It was decided at a recent club meeting to transfer the monthly runs from the 2nd Sunday of the month to the 4th Sundays due to clashes with many other special days throughout the year. We already have several Sundays allotted to varying runs this year but we are always looking for fresh input. All runs are listed on the wall calendar in the clubrooms and are always open for discussion. We also encourage our members to put forward any suggestion or notifications of upcoming events we may be able to attend on any other dates throughout the year.
This Sundays run 26/02/2023 will be leaving from the clubrooms in Riversdale rd at 9.30am heading for The Old Workshop at Anakie for a morning coffee or brunch depending on your preference. The run will be approximately 1hr in duration with everyone free to make their way home what ever way they choose afterwards.
All of our monthly runs are open to all members and friends with any vehicles, cars & bikes old or new welcome.
Well the second running of the Cape Patton grand Prix had a larger than expected grid with 25 odd entrants eager to cement their personal best lap times on the club honour board.
It was noted by many a bystander the absolute lack of Grid Girls which officials have promised will be rectified for next season.
As racing got under way it became apparent early on that in the trying conditions tyre choice could play a major part to the individual teams success.
Some teams were having trouble getting their tyres to hold temperature.
The early part of the race was a bit of a procession as a combination of unhealthy speed limits and 4 wheeled back markers got in the way.
Leaving the 1st pit stop unfortunately 1 highly rated team failed to start and have posted a DNF. ( beautifully presented !!!).
We pulled in for the second pit stop at Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch purely for the FIM riders photo shoot.
Once back on track the circuit closed up, and some very dedicated late breakers lead the way in what was considered a wet track.
Others l was told where having trouble keeping up temp in the dual compound race tyres as it cooled down.
Straight through Lorne and onto the last leg of lap 1, everyone still on track and fighting hard with the Cape Patton lookout in site it was clear motorcycle racing of this level was the big winner today.
At the conclusion of lap one it was evident in the pits at Cape patton that the pit walk was a huge success this year with bus loads of tourists eager to spot their favourite GP star.
Things heated up at the start of the return lap as the stewards in both the Willy’s pace car and the FIM sanctioned Morris started ahead of some entrants which threw a cat amongst the pigeons until some prized riders got enough heat in their tyres to make a clean pass. It was also suggested that the Willy’s pace car had a few handling issues mid corner with its interactive suspension anti body roll system seemingly having a computer glitch.
As the GP circus entered Lorne it was deemed time to stop for drinks and declare the race run and won.
What a great ride it was, l hope everyone enjoyed it and l think it should be run next year.
If you are involved with the motorcycle scene in Geelong you would have heard about the tragic incident at Stonehaven that resulted with death of Justin Willman.
Justin wasn’t just an integral part of the Geelong Motorcycling community being one of the best and most renowned motorcycle mechanics, he was also great mates with so many of us.
When people have spoken to me about Justin they have described him as a top guy & a true gentleman.
On behalf of the Sporting Motorcycle Club Geelong executive committee & members we pass on our deepest condolences & sympathy to Justin’s Family, friends and to the broader motorcycling community in Geelong for this tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Looking for ideas, destinations or reasons to go for a ride on the 4th Sunday’s of the month for the 2023 calendar. We have 10 rides scheduled for the coming year but there are always extra dates available to add in. If you hear of anything interesting to attend or an idea for a ride please feel free to suggest it either by e-mail or at any of our Bi-Monthly meetings. In the past we have done rides to Vintage Tractor pulls, Eddington Sprints, The Liberator Bomber Restoration Project in Werribee, Combined dirt and road rides to a common destination, The Beeac Pub for a meal and to see Ians car collection , Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally, etc. too many to recall, some are good to repeat others are a once of only, but fresh input is always welcome and helps us to discover what our members would like to do as a club.
The more suggestions and ideas we get the more rides that can be organised for our members (That’s you) to enjoy.
What a great ride to Gordon to celebrate the end of 2022 with the SMCC, here is a brief video I took, I knew I should have taken the XL instead of the Duke ! Sorry about the poor pict & sound quality & bug!, but you’ll appreciate the road conditions at the moment in Victoria.
The club received the sad news of the Passing of a club Legend – David Jeremiah.
David Jeremiah raced competitly for many years & won the club championship in 1953, At the time he rode a 500cc Ariel with an alloy barrel and shaved head running on Petrol/Benzol mixture, with lots of other mods, it was tuned to be a bit of a rocket ship. David Jeremiah pictured here with his winning sash from 1953.
David raced with other club legends like Allan Wembridge and were known as the “Boundary Rd boys”, Ironically he was born in 1932, the founding year of SMCC. RIP David.
It is with great sadness we hear of the passing of Lyn Powell, partner of Beak and club stalwart for many years. We wish to pass on our deepest sympathy to Beak ( David Murray) and Lyn’s family and close friends. Many of us here at the SMCC will remember her as always a cheerful and happy person who would always help where ever she could.
Twenty riders and 1 car turned out for our annual Tiddler Tour, a shorter and slower ride than normal aimed at encouraging our members to bring along their smallest capacity bike or their oldest one, covering just over 80klm on a round trip via Ceres, Gnarwarre, Wurdibullock, Modewarre and onto Moriac for a coffee stop, and then back to the club rooms via Ceres for a BBQ lunch.
The number of riders and bikes was down bit on our usual turnout for this annual run with the oldest being Pat Middleton on a 1932 500cc BSA unrestored and the smallest capacity was Bernie Leen on a DT100 Yamaha.
No real problems on the day once the fuel reserve was found for one BMW and the trailer returned empty to the clubrooms.
All in all a great relaxed atmosphere and a pleasant no pressure ride. Thanks to all who attended.
For all the Facebook users we have today launched the clubs new Facebook site, In Facebook’s infinite wisdom they for reasons unknown have turned our old page off and it will soon be removed, sorry for the inconvenience.
Our monthly rides on the second Sunday of the month are still on, and we are looking for someone to put their hand up to do the run on August 14th. If you are thinking of having a go and need a bit of help just ask, there are quite a few members willing to help.
September 11th ride will be the COMBINED DIRT AND ROAD RIDE around Enfield State forest. Dirt ride will be organised by Mark Gross & Phil Nelson and the road ride will be from the clubrooms to meet the dirt riders for lunch. More details will be posted as they come to hand.
It has been suggested to do a POKER RUN on October 9th , so we are looking for helpers to organise and run it. Remembering that if no-one helps on these runs, they don’t happen.
November 13th we will be running the annual SPORTIES T.T. for the tiddlers and old bikes among our ranks. It’s a fun day with the opportunity to bring your smallest or oldest bike out for a run. Starting and Finishing at the club rooms. Gathering around 9.00am for a 10.00 start for about a 60 >80 klm ride around the local area returning to the club rooms for a feed and chat.
Sporting Motorcycle Club 