THE recent big motocross meeting at Solway Showgrounds brought back memories for Masterton Man Gordon Blackwood, 78. Gordon, pictured here with Tom Feringa, 8, who is just starting out on his motocross career, raced at Solway in the late 1940s, in the years after speedway left the showgrounds and grasstrack racingtook over. Grasstrack races were organised by the Olympia Motor Cycle Club, fore-runner of the Wairarapa Motorcycle Club, and riders competed for what in those days were substantial sums of money. For example, Gordon has an old programme showing that he won ?3, probably about a week's pay, for coming second on his trusty 250 BSA. "We raced stripped-down road bikes in those days," he recalled. "We'd take off the guards and the lights and go racing. "We didn't have fancy helmets, just those cork pork-pie things." His parents were keen supporters, and he remembers one race when they were in the stands and he was leading. "There used to be a rotunda around by the stand and there was a dip in the track there. I hit the dip and got into a speed wobble and headed straight for the fence. Dad rushed down but I managed to miss it ? you wouldn't believe how fast a fence could come at you. You could hardly put a tissue between me and the fence, and I went on and came second." Gordon later organised minibike racing on a track situated between the current location of Breadcraft and the Copthorne Solway Park Hotel Gordon's son Peter, a friend and contemporary of Aaron Slight, was killed while racing at Clareville 20 years ago. The third and final round of the Langlands spring series is at the Hood Aerodrome track on November 3.
