, presumably injured. Turned out choosing the minibike was perfect, as there were washouts I had to cross where the horse had come down that I would not have made on my bigger bike.

Following horse hoof trails into the mountain, sorting old from new and up from down, I finally get the one of the trails at the top and find a bloke looking for the horse who says the rider is up top of the mountain. So more flat-tyre no clearance firetrail riding later, I find her up the track on her belly with a back injury. Basic first aid check later, figuring she's not spinal injured, but maybe done some discs and muscles? Ambos have been called. Waiting, talking, waiting....

Ambo's walking up hill a bit later carrying lots of stuff by hand and puffed out as their ambo won't do 4wd stuff. 5 minutes later the Westpac Rescue helicopter's dropping surgeon and paramedic in through trees 50m away from us, with 4wd ambo coming up to get her to take her to the empty paddocks next to our block for a pick, to fly to john hunter hospital...

Horse was huge and was moved into our backyard, after I left, in case the chopper spooked it. Turned out another rider, the guy I met at the bottom, was riding his horse and her horse got spooked and bolted from under her when it noticed the other riders... Sienna had a ball playing with the horse, feeding it grass and carrots and walking it around the backyard, saying 'there is enough room, can we have one?' ...She's a real natural with horse. Later we went over to a friend's who has just got a new horse after it was neglected by the previous owner. It initially would not let them come within 10m, and now they can only get within 1m of it most days. Sienna was rubbing it's shoulder in 10 minutes with the horse later coming right up to her to walk past next to her. i hope she grows up to be just as confident with horsepower!

I don't have photos from up the mountain...

There's a saturday you don't have everyday!

z