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BUNBURY CITY SPEEDWAY 2016
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previous year www.speedwayandroadracehistory.com/2015-bunbury-speedway.html
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Bunbury City Speedway didn't exactly get off to the best of starts in 2016, A massive bush fire that started from lightning strikes in the Waroona area quickly spread, Strong winds pushed the fire in a South Westerly direction toward Yarloop blocking off the inland South West Highway as well as speading to the East of Waroona, Another front was being pushed toward the Lake Clifton area which is on the coast, This fire blocked off the Forrest Highway.
With both highways cut from the Perth Metro area to Bunbury Speedway, it was decided to call off the 9th of January 2016 meeting.
There was an alterative route available via Albany Highway to Williams then across to Collie and onto Bunbury, Authorities warned the management at Bunbury Speedway that this route was already heavily conjested an the added speedway traffic would double or triple travel time of the normal two hour trip, as it was a ute and caravan rollover stopped traffic
completely at this stage.The fires continued in a South Westerly direction destroying the historic town of Yarloop which just happens, was the home town of the great solo champion Sig Schlam who died at WACCA Ground when he collided with the track fence back in the 1920's.
Harvey was next to be threatened but finally on the Saturday the winds had dropped and that fire was within the containment lines set up.
On the second front the fire was charging toward to coast and South, evacuation orders were given for the beach side communities of Preston Beach, Mylup and Binningup, some Preston Beach residents had to be evacuated by boat.
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Myalup is the home of the Maolo family and LJM Racing who were in the direct line of the raging fire.
Speedway Chaplin Terry Dorrington reported on social media that he had spoken with Larry Maolo and he was exhausted, He told Terry they had just lost one of there workers houses and they were currently defending there own.
The authorities managed to stop the fire just before Binningup, not before the evacuation order was given on the Friday night.