Edition 27 by Brett Swanson

Who is Highline Magazine Editor: Brett Swanson Artist/Layout; Andy Ticehurst Contributors; Kaylene Oliver, Grant Woodhams, Andy Ticehurst. Photographers: Brett Swanson – Pirate Media Kieran Swanson – Pirate Media Declan Swanson – Pirate Media Andy Ticehurst – Andy Ticehurst Media Brett Williams – Lone Wolf Photography Shane Sharrock – Rock Solid Promotions Richard Hathaway (WA) Geoff Gracie (VIC) Wayne Martin (WA)

www.HighlineMagazine.com.au Cover – Main. A number of cyclones have been battering the Aussie and world mainlands recently and this editions cover features a shot of Paul “Cyclone” Solomon in action at Sydney’s Valvoline Raceway last season. The self-proclaimed “Cyclone” who most agree is a big bag of wind, hopes to reek devastation on the local Victorian Sprintcar Scene this shortened season. To give him his proper credit Solomon is a two time Allstar Sprintcars Series Champion and a breath of fresh air with his pure enjoyment of the sport we all love. P.S take note of the name “DirtXind” on the nose wing, it’s causing a big ruckus amongst the established players in the Australian Sprintcar Tyre supply industry and the sports governing bodies. Photo courtesy of Lone Wolf – Brett Williams. Contents: Lachlan McHugh has been virtually unbeatable in his home state in his new ECPR Q7 ride. The second generation racer has gelled immediately with crew chief Nic Speed and has gone on a tear with 7 Sprintcar feature wins already before Christmas. Photo by FTBC Stephen Edgely.

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Editorial Welcome to the latest edition of Highline Magazine. For a while there we were thinking of calling it Flatline Magazine as the devastating effects of Covid 19 and State and National lockdowns all but killed our beloved sport. Thankfully, Speedway has regained its pulse and is slowly coming back from the dead with many venues having already run some race meetings, and a few more tracks planning to come back to life early in the new year. Sadly, despite statements made to the contrary, it seems that the preeminent Sydney Speedway will be the last to get going, if at all, in its last chance season. Government Support? – Where is it? We are all painfully aware what affect the world wide pandemic of Covid 19 has had on the world and the sad loss of life and economic destruction that continues today, and to any of our readers who have suffered in any way shape or form as a result of this “100 year” event we extend our sincerest thoughts, concern and care. On a micro level however, it has had a huge effect on the sport that we all love and enjoy. It also highlighted again how massively frustrating it is to see how our sport is treated at a government level – still. So, while AFL, Rugby (pronounced Rubby by the CEO), netball and other sports have been given massive Government payouts and concessions, the speedway industry has once again been over-

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looked. I believe that if you walked the halls of Parliament house in Canberra and asked everyone in the building what is a Sprintcar or what is Speedway, all except Kevin Andrews would give you a blank look and divert the question to something else. The irony here is that almost all of these MPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s would have at least one (1) speedway located somewhere within their constituencies. The only positive recent announcement was that of a contractor to build the new Sydney Speedway but more on that later, but again that was only because the Government had to do it as it wanted the land that the Sydney Speedway sat upon. In a way, I guess we were largely lucky when the Corona Virus outbreak hit down-under as most of the mainstream 2019/20 speedway events had been run and won with the exception of a couple of titles on the apple isle. Darwinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chariots of Thunder has also become a victim with interstate teams unable to cross borders to compete and for the same reason so too has the annual World Series Sprintcars travelling circus and who knows when the majority of the

2020/21 season will kick-off if at all in many places. Regrowth. Recently however, most states have been lucky and cars have already hit the track for either Racing or practice. In fact, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia have been running for some months with Canberra and parts of NSW and Victoria more recently. In the sunshine state the new pairing of the Barry Waldron owned Hi-Tec Oils ECP #7 (formerly driven by Robbie Farr) and new driver Lachlan McHugh have been the hottest ticket with 7 wins at the time of writing shared between both Toowoomba and Archerfield speedways. Luke Oldfield has been in great form also with as many frustrating runner ups as McHugh has wins. Young Cody Maroske has also scored a Sprintcar win. Encouragingly competitor numbers have been strong across all classes with 30 plus Sprintcars on average and good numbers for Speedcars, Super Sedans and various other classes. Down in the south-west Murray Bridge Speedway has also been running since October with Brad Kellar back from his enforced layoff hungrier than ever with a pair of

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wins and Marcus Dumesny and Ryan Jones also scoring Sprintcar wins. Competitor numbers across most divisions here have also been strong with the speedway club running events until Christmas at which point if conditions are right, read borders open etc,

Young Callum Williamson and Jason Kendrick have also scored Sprintcar wins while Ryan Halliday has two scores in the Late Model division with veteran Brad Blake scoring a single win.

