SURFERS PARADISE (QLD)
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1959 - FLORIDA GARDENS ESTATE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 26th July 1959The 1959 Australian Motor Cycle Grand Prix was hosted by the Auto Cycle Union of Queensland and the Southport Rotary Youth Centre committee.
The circuit was barely a circuit at just over 1 mile in length, it was considered by some not the be suitable for such a major event, The race track was set within a new residential development that was still under construction, The area was known as Florida Gardens Estate.
The organisers received a lot of flack over the event, with the thin asphalt surface breaking up during the event, also the lack of track width, no spectator barriers and a pit area not closed to the public all added to the organisers problems.
A Sidecar passenger in Doug Light while swinging for Orrie Salter on a Manx Norton crashed heavily while leading a race, Light would be taken to hospital after the accident, but he lost his life two days after the accident. It was reported that around 6,000 spectators attended the race meeting.
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