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Historical comeback for Symmons Plains

The revamped Symmons Plains circuit near Launceston (Tas) will mark its return from national exile when it hosts the 2005 Australian Historic Road Race Championship this weekend.

As always, the country’s finest array of period machinery will re-group for the championship, on the 2.41km layout which has recently been the focus of a substantive capital works program. The last Australian Superbike Championship (ASC) round was held at Symmons Plains way back in 1994, while the circuit has never hosted the historic title.

The historic get-together, which is as much about a pilgrimage as anything else, is open to motorcycles from five defined periods: Veteran (up to 1919, aka P1); Vintage (1920-1945, P2); Classic (1946-1962, P3); Post-classic (1963-1972, P4); and Forgotten Era (1973-1980, P5).

This year’s title will see 181 bikes – from a 1923 British Anzani to a gaggle of 1980s ‘Superbikes’ - go into battle over 10 separate championship classes, with Victorian Stuart Loly (Suzuki GSX1100) on the prowl for the biggest windfall – a hat-trick of wins in he P2 Unlimited (1300cc) class. Loly is the only rostrum ‘survivor’ from last year’s Winton-hosted championship, but he’ll still have to show some real mettle at Symmons Plains to keep a number of flying Kawasakis and Suzukis at bay.

2002 champion Matt Childs (Suzuki McIntosh) will be among the cast out to dismantle Loly in the 17-rider battle, as well as the irrepressible Rex Wolfenden (Honda CB1100R), garrulous Mildurian Peter Guest (Kawasaki) and Mick Neason (GSX1100). Childs also finished second in 2003, when the title was held at Wanneroo.

At the other end of the period scale, the P2 class will also hold its own Unlimited forum, where individual entries from the aforementioned British Anzani and Ariel will lock horns with a swarm of Nortons, Harley-Davidsons and Indians. Keith Campbell, who shares the same name as his 1957 350cc world road racing- winning uncle, will take the reins of the British Anzani, although 2004 runner-up Fraser McMillan (Norton ES2) is the favourite to hold the winning trophy aloft.

Further afield, there will be three P3 classes decided at Symmons Plains, which places a massive strain on brakes – extremely ‘old’ ones in the case of P3 machinery. Nowhere is the load on the anchors more palpable than at the infamous Turn Four (formerly Turn Two) hairpin, which has been the scene of many heated ASC (nee Australian Road Race Championship) exchanges over the years.

In the 350cc P3 festivities, Philip Paton’s 1962 Bultaco TSS is aiming for two-in-a-row, while Campbell (Honda CB72) is primed to go one better than last year’s second place.

The second P3 class, 500cc, has attracted the biggest response of any class – 29 riders. Dave Cole, the only rider making the sojourn from New Zealand to compete at Symmons Plains, is the defending champion on his 1959 Matchless, but he’ll have to prove defiant against the likes of Alan Wood (Norton E50 Special) and Murray Johnson (Norton Manx), who finished on the podium in 2003.

In Unlimited P3, a clutch of the 15 bikes are hybrids, which were common during that era. Bikes in action will include the Norvin (Norton frame-Vincent motor) and Triton (Triumph motor-Norton frame), while historic aficionados still look back with fondness on two machines which will not be competing at Symmons – the Tribsa (Triumph motor-BSA frame) and Norbsa (Norton frame-BSA motor).

Notwithstanding the hybrid game, John Maher is probably the favourite on his straight-shooting 1958 Norton Manx.

P4 also has three championship classes this weekend: 250cc, 500cc and Unlimited. In 250cc, the past two champions, Yamaha TD3-riding Rob Garner and Linden Bebbington, are back for more, in addition to three other placegetters from the last three years – Clive Harrop (Suzuki T250), Graeme Mason (Bultaco Metralla) and Terry Morris (Montesa).

Meanwhile, former Australian sidecar champion and British Superbike legend Barry Ditchburn (Seeley Suzuki) and David Woolsey (Seeley Matchless G50) are the prime cuts in P4 500cc, while the competition in P4 Unlimited will again be intense – if past ferocity is any guide.

Karl Corpe is the reigning No. 1 on his CB750, which is actually a bored and stroked 1000cc machine – as are the majority of CB750s in P4 Unlimited. Wolfenden is another CB750 devotee, and he scooped the pool in 2002-2003 before Corpe took office in 2004.

Both riders will be in Tasmania, as will serial placegetter Neason (Honda CB750) and the similarly mounted Simon Cook. In addition, two-time Australian Superbike champion Malcolm “Wally” Campbell (Ducati 750 Imola), who enjoyed some searing battles with former nemesis Rob Phillis at Symmons Plains in the ‘80s and ‘90s, will again be in the thick of it, although he’ll be giving away 100cc to his Honda rivals.

However, on talent alone, “Wally” is the crème de la crème of the field, and he’ll be striving to win a third Australian title, and his first in the historic game.

Two other solo classes will complete this weekend’s revelry – 125cc P5 and 350cc P5. The former appears to be anyone’s, while the Yamaha TZ350 is the bike of choice for nine of the 10 350cc riders. Craig Morris and Stuart Garner return after going 1-2 in 2004, while Neason and former local ace Mick Damon should also be in the thick of it.

In the one and only sidecar class, Unlimited P5, Peter Selke-Christine Williams will hold a horsepower advantage on their Suzuki, but that won’t deter Doug Chivas-Mark Hollingshed (Honda) and current No. 2 Max Hooper-Matty Johnston (Honda).

The event will be promoted by the venerable Tasmanian Motorcycle Club, which has just celebrated its centenary and remains one of the oldest motorcycle clubs in the Commonwealth. Entry is $10 on Saturday, and $25 on Sunday, with children under 15 admitted free.

What’s the difference between Lightweight and Ultra Lightweight?

For the purposes of determining eligibility, historic machines are separated using the following nomenclature:

• Ultra Lightweight – up to 125cc
• Lightweight – 132-250cc
• Junior – 263-350cc
• Senior – 368-500cc
• Unlimited – 526-1300cc
• Sidecar – up to 1300cc

What’s all this stuff about Periods?

Because historic racing encompasses machines from many different eras, machines are then categorised as follows:

• Period 1 (aka Veteran) – up to December 31, 1919
• Period 2 (Vintage) – 1/1/20-31/12/45
• Period 3 (Classic) – 1/1/46- 31/12/62
• Period 4 (Post Classic) – 1/1/63-31/12/72
• Period 5 (Forgotten Era) – 1/1/73-31/12/80

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For more information, contact:

Mark Fattore
Media Manager
Motorcycling Australia
147 Montague Street (PO Box 134)
South Melbourne, Vic 3205
Tel: (+61 3) 9684 0503
Fax: (+61 3) 9684 0555
Mobile: 0400 055 077
www.ma.org.au

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