Barry Waldron’s Made Too Go P/L will possibly resume its lease and run events.

Speaking about the Motorplex, the venue became historic for all the wrong reasons when a former head of a bikie organisation was shot and killed in the crowd during a drag racing event there. Another man and an innocent boy were also injured. A new promotional body had also just taken over the promotion of the venue.

Further out west, the Perth Motorplex has been in action since October also where Tom Payet has been the dominant factor in Speedcars being undefeated and the new WA Champion. Kaiden Manders is the new WA Sprintcar champion defeating former Aussie Speedcar Champion and now Krikke Motorsport driver Dayne Kingshott by a mere 0.217 seconds in a thriller. 6

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Premier Speedway – Kudos. Premier Speedway deserve congratulations for the way they’ve kept the fans updated throughout the remnants

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of 2020 with a mixture of video and media releases. Sadly, the club has been forced to cancel/postpone the 2020/21 Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic for logical reasons with teams being unable to commit early enough due to travel bans in place at the time the decision was made. The decision was made by the club to cancel early so that fans and competitors could plan around it not happening rather than planning on it

only for it to be pulled late in the day. A mooted alternative is a multi-day event over the classic weekend but as a much lower-key semi-local happening to be called fifty-4-50 with

good prize money for 50 feature laps over the two days to celebrate the clubs 50th anniversary (December 5th) at the Allansford venue. A frustrated General Manager David Mills is however still hopeful of at least being able to kick the season of on January 1st 2021 with a Sprintcar show to replace the traditional WSS event. The club was also forced to postpone the 2020/21 Australian Late Model Championship until February 2022 but has left 2021â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s date open for some other event.

On the back of the Fifty-4-50 event comes the recent news that it will form part of the usual Avalon-Mt Gambier/ Warrnambool carnival of wings.

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The Presidents Cup will go ahead as usual on the Wednesday night (Jan 20), followed by the Kings Challenge on the Thursday (Jan 21) at Mt Gambier followed by the two day fifty-4-50 at Warrnambool (Jan 22 & 23). While there will be no international drivers I would expect that there will

still be a solid to large field of interstate and local competitors. No Eureka in Victoria, but racing none the less, and in 2020 too! Unfortunately Covid has killed off the Annual Eureka Garages and Sheds Sprintcar Series, but Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria Race Director Ian Vale has been working hard behind the scenes and all series spon-

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sors have agreed to come back with a vengeance next season. The Victorian Sprintcar Scene will thankfully kick-off before the end of 2020 with the SRA Sprintcars opening their account at Heystesbury Stockfeeds Simpson Speedway on December 27th. This event was won by Brett

Milburn. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not quite the Christmas present we all wanted but great news none the less. Jan 1st (Warrnambool), Jan 2nd (Mt Gambier), and January 9th (Avalon) will fill the gaps before the Presidents Cup/Kings Challenge/Fifty 4 50 four day rejoicing. Avalon will officially kick -off its season on Jan 9th.

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Regional raceways Blue Ribbon (Horsham) and Nyora have both run race meetings to much appreciative crowds. Sydney Speedway however is another matter! Towards the end of last season came the news that 20/21 was going to be the last ever at the Paramatta venue and a new track as part of the Eastern Creek Motorsport complex was to be built to replace it for the 21/22 season. The transition was planned to be seamless.

to prepare the venue for racing have been removed. There is real concern amongst many competitors that the venue will not open for its “Final” season despite what the venue has been posting on facebook.

Currently Covid is being used as the excuse with the annual October opening being pushed back to February 2021 or later but the feeling and concern is that with the current lease holders, Made Too Go Pty Ltd, rumoured not to be in the running to I know there was a buzz from many be the promoting body at the replaceinterstate teams and fans that were ment Sydney track, that the Waldron’s keen to get that one last chance to have simply walked away and are visit the once iconic and storied venue focussing on other business ventures. but alas even that may have been lost. As if Covid wasn’t going to have Is Paramatta going to go the way of enough of an effect on competitor the even more legendary Liverpool numbers nationally with the economic speedway that was simply closed effect on most businesses diluting or down without any real public foredeleting any racing funds, the early knowledge or opportunity to celebrate closure of Paramatta will also have it with a big send-off? a huge effect on competitor numbers and possibly crowd numbers as many I for one was planning a visit to Liver- fans will simply forget and move on to pool but was not given the opportunity other pursuits if there is a season of when the gates were locked without no Sydney speedway. warning and it seems, at this stage, that the same fate may have befallen As things currently sit in the harbour Parramatta. state, the outlook is quite dire and bleak. Word from our Sydney based associates is that the venue is in a less than ideal state and that most if not all of the facilities and equipment needed

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Positive news â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Aussies in SGP The Speedway Grand Prix season has also been hugely affected by the Covid outbreak but has been run and won in a compacted contest over 5 weeks of 8 rounds of 4 double header weekends in Poland and the Czech Republic.

season.

