NOWRA (NSW)
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1924 - NOWRA MOTORCYCLE CLUB
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In 1924 the Nowra Motorcycle Club applied to use the local racecourse for a speedway meeting, There is no record if this ever happened but in the same year a motor cycle was held at the annual show.
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1925 - HOPE BARTLETTHope Bartlett a noted speedway and road racer was a local Nowra hero and he raced at Maroubra and Penrith as well as many other venues.
In 1925 he challenged the Nowra Motorcycle Club to a hill climb.
He in his race car and the others on their motorcycles, He was narrowly beaten and he presented the winner with a trophy.
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1926 - MR HOPE BARTLETT 1496cc BUGATTI
WITH WHICH HE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN ALL CLASSES OF MOTOR SPORT
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1939 - NOWRA SHOWGROUNDSIn 1939 there was a speedway meeting held at the Mowra Showground on the 27th of May, the program consisted of Midget and Motor Cycle racing.
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1947 - NOWRA GRAND PRIXThere were no more mentions of another meeting until the 16th of June 1947, It was described as both a Grand Prix and a Speedway race and was held at the airstrip, Hope Bartlett (who was uncle to racer Frank Gardner) competed successfully in his MG.
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1952 - NOWRA NAVEL AIRFIELD
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Another speedway meeting was held at the airstrip in 1952 which was now HMAS Albatross, it was not discovered if any other races had been held there in the past five years.
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1980's - NOWRA NAVEL AIRFIELD
It is believed that during the 1980's drag racing events were held on the airstrip.
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1994 - LYREBIRD MOTOR SPEEDWAYIn 1994 the long awaited Nowra Speedway was announced, There had been no speedway in the Illawarra since Kembla Grange had been closed ten years before.
(Research & Editorials: John Campbell)
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