Comments on: Chequered flag falls on Oran Park

By: arthur

arthur — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 05:00:10 +0000

going back quite a few years i can remember going to car racing meetings at catalina park near katoomba,warwick farm near liverpool and amaroo park in north west sydney.all of these are now closed with amaroos last race in 1997.
now the developers axe and shovel has fallen on the beloved oran park which means the loss of another recreational facility in sydneys south west.i always enjoyed watching the exciting racing at oran park.it was a natural ampitheatre and it was possible to see the cars go right around the track flying over the flip flop than sideways through the bottom corner.i will miss this track a lot and i am saddened by its closure.oran park rip.

By: Nat

Nat — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:59:41 +0000

It is so sad to see this place finally go, I crewed on Formula Ford’s there for a while and managed to have my first and last drive on the GP Circuit just 2 weeks before the bulldozers finally moved in.

It rings a tear to my eye thats its gone, but it makes me angry that there will be no replacement. Of course, Oran Park was more than just a ribbon of bitumen though, wasn’t it?

By: deejay51

deejay51 — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:55:37 +0000

Oran Park was second only to my favourite Amaroo, and now both have gone, I went to Oran for the last official Motorcycle Event, the Bel-Ray Six Hour and took a few pertinent images of the enveloping development work, just no hope of a reprieve.

My greatest memory has to be of Bryan Hindle winning over Ago in the 350cc event during one of Ago’s visits and I loved a somewhat overshadowed event in Australian Motorcycling, the Coca Cola 800 of 1980. The Bel-Ray, Images of the Development and of course the Coke 800 are all featured on my website: deejay51.com

By: Ray Fowler

Ray Fowler — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:39:57 +0000

Yes, Oran has some wonderful track memories…all due to the entertainment created by the participants. The track facilities were appalling for both entrants and spectators and I remember vowing never to return because of the queues to the dreadful toilets. I will not mention food. How anyone could justify creating a race circuit with unforgiving walls when starting with a lovely rolling landscape was beyond me. And don’t tell me it was to get the patrons closer to the action. Later when ‘gravel traps’ were introduced, one could be excused if one asked where the gravel was. How many times did your race car bottom out trying to access the paddock?
Just goes to show how keen and forgiving the drivers were.
Ray Fowler

By: Speed54

Speed54 — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:35:42 +0000

Australian Motorcycle News recently did an excellent feature story on the tracks lost in Australia – Hume Weir, Longford, Catalina, Surfers and now Oran….

I think it was AMCN Vol 59 No 13, but please check.

By: Richard Ingham

Richard Ingham — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:37:44 +0000

Sad to see another track with such a great history lost to become another housing development.
Oh well. Such is progress