And while the Polish rider Bartosz Zmarzlik became the first Polish rider

Doyle had an inconsistent campaign with a best result of 2nd in Round 3 at Gorzow, Poland, and a pair of 3rds at Gorzow (Rd 4) and Marketa, Czech Republic (Rd 6). On two other occasions Doyle made the semi-finals. On the back of his round win Fricke has also been confirmed in the elite 2021 16 rider SGP line up as listed below.

to win back to back World Championships taking four wins out of the eight rounds, there was some good and bad news from an Australian point of view. Young Aussie Max Fricke won the penultimate round at Torun and despite a less than satisfactory season by his standards, former Aussie World Champion Jason Doyle has done enough to gain the last automatic qualifier into next years, hopefully full

FULL 2021 FIM SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX LINE-UP (in FIM ranking order â&#x20AC;&#x201C; rider numbers to be confirmed): 1. Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland) 2. Tai Woffinden (Great Britain) 3. Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden) 4. Maciej Janowski (Poland) 5. Leon Madsen (Denmark) 6. Jason Doyle (Australia) / HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE 7. Artem Laguta (Russia) 8. Emil Sayfutdinov

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(Russia) 9. Martin Vaculik (Slovakia) 10. Max Fricke (Australia) 11. Matej Zagar (Slovenia) 12. Anders Thomsen (Denmark) 13. Oliver Berntzon (Sweden) 14. Krzysztof Kasprzak (Poland) 15. Robert Lambert (Great Britain) 16. SGP wild card 17. First track reserve 18. Second track reserve SUBSTITUTES S1. Aleksandr Loktaev (Ukraine) S2. Jaimon Lidsey (Australia) Jack Holder, younger brother of former World Champion Chris Holder had a run in the final two SGPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where he acquitted himself well actually outscoring Fricke in the final round and finishing 17th overall in the world championship, second best of all the track wild card riders.

In other solo news from Europe, on the same night that Fricke was winning his first SGP, young Aussie Jaimon Lidsey was winning the Under 21 World Championship in Pardubice, Czech Republic. Lidsey was only beaten once all night and added his name to a title won previously by Fricke and the likes of Leigh Adams, Jason Crump and Darcy Ward. Lidsey is also a three-time consecutive and current Australian Under 21 Champion, a feat also matched by Fricke, Chris Holder, Adams and Ward. Lidsey has sacrificed a lot like most of our overseas based solo riders to pursue their careers, including missing the birth of his first child, who he was still yet to hold at the time of winning the title.

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Congratulations to the whole Lidsey family on the baby and the world title. I’m sure this will be a year they will never, ever forget for so many weird and wonderful reasons. Huset’s Speedway returns. How good has Tod Quiring been for Midwest American Speedway? The ultra-successful Minnesota businessman has been an absolute godsend since becoming enamoured with Speedway and Sprintcars especially. Quiring has supplied top level cars for many racers with our own Kerry Madsen the current pilot of Quirings car, had created his own Midwest based travelling series, and resurrected a few tracks along the way such as the Jackson Motorplex, which he purchased in late 2015. Now Quiring is the man that has saved the famed Husets speedway from being bulldozed. The long-awaited sale of Huset’s Speedway has now been finalized with Quiring acquiring the 3/8-mile dirt track along with its assets. Huset’s Speedway will now continue its storied tradition of Sunday programs with 410 Outlaw Sprint Cars as the featured division. The first event under the new ownership was Sunday, Aug. 2, during the Grand Reopening. And Californian Cory Eliason won the $20,000 top

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prize awarded to the winner of the All Star Circuit of Champions main event, which also paid $1,000 to start. Eliason beat home fellow Cali-

fornian Dominic Scelzi, and the Madsen brothers Kerry and Ian with Rico Abreu completing the top five of a quality 32 car field. This marked the first time since the summer of 2014 that the All Star Circuit of Champions has competed at Huset’s Speedway. Ian Madsen and Abreu split a pair of feature triumphs a week apart in late July of that year. Huset’s Speedway then welcomed the World of Outlaws to town on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5-6, for a $20,000-to-win event. Sheldon Haudenschild won the opening night from Carson Macedo, the retiring Daryn Pittman and the Kasey Kahne Racing duo of Brad Sweet and our own James McFadden.

