At a meeting of the council of the
Royal Agricultural Society during April of 1927, the president and the secretary
were empowered to affix the society’s seal to a contract with Johnnie Hoskins.
Speedway was coming to the Claremont Show Grounds in Western Australia. The
Sydney Royal Agricultural Society had given Hoskins favourable testimonials
which assisted him in his application for the lease at Claremont.
Motorcycle racing was not new to the Claremont Show Grounds. Occasional, and
successful, events had previously been staged there on the grass. The last of
these grass track events (attracting a crowd of some 7,000) took place as late
as April 9th of 1927. Future dirt track stars Sig Schlam and Stan Catlett
appeared on the programme, with the latter winning the West Australian Under 600
cc Grass Track Championship aboard a 2 ¾ hp Harley-Davidson.
Of course, Hoskins was no stranger to staging speedway meetings, having already
done so at Maitland, Hamilton and Sydney. Hoskins’ first task at Claremont was
to transform the trotting track into one suitable for motorcycle racing. He
planned a track 45 feet wide and banked 2 feet. Wishing for a surface which
would eliminate sideslip, and so ensure the safety of the competitors, he
decided on cinders. Hoskins predicted that, with careful watering and rolling,
the racing surface should permit speeds of 60 miles per hour. The circumference
of the track would be two and a half laps to the mile, measured 3 feet from the
inside of the circuit.
Then there was the matter of a safety fence. Hoskins announced plans to
construct a fence of boards nailed securely to the existing picket fence. Above
this would be a strong three feet high fence of chain wire. Hoskins had the
safety of both the spectators and the riders in mind. He said this style of
fencing would prevent a motor cycle from going into the crowd. As for the
riders, the proposed fence would eliminate the possibility of competitors
striking posts or similar obstructions. This had been a problem in Hoskins’
early days at Maitland.
Hoskins stated that, at first, there would not be a limit to the horsepower of
the motorcycles racing at the circuit. He was aware of the fact that most of the
locally owned racing machinery was stock or touring models.
As Hoskins planned to stage night meetings, the installation of lighting was
also on the agenda. He engaged the engineer of the Royal Agricultural Society of
Sydney to draw up the plans and specifications for the illumination of the
Claremont oval.
Work on the installation of the new track was soon underway. Although the
lighting wouldn’t be ready, Hoskins was keen to stage a meeting or two prior to
the ground being required for football matches. He staged two day meetings
during the month of May, the first on May 14th. Some riders took the opportunity
to try out the track prior to this date. Speeds in excess of 50 mph were
recorded.
A large crowd ignored the threatening weather to attend the opening meeting on
May 14. Although the competitors had little or no past experience with the track
conditions, an entertaining afternoon’s racing was witnessed. What aided the
spectators with identifying the competitors was that the riders raced in
coloured jackets.
Although he was dogged by bad luck, the eye-catching performer was Stan Catlett.
Aboard his 2 ¾ o.h.v. Harley-Davidson, he won both his heat and semi-final of
the two-mile Royal Tour Handicap. Having crossed the finish line to brilliantly
win his semi-final, Catlett hit a loose patch on the track and fell heavily. A
slightly sprained wrist was the result. Sig Schlam, who rode a 7-9
Harley-Davidson, won the final of the handicap. He had recorded victories in
both his heat and semi-final of this event.
The feature scratch race, for the Silver Gauntlet, was won by Harry Baker aboard
his 2 ¾ o.h.v. A.J.S. His prize was 10 pounds for the win, and a further 2
pounds ten shillings a week for a period of one month.
Always keen to add variety to his programmes, Hoskins also staged a small car
challenge – a Baby Austin against a Peugeot. The Baby Austin won.
With a total of 100 pounds prizemoney on offer, the second of the day meetings
was staged on May 28. This occasion marked the speedway debut of a young man who
became a speedway legend – Ron Johnson. Riding a 7-9 Harley Davidson, he won his
heat, semi-final and the final of the 5-lap Royal Tour Handicap. It should be
mentioned that he was very kindly treated by the handicapper for his debut
appearance. Johnson also recorded second placings in his heat and semi-final of
the 2-lap standing start dash.
Two visiting Englishmen were present at Claremont for this second meeting. They
were Messrs. B.H. Cathrick and J.P. Castley. The pair were on a world motor
cycling tour. Both men were very impressed by the size of the crowd in
attendance, and also by the action witnessed on the track. Castley, sub-editor
of the English Motor Cycle magazine, commented on the afternoon’s spectacle, “
It’s wonderful. You cannot compare it at all with anything in England. There is
nothing like it at home.”
The Claremont Show Ground was a hive of activity in late October. Some 40
electricians were busily installing the 70,000 candlepower track lighting system
in readiness for the third of Hoskins’ Claremont meetings which was scheduled to
take place at the ground on the evening of Saturday September 10th. The cost of
the lighting exercise was just less than 2,000 pounds.
Hoskins had hoped to entice Billy Lamont and Artie Wardell to appear on his
first evening programme. He knew both of them from his time spent staging
speedway in New South Wales. Neither of these could be enticed to the West, but
another of Hoskins’ favourites from his days at Maitland, Newcastle and Sydney
did make the trek across the Nullarbor – Charlie Datson.
Following is section of an account I have of the atmosphere and spectacle of the
first night Claremont meeting on September 10th: -
“A pall of blue smoke rising from a little knot of machines and men; a tense,
silent crowd of huge proportions that lined a circular ring of light; the
distant throbbing of motor-cycle engines; a waved flag; a cry ‘They’re off’, and
half a dozen motor cycles, ridden by an equal number of daring young men, each
carrying a distinctive jacket, jump into high speed around the speedway to the
sound of machine-gun fire. A couple of hundred yards and they were going at
break-neck speed. Thrills! When the gentle throb of the engines broke into a
roar at the commencement of each race, each of the 15,000 people at the
Claremont Speedway on Saturday evening instinctively stood up. Every time the
riders-who frequently were cheek by jowl-swung round the corners at such fearful
speed, every onlooker held his breath.”
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