Crashes cast doubt on street circuit’s future

Press, 18 October 1976, Page 26

Crashes cast doubt on street circuit’s future

The future of the four-mllea Hawkesbury street circuit for& motor-cycle road racing has been y placed in jeopardy by a string of b serious accidents during the « meeting last Saturday. LJ Four competitors are in hospl-. tai with serious injuries after m high-speed crashes. The reigning si New Zealand sidecar champions, tr Lew Murray and Russell Ander-jn son (Tlmaru), were hurt when lo their Kawasaki outfit left the oi road in a sidecar race. Murray suffered leg, arm, and rib in-cl juries, and Anderson suffered Y damage to the pelvis. ei Bob Stevenson (Lower Hutt) si suffered head Injuries when he r crashed his Z 1 Kawasaki 900 in n

a production race, and in the first open race Ross Cunningham Blenheim) lost control of his rZ7SO Yamaha, and injured his back and ribs in the resulting crash. He has been moved to Christchurch Hospital. Farmers in the area have been ncreasingly concerned about the speeds now being achieved on :he circuit—probably the fastest n New Zealand, because of the ong straights—and the problem >f accommodating spectators. Stewart Avant, of Christihurch, who rode his TZ3SO Yamaha into fourth place in the >ight-lap Hawkesbury championship, said yesterday that the racing might have to stop. *Tt is not a dangerous circuit if you

e know what you are doing. Uni fortunately, a lot of riders at sthis meeting are inexperienced.” s There was not enough room gfor error on the circuit, which o Avant described as four miles of narrow road flanked by fences, i trees and lamp-posts. There were 8 also three bridges. i The Hawkesbury championship t was won in impressive style by 3 John Woodley (RGSOO Suzuki), of i Blenheim, who has been in great form since his return from Aus- > tralia. Ken Fletcher (TZ7SO 3 Yamaha), of Auckland, was e runner-up after a great tussle i-with aother Aucklander, Bob e Haldane (TZ7SO Yamaha). Avant s finished 15 metres behind these u two.