The next night saw Kyle Larson do Gio Scelzi and Sweet. what he’s done a lot of this season – win, beating McFadden, David Gravel, Interestingly Scott Bugucki was on hand both nights but rather than run with The Midwest Sprint Touring Series winged 360 sprint cars which was won both nights by Jack Dover, Bogucki chose to run with the outlaws instead. The abbreviated return season has now already concluded but the great thing is the venue is back. Huset’s Speedway is a 3/8-mile dirt oval located in Brandon, South Dakota. The track opened in 1954 and has undergone a large renovation within the last few years, making it a premier destination for both marquee racing events and weekly programs. Valé - John Harvey John Harvey, Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame member, recipient of a Medal of the Order of Australia, and 1983 Bathurst 1000 winner, sadly passed recently. The 82-year-old, whose racing career began in speedcars in the 1950s, died peacefully shortly after it was announced that Harvey was suffering from terminal lung cancer. Born in Sydney in 1938, Harvey is

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best-known for his victory at the 1983 Bathurst 1000 alongside Peter Brock and Larry Perkins. He cut his teeth in speedway from 1953 before switching to road racing

that he was silly to have knocked back his father-in-laws offer of one of the teams awesome, history laden Offenhauser Speedcars for free. In 2018 he was inducted into the Aus-

following a dispute with a particularly difficult and bombastic speedway official, winning the 1966 Australian 1.5 Litre Championship.

tralian Motor Sport Hall of Fame and was this year received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to motorsport.

Harvey’s speedway career was largely at the wheel of his father-in-law’s, the legendary car owner Don Mackay, dangerous pre-roll cage machines. While observing some vintage Midgets in the pits at Melbourne’s Olympic park for Max Engellener’s four day Solo extravaganza Harvey confided

Harvey is survived by his wife, Bev; daughters Donna and Lyndall; son Gavin; sister Fran; son-in-laws Paddy and Paul; Gavin’s partner Melissa; grandchildren Caitlyn, Scarlet, India, Imogen, Lulu, Arabella, Emerson and Miller, and great grandson, Gabriel.

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Valé - Tony Landrigan Highline also extends its condolences to the friends and family of WA businessman Tony Landrigan.

“I had so much time for Jimmy, a humble man we all had known for decades,” said revered speedway journalist and publisher Dennis Newlyn.

Landrigan was a very familiar face around the nations’ speedways due to his love of the sport and personal support of Max Dumesny’s racing career.

All who knew him echoed Newlyn’s words agreeing he was such a quietly spoken and modest man, but more than anything else, a terrific bloke.

Landrigan loved nothing more, other than his family, than watching Max and his various other racing mates and associates fligning mud around the worlds speedbowls.

Highline magazine extends its deepest condolences to all family and friends of the recently departed.

Valé - Jim Winterbottom Former Australian Sprintcar Champion and Chairman of the Sprintcar Control Council of Australia, Jim Winterbottom, has passed away after a long battle with Leukemia at the age of 76. Winterbottom, the father of Supercars ace, Mark Winterbottom, won his national titles in 1969 and 1974. /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

HIGHLINE - and the spee

STORY BY GRANT WOODHAMS. PHOTO’S COURTESY TONY LOXLEY COLLECTION/FULL THROTT I can’t remember where I bought my first speedway photograph. It was either at the Sydney Showgrounds or at Westmead Speedway in the early 1960’s. I remember before the racing started I would go and look at the photos, not just the ones from last week’s racing but ones from years gone by, ones from when I hadn’t started going to the speedway. 16

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edway photographer.

TLE PUBLISHING They were all in black and white. In those days, before the advent of digital photography, before mobile phones, before the selfie, cameras were loaded with film and every shot taken was important.

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The photographer set himself up, framed the competitors through his lens and shot away. But he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t waste a shot. These days just about anyone can take a photo, and if you take enough, one of them is bound to turn out all right.

brim of old newspaper clippings and autographed photos of riders and drivers now long departed.

