NANNUP (WA)
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1966 - NANNUP CAR CLUB
In 1966 a group of Nannup locals got together to form a car club, In the first year the club mainly held car trials and hill climbs in registered road cars, At this point a strong alliance was formed with the Bunbury Car Club with each clubs members supporting each others.
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1966 - DAVID BLYTHE & COLIN RESTA
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In 1967 a purpose built race track was built at the towns recreation ground next to the town oval, With David Blythe as the clubs president and help from Colin "Roo Dog" Resta from the Bunbury Club, both foundation members the club set about the task, Local transport company R&N Palmers played a big part in the tracks construction, Colin Resta's imput was priceless as he had been envolved in the building and maintaining Bunbury's Blicks Raceway track, he was also very experienced in the earthmoving industry, Colin was also a quality racer, starting off in a cut down 1939 Ford ute running a sidevalve V8 at Bunbury's Paddy's Blunders Mud Scramble, Then during the Nannup and Blicks erea his choice of race car was a 1948 Vangaurd sedan with a mid mounted V8 engine, Colin worked tirelessly sharing his time between Bunbury and Nannup, On many occasions he would step from the grader to his racecar to compete. This small club at one stage boasted thirty four local cars, that were also very competitive against the more experienced visiting drivers in, Stocks, Super Stocks, and the Hot Rod Division, It was not unusual for the small town to attract around a thousand spectators to a meeting, most of the sedans racing at the time were Holdens but some experimented with various British cars trying to find that edge.
In 1968 the Nannup club hosted the Southwest Championships, the winner of that event being John Scott in a Citroen front wheel drive car with local Andy Della in second place, the championship was held over a twenty five lap feature, racing at Nannup continued through until 1972 when a recession hit the area and many of the clubs members had to leave the town for work reasons, Also the new new night run speedways were up and running at Collie and Bunbury, racing on alternate weekends, This staved Nannup of the top competitors as Collie and Bunbury were paying prize money. |
1969 - Great mates David Blythe and Colin Resta
1969 - The Blythe Family
Andy Della on one of his trips to Bridgetown |
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1968 - SOUTH WEST TIMES NEWSPAPER REPORTED
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1968 - Richard Hartzer leads Graham Wheat*************************************************
1968 - Don Collins*************************************************
1968 - Nanette Melvin & Graham Wheatleft: 1968 Lindsay Robinson |
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1969 - COLLIE MAIL REPORTED
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1969 - Laurie Maloney and Bill Sibbald.
1969 - Graeme Werner unknown and Laurie Maloney. |
1969 - The man Laurie Maloney and the monster 48 series ute that brought him so much success. Photo: Kim Maloney.
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ALEC BORNATICI
Alec was the local handyman to the Nannup hot rod racers, with steel fabrication and welding skills he built many of the roll cages of the day, Alec was the local transport contractor he also would transport up to three cars at a time on his truck to other south west race meetings.
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JOHNNY CLAPP
Johnny Clapp was a member of the Nannup Club that raced at many other tracks in the number 200 FJ Holden.
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RAY GLENN
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Ray lived in Capel but was a member of the Nannup Hot Rod Club, his racecar was a FJ Holden Division 2 sedan with a worked Holden grey motor. Ray travelled extensivly through out the South West racing at most of the race tracks.
Ray has since restored his FJ and brought it out to the Bunbury Speedways 25 year reunion in 2013. pictured right.
Ray with some of his mates at the Bunbury Speedway 25 year celebration, Brian Hillman - Ray Glenn - Ted (snoopy) Wright - Arnold Casagranda - Eddy Gobby - Brian Lee - Garry Sutton - Merrick Triplett & The the 14 FJ. |
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Other noted club members: Charlie Marlow - Brian & Jim Green - Chris Scott - Darrel Warner -
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2011 - NANNUP HOT ROD TRACK WALKABOUT
Very little remains of the race track at ground level just a few dirt banks that have been reshaped to form the golf course that now occupies the site, the earlier google shots show a clear definition of were the circuit once was.
(use controls to pause - forward or reverse 4 images)
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2021 - NANNUP HOT ROD TRACK REUNION
Rhonda Payne who is Alec Bornatici's daughter recalls: We held an event in May of 2021 at the site of the Nannup Hot Rod track, and we had about fourteen drivers, Lady's and Gents. Bald eagle was there as was another car that raced at Nannup.
