WHAT ARE THEY DOING NOW 2016 > 2020

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2017 REDCLIFFE RODDERS (WA)

We take a look at a group of mates that started Rodding off in the Redcliffe area of Perth WA, This fascination and the love of hot rods would lead to the start of Forrestfield and Wattle Grove Speedway.

Now in there seventy's these mates are still firmly entrenched in the hot rodding world.

2016 - Brian Marshall - Mick Thompson - Graeme Selby - Les Donald - Robert Marshall - Billy Marshall.

Hot Rodding or Street Rodding in West Australia had its start in Central Avenue, Redcliffe, can you imagine a suburban street having three families, all with the same surname Marshall, all living side by side and all having sons the same age.

There was Billy Marshall, an apprentice instrument maker, Brian Marshall, an apprentice sheet metal worker, and Robert Marshall an apprentice panel beater, Bills farther allowed Billy and all his friends the use of a large shed in his back yard, While Robert had the use of a large mechanical workshop behind the local Mobilgas service station.

In 1957 Billy went to the movies and Elvis Presley delivering newspapers in a hot rod roadstar and instantly wanted one, within a few weeks he had located a sad 32, V8 roadstar that was being set up to road-race at Caversham Motor Circuit, but the owner had gone cold on the project, so Billy dragged it home.

With the help of others of the same age in Redcliffe, the car was on the road in a very short time, it helped that it was still registered for road use.

A few months later, John Leopold from Victoria Park had his hiboy 34 roadstar on the road, while Brian Marshall had bought a 34 roadstar and was into channelling it and fitting cycle gaurds, He had most of the bodywork completed when he passed the project on to Graeme Selby who completed the car, Graeme lived in Bulong Avenue, Redcliffe and was an apprentice electrician.

John Leopold had a hot 42 Mercury engine in his 34 roadstar, hot cam, twin carbies and Edelbrook heads, but he managed to tip it over, This gave Billy the opportunity to acquire John's motor for his 32, in this form the car was one of the quickest in Perth.

So it all began in Central Avenue, Redcliffe, and hot rodding took off, with rods turning up all over the place, The late 50's and early 60's were alive and happening, and we were lucky to be able to claim to be on the road first.

(Editorial Mick Thomson)

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2017

2017 RAY READ UPDATE

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2017 BARRY MEYERS (VIC)

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2017 RALPHY TAYLOR

Ralphy Taylor a man who figures on a regular basis throughout this web site with his stories and photos, Ralphy is the son of West Australian speedway and Road Race champion Harry Taylor who has since passed.

Ralphy is a man that is passionate about his family, his martial arts business, hot rods and Harleys, speedway and road race history and art.

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Ralphy Taylor feature

2017 JOHNNY CHAMBERLAIN SOLO RIDER Happy 86th Birthday

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Border Watch newspaper feature

Mount Gambier Go-Kart enthusiast Jack Cole recently celebrated his 90th birthday in the seat of his beloved kart, Taking it for a few laps at the Mount Gambier Karting Club.

A true speed demon at heart, Jack was raised on a farming property in regional Victoria were he helped his mother run the family's poultry farm at the age of twelve.

He was first exposed to motoring when he was employed driving trucks.

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Lance T Wilson feature

2016 George Elliot pictured with Brian Callaghan with Brian's restored supercharged torana. Photo: Rob Sinclair.

1975 as the Torana raced in 1975. Photo: unknown.

2016 Brian Callaghan the man. Photo: Rob Sinclair.

Who said pretty race cars don't win races all of Brian's cars did. Photo: unknown.

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Lance T Wilson feature

Bob Blacklaw at Parramatta Speedway. Photo: unknown.

2015 Bob Blacklaw Sprintcar Champ. Photo: Rob Sinclair.

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2016 A HAPPY ENDING (WA)

In the late eighty's a Bunbury couple were happily building a life and enjoying a stint competing in the local rally and autocross scene, as is the case often time takes it toll an the partnership of Terry and Mary was dissolved and the rally car was on sold.

Since that period back in the 1980's Terry Van De Wyngaard who is a passionate motor sport competitor and fan has often wondered what happened to the Datsun 1600, problem solved, during the running of the Northern Speed Classic a mate of Terry spotted a Datsun 1600 race car for sale, the car ended up being the Datsun that Terry had regretted giving up some 20 years earlier, So after some nogotiations the car now resides in Terry's shed, The car has since been set up the race on the black sealed stuff and that's how Terry intends on leaving the car, his intension is to enter the car in around the houses events, Since the 1980's the car has been upgrade with an American built L series engine fitted with twin Webbers.