But at some stage, I guess when I was around twelve the fascination of collecting photos wore off. I became more interested in buying a Anyway, I started collecting photos, hamburger with my pocket money, putting a scrap book of sorts togeth- looking at the girls who were also er with stories and articles about my at the races and/or hanging around favourite drivers and riders. I still outside the pits admiring the cars. have the album, a former school exercise book really, that is full to the 18

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Incredibly a few years later I was given the chance to take photos at the speedway. I was living in the United States at the time and my host parents (I was there studying on a high school exchange scholarship) knew I loved speedway, plus they knew the local track operators and suddenly I was on the infield taking photos of midgets, sedans and super modifieds. The idea that it mightnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be safe didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cross my mind. Some of the photos turned out OK and so I had a permanent

gig every Saturday night over summer. But once I came home the opportunity to continue to take speedway photos disappeared. Life got in the way and although I still went to the speedway I moved more into the commentating and reporting side of things. Over the years though I came to know a lot of speedway photographers, people who have chronicled some amazing events /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

and taken fantastic photos at tracks And while some of them were taken all over Australia. at meetings I attended, others were captured at places I’ve never been In the last twenty years on my to. But all of them are brilliant. They speedway trips around Australia capture something that the camera and the United States I’ve taken embedded in your smart phone will about ten thousand photos mynever do. self, but really nothing as impressive as some of the photographs The men who have taken them are that accompany this article. These often as equally brave as the riders are some of my favourites. Many and drivers who thunder past on the of them taken back in the 1950’s track. Once upon a time a speedbefore I knew that speedway exway photographer could almost isted. (Come on Woody – you’re a make a living from taking photos at hundred years old so of course you the track and reselling the printed knew about it! – Ed) image, but now most of them do it as a hobby. 20

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I have chosen these photos because they are all timely, capturing sometimes the moment of an accident, or the eyes of a rider as he looks for a way past an opponent. They all have a way of transporting you in time to an era that no longer exists. I dare you to look at the photos on these pages and not find something compelling and magical about them. ED - You are 100% correct on just about everything you say here Woody (Almost any muppet with a digital camera can take a photo – myself included).

Many like David Cummings, Gordon Hogarth, Frank Midgely and Bill Meyer did make some money from their photo booth’s or buses, but there was also a lot of cost and effort involved back then and even into my film days. Film and developing were not cheap and you didn’t know what you had until you got them developed. Cameras had to be pre-focused or focused on the run and lo and behold if you had a camera failure and blazed away without knowing – what a waste of money. Back in the day of these photo’s

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the camera’s weren’t that good and nor was the film especially with low light and fast moving cars, but what the photographers did have was an ability to get up pretty close – if they were brave enough. Have a look at many of these shots and you can clearly see the driver’s eyes and facial expressions, something that is hidden away behind full face helmets, roll cages and infield safety barriers these days. Thanks to the work of people like Tony Loxley and his Full Throttle Publishing concern, who has secured or purchased the entire catalogues of many of Australia’s finest photograpers from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and beyond, we are all able to enjoy many of these awesome pic22

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tures reproduced in beautiful clarity and on quality long lasting paper bound in fantastic coffee table tomes” that are unequalled by any other speedway loving country in the world. They offer us a chance to gaze in awe at bygone periods, drivers and tracks that many of us had only ever heard about and to marvel at the shots and moments in time, both good and bad, that these legends had captured for future generations. A big thanks to Tony Loxley and Full Throttle Publishing for allowing Highline Magazine the use of these great images on this and many other occasions.

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Tidd, McCubbin & t By Brett Swanson

I was tidying up my cluttered desk and found a disc with some photos on it. I have no idea who gave me the disc and when I looked at what was on it, nothing looked familiar. I did not recall ever seeing any of these photos before. As I scanned through them, I suddenly came across a photo of a super modified/sprintcar sitting up on four, fortyfour gallon drums at what to me looked like Redline Raceway, Ballarat.

the real thing, this one was drivable too. I quickly posted the photo on the Facebook page of Aussie Speedway Memories, my go to site for putting names to old photos, with the question – Does anyone know anything about this and is it still around?

Instantly the responses came through with thoughts of which track the photo was from etc, etc, until long time competitor Robert Westwood said, “The car is still around and a friend of mine owns it. The thing that caught my In fact, we were just talking about it a month or so attention was that this was obviously not a nor- ago.” He said. mal super-mod/sprintcar, Westwood kindly made it was in fact a superb contact with the cars own9/16th scale model of a Graeme McCubbin driver Brian Haley and put us en machine. And just like in contact with each other. 24

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the Haleys.

It was no surprise though to discover that this unique, one-of-a-kind creation was the work of the fabulous Tidd Brothers – Victorian race car builders of exceptional quality back in the hot rod and then Super Modified/Sprintcar era. Their cars were not only fast but magnificently made and they were beautiful to look at also. The car was built for McCubbin, and on the night of the photo, was meant to be driven by McCubbin’s youngest off-spring, Glenn. (Many people thought it was meant to be future Sprintcar racer Tim that was to drive the car, but as Glenn explained – “Tim wasn’t even born yet!”) “We built the car because I wanted to.” Explained Graham Tidd, the half

hour younger brother of the Tidd twins. “It was originally meant for Glenn (McCubbin) to drive it but by the time we’d finished building it he was too tall.” Tidd continued. On debut at Redline raceway, they discovered the gearing was inappropriate so they fired the car up without the driveline and pushed it around the track with the engine running on the front of McCubbins’ life-size version of which the little car was a copy. “The car sounded great and looked great and the whole thing was televised on Channel 0, now known as Channel Ten,” Tidd stated. /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

