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The Lost Tracks...


axman

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Where are they now? Somewhere out there, hopefully stored in a dry place are some great tracks just waiting to be rediscovered that would be ideal for today's Retro or 1/24th Scale racing at commercial or club level.

Over the years I have built dozens of tracks. Many, never visible to main stream racers are now " The Lost Tracks" Many of these tracks were built to take up minimum space, were usually 6, 7 or 8 lane and many were purchased purely for entertainment in Amusement Centres, Water slide parks, bowling centres, Go Kart centres, Mining Camps, Youth clubs and as a supplement to an existing businesses. Many were mainly "fun" tracks so I only ever supplied hire cars and controllers and a suggested list of Parma parts ( Womp & Flexi's) for them to purchase from wholesalers. Unfortunately, most never saw the value in encouraging club racing and stocking parts so the tracks just dissapeared after a while. Most of these tracks were built about 20 years ago and were very modular ( Peter from Mobile found and installed one recently) and easy to assemble. I am going to scrounge thru my old photo's over the next few weeks.. and hopefully work out how to post on this forum. Maybe you're racing on one of them now! Tracks built before Gary J and I started doing modular were probably "chain-sawed" because they were just to hard to move and restore so I don't hold much hope for them. The "chainsaw tracks" were the likes of the original Quickslot at Huntingdale, Annerley Qld, AMR in South Australia, Slotz in Sydney (would love to see a photo of that one) Toowoomba, Underwood, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and a few others too long ago to remember.

As I said I have better hope for the modular tracks ... ( some of these have resurfaced, and disappeared again!) Those that I can remember out there are...

6 Lane to mining camp Longreach area. 6 lane to Kilcoy, 7 lane to Boonah ( I want this one ) 8 Lane to Mandura W.A. Amusement centre .. 8 lane water slide park Bundaberg. A few to NSW - Two 8 laners to Penrith-(Revs raceway) 8 lane to Cambletown 8 lane Tuncurry Foster, 8 lane Amusement centre Newcastle, Five 8 lane tracks went to Tasmania, (Hobart, Wynyard, Devonport, Smithton) At least Twelve 8 lane modular tracks around Brisbane area including Ipswich, Lawnton, Beenleigh, Nundah, Wynum, Stafford, Myer City, Grundy's Gold Coast , Underwater World Moolloolaba, Gympie, Oxley Go Karts and Waterski world Bli Bli. and a lot of home tracks. I even built moulds for Fibreglass 6 lane tracks that went into Bowling Centres that would be great for Mini Z's. The ones that will never come home are the ones I built and went to Asia... As I find the pics will post...

Edited by axman
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Dunno... Was that the track I built for Len Dubrenni upstairs above the milk factory? Too many sleeps ago.. Looks to have too many corners! If it is the one I've got a couple of stories about that one!

Edited by axman
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Yep that's the one back in late 77/78. I can remember you and Len in the race way working out how to get it all in. This phot owas taken after Len left the business I believe, probably around late 79. At the time of closure we were led to believe that it was chopped up with a chain saw and sent to to the Wingfield dump, though rumour has it that it was saved and is in storage somewhere though after 35 odd years one can only speculate the condition. I think it highly unlikely.

Len sent me a scan of a plan drawing a few years back. I'm currently attempting to build a 4 laner based on the layout, though progress is painfully slow at present.

AMRlayoutdrwng-1.jpg

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Wow... That track nearly killed me! Len was supposed to "help me" build it.. All I can remember having to build a "slide" on the steps to drag the 3600 x1800 sheets up to the first floor.. After getting a couple up the stairs Len would conveniently disappear and I would have to drag them up myself... No wonder my back is stuffed. Even worst was more sheets kept arriving and I think the track expanded to about 230 feet. I can remember finishing the track - except for braid and paint - going back to Melbourne and telling the guys how good the track was for a big race coming up. Unbeknown to me Len re- routed the braid recess in the bank - below the surface - Non of the interstate drivers could work out how the SA guys were powering thru the bank so hard.

Needless to say we were flogged by the SA guys ( yet again ).

The Adelaide track was typical of that era. They were built on location virtually as a one piece unit so were extremely difficult to move. Most ended up with a chainsaw thru them on the tip.

Edited by axman
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mine is merely 3 lane and in melbourne

so unlikely yours, yet it's got to be at least 40 years old. i'd love to know her previous life history, she's kinda part of me now, yet i have no idea where she came from or who found joy in her previous to my becoming custodian, yet alone whose skills gave her life. i hope you can find stories of your tracks that have become an important part in the life of a complete stranger :)

My mum says I'm an excellent driver

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Hi Manimal, often really good home tracks were cut down and recycled old commercial tracks finding new life. The 4 lane part of theTom Thumb Hillclimb is the most famous example. The story I remember was Bill Denheld negotiating a price per foot of an old 8 lane track from Ray Greig. Bill cut up and got the 36 feet or so of bits he wanted, built the famous 4 lane "hill" and then Ray charged him the agreed price per foot ... X 4 lanes! Ray always was a good business man.

