KATOOMBA (NSW)
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1954 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT
Catalina Park Road Racing Circuit was located in the Blue Mountains at Katoomba, Construction on the circuit first began in 1954 and the circuit was officially opened in 1960 and was operated by the Australian Racing Drivers Club, The race track was 1.3 mile or 2.1 km in length.
Many forms of motorsport used Catalina Park from Motorcycle and Sidecar racing to Touring Cars, Sport Cars and Open Wheelers.
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1958 - THE VISOR MAGAZINE REPORTED
Published 31st January 1958
Friends of Catalina Park Raceway facebook Photo feature
Research Greg Broad.
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1961 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 12th February 1961 |
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1961 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 4th July 1961 |
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1961 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 27th August 1961 |
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1962 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 21st January 1962 |
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1962 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 11th March 1962 |
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1962 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 20th May 1962 |
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1962 - CALALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 26th August 1962 |
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1962 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 28th October 1962 |
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1962 - LEO GEOGHEGAN
Old Motor Racing Photographs - Australia facebook photo feature
1962 - Leo Geoghegan in the Lotus 20B leads Frank Matich in the Elfin. Photo: Noel Conlon.
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1963 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 28th January 1963 |
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1963 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 10th March 1963 |
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1963 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 1963
Friends of Catalina Park Raceway Photo feature
1963 - Race cars entering the main straight at Catalina. Photo: Ron Wittig collection.
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1963 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 19th May 1963 |
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1963 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 25th August 1963 |
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Old Motor Racing Photographs - Australia facebook photo feature
1963 - Sports Car racing at Catalina Park. Photo: Bob Williamson.
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1963 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 10th November 1963 |
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1963 - NORM BEECHEY
Peter Garlick pictorial feature
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1963 - Norm Beechey's big Chevrolet Impala at Catalina Park. Photo's: Peter Garlick.
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1964 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 17th May 1964 |
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1964 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 23rd August 1964 |
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1964 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 8th November 1964 |
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1965 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT
1965 - A wonderful pic of the race throug the lens of an unknown photographer.
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1965 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 1st February 1965 |
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1965 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 22nd August 1965 |
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1965 - BARRY SHARPE
1965 - Barry Sharp's choice of racecar in 1965 was this Wolseley. Photo: Ron Wittig.
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1965 - TREVOR ANDERSON
1965 - Trevor Anderson in the big Customline leading Digby Cook in the Peogeot. Photo Ron Wittig.
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1965 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 7th November 1965 |
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1965 - CATALINA PARK RACEWAY
Old Motor Racing Photographs Australia facebook photo feature
1965 - Norm Beechey with the Neptune team and the Mustang. Photo: Bruce Wells.
1965 - The S4 Holden EH. Photo: Bruce Wells.
1965 - George Murray in the Bill Warren owned Austin Spares Special. Photo: Bruce Wells.
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1966 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 31st January 1966 |
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1966 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 28th August 1966 |
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1967 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 30th January 1967 |
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1967 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 23rd April 1967 |
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1967 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 20th August 1967 |
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1968 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 28th January 1968 |
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1968 - JOHN WARD New Zealand
Old Motor Racing Photographs - Australia facebook photo feature
1968 - John Ward from New Zealand in his Lotus Cortina. Photo: Mike Norris collection.
Mike Norris recalls: It would be remiss of me not to mention John Ward from New Zealand who brought his Lotus Cortina to Catalina Park in 1968 along with his mate and business partner Rod Coppins with the Mustang, John Lost his life that terrible day.
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1968 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 18th August 1968 |
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1968 - BEECHEY verses GEOGHEGAN
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1969 - CATALINA PARK ROAD RACING CIRCUIT 15th June 1969 |
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1969 - PHIL WARD
Old Motor Racing Photographs - Australia
1969 - Phil Ward and Wayne Rogerson at Catalina. Photo: Daly Harvey collection.
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1969 - FRANK MATICH
Old Motor Racing Photographs - Australia facebook photo feature
1969 - Photos: Dale Harvey.
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1970 - NORM BEECHEY
Old Motor Racing Photographs - Australia facebook photo feature
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1970 - DIGBY COOK
Old Motor Racing Photographs - Australia facebook Photo feature
24th January 1970 - Digby Cook in the Monaro at Catalina Park. Photo: Lynton Hemer.
24th January 1970 - Digby Cook comming out of Dunlop Corner at Catalina Park in his HT 350 Holden Monaro. Photo: Lynton Hemer.
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1970's
By 1970 the narrow undulating race track surrounded with armco railings and solid earth walls had lost its apeal to many competitors who were more in favor of the newer circuits of Oran Park and Amaroo Park, as time passed the track would be used for Rallycross mainly.
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1972 - CATALINA PARK RALLYCROSS
Rallycross was conducted at the venue from 1972 through to the July 1980, The track ran partly on the bitumen section and also a section of the dirt infield that contained jumps.
Chris Heyers in the Volkswagon leads the unknown driver of the mini and the Beast on a charge. Photo: Robert Kinder.
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1980 - BARRY COOPER
Friends of Catalina Park Raceway facebook photo feature
Photo: Barry Cooper Durant
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1980 - CATALINA PARK RALLYCROSS 8th June 1980 |
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Friends of Catalina Park Raceway facebook photo feature
1980 - 8th of June the final rallycross meeting. Photo: Warren Hawkless.
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1980 - Photo's Warren Hawkless.
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Rod Kinder recalls: My grand farther Lesley Kinder was part of the original build back in 1954 of the circuit, My farther Robert and his brother Bill spent many weekends bolting the timber walls in place around the circuit.
As kids we went to every Rallycross meeting and parked dads EH Holden wagon backwards against the fence near the water splash, I remember seeing all the greats of the time running around the track while sitting on the tailgate.
My favorite was the Holden Dealer team "Beast" as well as Tom Rabolds Holden and the V8 Hillman Imp that spun every time he put his foot down.
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1980's - CATALINA PARK RACEWAY
In the eighty's and midway through the ninety's the full circuit was used for time trials only until it was closed for ever.
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2000 - CATALINA PARK RACEWAY HILL CLIMB 7th May 2000. |
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2000 - Example's of some fine machinary taking part in the hillclimb event. Photo: Neale Bayliss.
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2007 - CATALINA PARK RACEWAY LOCATION
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2009 - CATALINA PARK WALKABOUT
The circuit does still exzist and can be walked around however water seepage has broken up sections of the race track and it is also overgrown with vegetation.
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2022 - CATALINA PARK RACEWAY WALKABOUT
Friends of Catalina Park Raceway facebook Pictorial feature
Bruce Taylor recalls: A group of us took a trip up the mountains to check out the old Catalina Park Raceway. It was a wild, Wet and Windy thursday.