That didn’t matter to all the aspiring sons of racers at the track that night who drooled over the pristine machine and no doubt badgered their dads to get them one also. 26

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First “actual” drive of the car therefore fell to Haley’s seven-year-old son Neville at the Brooklyn track, who you can see by the photo only just fitted in, well sort of. In fact, in order to squeeze

young Neville in they merely lifted the wing, which was how the driver got in or out anyway, and just squashed it down on his head. “I’d been the manager of Brian’s Au-

totrac mechanical business for ten years and I knew Brian before that from the days of the Brooklyn speedway so if Glenn didn’t fit in it then I was going to put someone in it that I knew and respected so Brian’s son Neville /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

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was the one.” Reasoned Tidd. Ironically Neville is himself now a towering figure of a man. Brian Haley, a self-made business man, had been involved in speedway for many years with his Ashley Wreckers concern owning and supporting “Kiwi” Kevin Kearns in sedans and then for many years supporting others such as Frank Nankeville and his beloved rear engine Dutton Speedcar through one of 30

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Brian’s businesses – Autotrac Automotive, a business which is still in the family and still operates from its Keilor Road, Essendon, premises. The Autotrac workshop had also been availed by the touring American Sedan team led by Big Ed Wilbur, Mike “Hash Brown” Klien and Jack Hewitt amongst others. Haley, not surprisingly offered to buy the car but McCubbin was keeping it but did promise Haley first option if it ever came up. Some years later McCubbin did decide to relinquish ownership of the car and true to his word, the offer was made to the Haley’s to buy it, but Brian never did. Instead his boys Neville and Steve knew how much Dad wanted it so they bought it for him. Currently McCubbins’ eldest son Glenn is keen to get his hands on it to add to the McCubbin collection and no doubt will get the first option should the Haley’s ever tire of it. It’s interesting how the ties of motorsport work. Brian himself was never a racer but as stated supported others and had some associations and friendships with some of the world’s best speedway racers. So you’d think that if the boys, Neville and Steve ever went racing, it would be dirt track racing – right? Wrong. No, instead the Haley racing family became Australia’s best HQ Holden Racing team with an Australian Championship for Neville along with track records and

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wins for both he and younger brother Steve but more importantly they earned the respect of fellow racers as well. Like the Tidd Brothers cars, Haley Built HQ’s were arguably the best and nicest built HQ’s around to the point that the team were invited to have their HQ on display at the prestigious CAMS awards ceremony before all the high flying Supercar teams and drivers. Team patriarch Brain is justifiably proud of this achievement and the recognition from the team’s peers along the HQ pitlane. A Commodore Cup car followed the HQ and that too was presented to the teams exacting level of professionalism and presentation.

under the bonnet and needs to be set before the driver sets off. The engine is started like a go-kart with a push start and away it goes on the pre-set throttle. Time to build the car was a leisurely 9 months at a cost of under $380 back in 1971. Interestingly the engine cost a princely sum of $5.00 while the cost of the chicken wire and fibreglass body was four times that amount at $20. “The body was all hand made and many people tried to “borrow” the mould to make their own scale cars but I wasn’t letting that happen if we weren’t building them so I broke the mould.” Tidd said.

But back to the little car in question. What is it and what is it made from? Well, as stated it was built by the Tidd Brothers and features a steel handbuilt frame powered by an ex lawn mower single cylinder 80cc J.A.P engine.

Many of the cars’ components are custom made, such as the steering wheel, or are modified road car parts. The front end is a road car spring while the steering box is a cut down Austin 7 steering box. The shockers are actually steering dampers from a VW and the seat is a There is no driver-controlled throttle or “baby” seat that was available at the brake, just a kill switch! What????. time. “Our thinking was that lots of kids don’t understand the throttle and brake of a car so it was easier to just have an on/off switch.” Explained Tidd. The throttle can be adjusted, but it is 32

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The single most expensive item apart from labour was the seat at $22.45 followed by the hand-made bonnet and body. Talking to Tidd about the little car opened an opportunity to discuss the

brothers’ introduction to speedway and the cars they eventually produced. The Boys’ father George Tidd was a motorbike racer and when they were 12 years old he took them to Melbourne’s Tracey’s Speedway for a night out.