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axman, not sure if it was one of your tracks, but in the mid 90's I did use a 8 laner at Torquay in Vic. I wasn't into slots back then, but I had a go with one of the hire cars and had a ball. Went back through that way only a few years back hoping that slot centre was still there, but it had moved. Great track.

Resized to 83% (was 1006 x 146) - Click image to enlarge

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Hi Richo, no.. Don't still have drawings for the track. Take up Garry's offer, it's just a Kingleman design with the two straights travelling on top of each other . I think I have a pic of the Kilcoy track.. ill post it as soon as I find it. Funny you should single out that track. It was built in the very early days of my modular tracks. The simple double triangle leg did'nt exist then so I had upside down "T" legs made in steel. Stan the track owner made them on site.(hey' I'm a timber guy). I hear the track is still operating after probably 30 years with its Commodore 64 computer system still working..

Whoodathought!

By the way. Isn't one of your tracks in Toowoomba one of my old Formula Flashtrax cut down?

Edited by axman
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Its a good design to get a large track in a small space. Ran on it a few years ago. Has suffered a bit of water damage over the years, but was still a fun track. We might have to have a go at a design of some sort Garry. Then work out how we establish wit a frame to hold the top straight ... Werner may have a picture of the Kilcoy Track..

 

Pete

Richo

Nomad Raceway

 

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Pete, give me a total space you want to use and I'll draw it up. I guess you're looking at 6 lanes.

 

There's an 8 lane track similar to this at Browns Plains. I heard Graham is closing down so it might be available. It looks like a Flashtrax track.

Cheers,

Garry J

Slotworx_Logo_Small.jpg

Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill

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Correct Gary , Browns Plains has closed down . There is a Roller Skating rink at the other end of the unit complex where my kids have started skating at since x-mas . Origonally I thought ' YOU BEAUTY ' I'll slot while the kids skate ......... now I skate . :wacko:

 

A real shame , many people wanted a larger track in Brisbane but no one was prepared to use the facility for some reason , now its gone .

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Yes, it is a shame... The owner had another demanding business so had to rely on help to keep the place open so the racers had somewhere to go. I had several trips to Brown Plains only to find it not open advertised times. One time, we rang ahead because me, Garry J and Fox (who had flown up from Sydney) wanted to try and get Retro D3's going at Brown Plains... drove all the way there and again track closed with customers standing around outside for a no show.

Rumour has it that he has other tracks in storage.. Wonder which ones. The last tracks he had there was a rally nice Johnston King, the old Beenleigh track.. Kind of a "bent" double deck compact Kingleman and one of several figure 8 "hire" tracks I built years ago.

Edited by axman
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Pete, give me a total space you want to use and I'll draw it up. I guess you're looking at 6 lanes.

 

There's an 8 lane track similar to this at Browns Plains. I heard Graham is closing down so it might be available. It looks like a Flashtrax track.

 

Thanks Garry, I settle the house mid May so will do some measuring then. Could probably use the Browns Plains one cut down a bit. It was quite long from memory.

 

Thanks for the picture Jan. We had some fun races on the Kilcoy Track...

 

Pete

Richo

Nomad Raceway

 

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Hey Manimal, you just reminded me of a 3 lane track we built to go on Hey Hey it's Saturday about the era of your track.. It was crazy.. Me, Ashmore and all the Quicksloters built this replica of Calder ( about 20 x 8 feet ) to promote slotcar racing and show it was a "grown ups hobby".

We got to the studio to find we only had minutes to assemble the whole thing and race before the Dicky Knee and Fairy segment. We're just about to go "live" and can't get traction because of dust on the track. Dean Harrington magically produces this black bit of fabric, dusts the track and gets the guys racing (but they are so pumped they still crash every where). We manage to pull the track out in the commercial break and there's kaos with the production crew... They can't find the special black glove to chroma key the Fairy and Dicky Knee segment ... We never got invited back again and I have no idea what happened to the track.. Or the black VELVET rag.

Edited by axman
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  • 10 months later...

It certainly was a beautiful track and i remember having a run on it when i was holidays at the Gold Coast and we went for a drive into Brisbane one day and i spotted it and Dad dropped me off at the track for a couple of hours whilst the rest of the family went sight seeing in Brisbane

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