Harry Pyne – The Laird of New England
They breed ‘em tough in the bush. Harry Pyne was a classic example of a man who never walked away from a challenge. Tamworth is today a thriving city of around 55,000 people. It grew […]
Riders
Alan Puckett and the Art of the Motorcycle
There are many of us who believe that the motorcycle is a work of art; a uniquely beautiful style of sculpture; an object whose function has dictated its form and in doing so created something […]
Maurie Quincey – Victorian Dominator
Maurie Quincey is assured of a place in Australia’s motorcycle racing history, by virtue of his domination of racing in the state of Victoria during the early 1950s. One of the best riders to come […]
Ray Owen – The complete motorcyclist
You could reasonably assume that there are a few OBA readers out there who started racing more than 60 years ago – not many, perhaps, but a few. But how many of them still own […]
Graham Young – On for young and old
When Speedway’s youngest sidecar sensation Graham Young teamed up with veteran Ray Murray it was on for young and old. It wasn’t that he was past it, but for a bloke who scratched a living in […]
Honest Col Crothers – Live fast. Play fast.
The Australian Land Speed Record was a challenge that captivated Col Crothers for most of his life. It was a big task but Col was never afraid of a challenge. Throughout his long life, ‘Honest […]
The Swann International Series – Part 2: 1984-88
Last issue we looked at the highs and lows as the Swann International Series established itself as a major attraction in the European off-season. There were bigger things to come… More fun in the sun […]
The Swann Insurance International Road Race Series – Part 1: 1978-83
The idea of spending the off-season racing in Australia was attractive enough to riders trapped in wintry Europe, but it took decades to establish a true annual series. For eleven years, the Swann International Series […]
George Scott – Best in the West
Gene Pitney once warbled, “East is east, and west is west, and never the twain shall meet.” For years, the maxim certainly applied to motorcycle sport in Western Australia, because until the advent of affordable […]
Geoff Duke – The Duke’s Crusade
Imagine if Valentino Rossi decided to spend the European winter earning a bit of pocket money by taking in a series of races in Australia with his works state-of-the art Yamaha Moto GP weapon. A […]