“That #9 car had been through a few drivers and had been almost destroyed,” said Tidd, “So we put it back to our standard and back to the way it was when we first built it.” The cars number was changed from 9 to 23 and McCubbin steered it for a season.

That car still exists today and is in This got the juices flowing and they pristine condition and now owned by were both ready when they turned 18 transport magnate Paul Freestone, but dad knew the pain and pitfalls of who cherishes his ex McCubbin – Tidd motorcycle racing and said that they Brothers Hot Rod. could race anything so long as it had “We had some great times racing four wheels. together just the three of us all over the country except for Western Aus“Well a sidecar only had three so that tralia.” Stated Tidd. “We’d head off to ruled that out.” Laughed Tidd. Queensland or somewhere with the “We bought a ’34 ford and built it into car on the trailer with Graeme in the a Hot Rod, not to race, but to see if we back asleep and John and I sharing could bend up some steel and build the driving.” one.” Tidd explained. Graham Missen drove their first, stun- “Graeme totally trusted us to build him ningly built #9 Hot Rod, but then he a car but the one thing he always did decided to stop racing and focus was to check the wheel nuts. He’d on his interstate transport business. say to us ‘No disrespect boys’ and go That car then went through a numround and check all the wheel nuts ber of owners and got pretty knocked before he got in.” laughed Tidd. around. Apart from a couple of stunning “TracThe boys then went and helped out ey’s” era Hot Rods, the Tidd’s also McCubbin who asked them to help built some Super Modified/Sprintcars bend some steel and do some weldand designed others. ing as he didn’t think his own welding They’d half built a Hot Rod/Super skills were really that good. Modified before Missen retired so that The trio built a car for McCubbin and was then sold to someone in South then eventually bought the ‘Missen” Australia. They also drew up some car back to put McCubbin in it. plans for a Sprintcar that were sent down to Tasmania where Tim Moncri-

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eff built one. McCubbin, who had an innate feel for how a car performed, flew down to Tasmania to help Moncrieff sort it out once it was built. “He just had an incredible feel for a car and the engine.” Said Tidd. But one of their best builds was the car that McCubbin used to win his Australian Super Modified/Sprintcar Championship at Warrnambools Premier Speedway. “That car had a Chrysler engine in it when he won the title and then ended up with a 351ci Ford engine in it.” Tidd recalls. Sadly, when McCubbin stopped racing, so too did the Tidd brothers but thankfully many of their beautiful creations survived the rough and tumble of speedway racing and are now owned and cherished by their proud owners. Lucky owners like Paul Freestone and Brian Haley. NB – As a result of conversations between both Brian Haley and Glenn McCubbin with myself the car has now been sold back to the McCubbin family and rests proudly with the late, great, Graeme’s collection of vehicles.

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ALL SYSTEMS GO Cullen Bullen Speedway season opener off to a roaring start. Story and Photo’s by Brett Williams – Lone Wolf Photography.

With A big social distanced crowd in attendance and a newly laid surface the wide range of sedan and open wheeler classes put on a show with track lap records tumbling. It all started with the RSA limited sedans the grub Mathew Hutchison looked strong early in the night, but the consistency of Mitchell Duggan resolved in Duggan winning the night from Matthew Hutchison in 2nd and Grant Hawkes. The mighty GP midgets who always put on a show was dominated by Janelle Saville coming home in second was Gary bowyer and 3rd place was Adam Buckley. The talented RSA Junior Sedans were a battle on their own with young gun Jackson Goldie, defending track champion Jaiden Healey, Jake Clark, Jake Smith and Only lady racer Jaden Clark. Close racing by all these young drivers but it was Jackson Goldie who took the highest points score over Jaiden Healey 2nd and just 2 points difference between Jake smith and Jake 36

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“

The Portland District Motorsports Club hosted its first race meeting in 11 months at the “action attraction of the central west” Cullen Bullen Raceway.

Just over the blue mountans is a lovely communty run facility.

Clark but it was Jake Clark taking home 3rd. A new division to Cullen Bullen saw the formula 500 absolutely amazed everyone with their speed the feature race saw Zac Gaynor blitz the field followed in 2nd by clay Woodberry and 3rd Matthew Threadgate. Junior Formula 500s saw young gun Jac Laneyrie take the win in heat 1 and 3 with double duties for Jaiden Healey won heat 3 Laneyrie and Healey where your front row from Kobi Wright and Ky Young. Laneyrie drove a smooth race to take the win from Healey and Kobi Wright.

Microsprints saw Ernie haves drop out early in the night with engine problems Jackson Isaacs won the feature race from

Paul Curran and Lady racer Kieran Hawking rounding out the podium. The Western Sydney Street Stocks drivers from western Sydney come up with Chris Marino dominated the night from a determined Shane Ward and Steven Walsh in 3rd. Compact Speedcar also put on a great display with podium looking like this 1st Grant Lahiff 2nd Mark Heaton & 3rd Ethan Brown. Fender Benders also put on a great show with the old crash and bash your podium places were 1st - Chris Campbell â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2nd Matthew Stewart â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3rd Scott Campbell.

Jackson Isaacs N14, Microsprint. Lone Wolf Photo.

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Top - Matthew Stewart #53, Fender Bender. Lone Wolf Photo.

Top - Matthew Stewart #53, Fender Bender. Bottom - Grant Lahiff, Compact Speedcar. Lone Wolf Photo. 38

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Top - Matthew Stewart #53, Fender Bender. Lone Wolf Photo.

Top - Mitchell Duggan P47, RSA Limited Sedans. Bottom - Ernie Savaas #15, Microsprint. Lone Wolf Photo. /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

Jac 40 Laneyrie 33 & Kobi Wright 78, F500. Lone Wolf Photo. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Chris Campbell 83, Fender Bender. Lone Wolf Photo. 42 HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Gary Bowyer #5 & David Lewis #11, GP Midgets. Lone Wolf Photo. 44 HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

Steven Lines in the Brian Hall WA3 was a surprise winner of the USC round at Warrnambool recently. What’s so surprising about Lines winning, right? The reason it was surprising was that James McFadden in the Monte WA17 was lead o

Some awesome outside Speedcar mud-slinging from Brett Ireland at “The Bridge 46 HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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ding all feature long until inexplicable spinning out of the lead a short distance from the chequered flag handing the win to Lines. Lines luck however, deserted him at the same venue a couple of weeks later in the Victorian Champi-

eâ&#x20AC;?. Pickoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Photo.

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nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

Murray Bridge’s Stephen “Picko” Pickering is one of the country’s best “artistic captures some stunning “action” shots as well such as this awesome flame thr 48Bridge Speedway, the site where he won his Australian Championship. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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câ&#x20AC;? speedway photographers as youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see over the following pages, but he also rowing shot of Kaidon Brown blasting the families Speedcar around Murray /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

Is this the face of Robbie Farr after being told he would not be in the ECP #7 fo

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or the 20/21 season or just his normal “Race Face”? Picko’s Photo. /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

Jake Tranter gives Picko the thumbs up. Picko’s Photo.

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nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

Jock Goodyer - Watching, Contemplating. Picko’s Photo.

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nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

Keke Falland ponders a set-up adjustment. Picko’s Photo.

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nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

The Kennedy Motorsport crew in action. Picko’s Photo.

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nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

West Aussie Dayne Kingshott was one of the best in Speedcars and has quick 60sport WA2 Sprintcar. Picko’s Photo. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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kly shown his all-round ability having taken the seat in the historic Krikke Motor/HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wreck.

Steven Lines in the Brian Hall WA3 was a surprise winner of the USC round at Warrnambool recently. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so surprising about Lines winning, right? The reason it was surprising was that James McFadden in the Monte WA17 was lead o

The youngest of the Dumesny family of racers, and the one most likely to com 62look at the determination on the face of this young charger who is just recently HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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me close to emulating his illustrious father Max’s achievements is Marcus. Just y starting to hit his straps – hard. Picko’s Photo.

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nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

My choice for “Photo of the year”. This action shot from the “Bridge” of Matthew tyres take. And this is on a Midget! Imaging what another700 horsepower and 64Picko’s Photo. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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w Kennedy is an awesome shot to illustrate just how much torture the rear a massive wing jamming the car into the ground does to a Sprintcar tyre! /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

While the rear tyres on Tregan Gate’s Sprintcar aren’t being distorted as much 66back in another brilliantly captured Picko photo. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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h as in the previous photo, they sure are spitting a lot of clay â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bulletsâ&#x20AC;? out the /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

A bit of a retrospective shot here of Adelaide’s Snowy White in action at the old Jenkins Collection. 68 HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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ing all feature long until inexplicable spinning out of the lead a short distance from the chequered flag handing the win to Lines. Lines luck however, deserted him at the same venue a couple of weeks later in the Victorian Champi-

d â&#x20AC;&#x153;flatâ&#x20AC;? Premier Speedway Warrnambool. Photo Courtesy Bernie Hodgson/Phil /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

The same “Snowy White” car in all its restored glory, (complete with Snoopy do 70Raceway. Photos Pirate Media Group. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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oll on the bonnet) still cutting laps, this time at Mt Gambiersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pretty Borderline /HIGHLINE-MAGAZINE

nship at the same venue when he was taken out of the event in someone else’s wreck.

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