The demise of Western Springs as a speedway venue is being felt beyond our shores, with an American legend of the sport expressing his dismay at the news.
Visiting Americans played a big part in the success of the now-doomed Western Springs speedway scene from the outset. Midget cars made their Springs debut in 1937 when a troupe of American racers competed on Christmas Day against Aussies and a couple of Kiwis.
No American was bigger news over the years than Ron “Sleepy” Tripp, who told the Weekend Herald of his sadness on hearing Western Springs had run its race.
Sleepy Tripp – who is in five motor racing Halls of Fame – was the most famous of the regular American imports. His ratio of big midget car wins at the Springs was incredible, achieved in an era full of local stars led by Barry Butterworth and Ted Tracey. The 71-year-old Californian, who still runs the electrical business his grandfather started, first came here in the 1970s via a handshake contract with the Springs promoters. He kept heading Downunder for nearly two decades, winning 34 feature races at Western Springs — including nine of the glamour 50-lap titles — in a career that brought him more than 250 top-drawer victories in four countries.
With speedway being shunted off to Waikaraka Park after the current season, Tripp reminisces about the sport’s heyday when it drew massive crowds and was an iconic part of Auckland life. Tripp – who is married to an Aucklander — recalls the wild racing, parties, his frosty relationship with Barry Butterworth, his admiration for the current Kiwi star, and more.
How did Western Springs rate?
As a facility, it was by far the best we ever raced at … the crowd, the atmosphere, the changing rooms, the lighting.
We might have got 500 to 1000 people in the stands here (in America). Having 20 to 25,000 people screaming it out at Western Springs, flipping you off ... you get to a different level. The fans used to walk through the pit area – there’s no other track in the universe where you can do that.
We would race and then go out to the carpark and party there until three, four or five in the morning.
You had to win the feature race at the track, and you could win the feature in the carpark if you had good stories. I enjoyed that.
How did that atmosphere affect the racing?
There have been times when it got rougher than it should have been.
The crowd had a lot to do with the guys crashing and running hard — it’s kind of a rush with all those people yelling and screaming. It’s a high.
They’d get us on the back of utes — the Americans in one, the Aussies in another. The crowd would throw shit at us, mainly verbals. It was part of the show. I liked it.
It was good hard racing ... a bit of equipment got torn up though.
Barry Butterworth used to say it was a contact sport, but it’s not really. You’re not supposed to be running into each other in an open midget car.
I think everyone was jacked up by the big crowds. There was a lot on the line for the Kiwi guys, to beat the Aussies and the Yanks.
Speedway bikes were big back then – how did bikes and cars operate on the same track?
The track was crap. If you have motorbikes and cars you won’t have much of a track by the end of the night.
The track couldn’t be too sticky because the bikes needed to slide – that’s how those guys turn the corners.
It’s hard getting it right — the promoters tried hard. There are a lot of variables. But my car was set up for those tracks — I liked slick tracks.
Who were your big Kiwi rivals?
A whole bunch of guys were good but Ted Tracey and Barry Butterworth stood out. With Barry it was a battle every night — we fought hard all the time.
What was it like off the track – were you close to those Kiwi stars?
I don’t think anyone was close to Barry, not the overseas guys apart from maybe Gary Patterson, a crazy guy from Sacramento.
Barry didn’t have much time for many guys. He had some real fans. He was like a hero to those people.
Ted Tracey was good — hard to race with. He was one of the first guys with decent equipment — he was a car salesman and I guess he sold a lot of cars. I got to know Owen Shaw well.
But I didn’t like having a lot of close friends, even when I raced in the US. I didn’t like being palsy-walsy. It was racing and I just wanted to go to work.
The great Barry Butterworth passed away aged just 54 ...
His health was kind of trouble for a long time. He smoked and smoked and smoked you know, and if you are a smoker it is just a matter of time. He had emphysema.
What about the famous Kiwi bike riders?
I got to know Ivan Mauger, and Barry Briggs really good. Barry lived close to our house in Costa Mesa — Erin and Junie Briggs would go shopping together on Sundays.
How did racing at Western Springs change over the years?
The cars and drivers got better and it was hard coming from the rear to the front, so they put the fast cars up the front, which is not good. The fast cars needed to be at the rear.
A guy called Bill Kelly, who owned a gas station, did the handicapping. A couple of the American guys would dick around during the night and Bill would put them on grid 10 or 11 for the feature race, whereas the good guys should be on 18 or so.
I’d tell Bill “they’re f****** with you”. They just figured out the system. They’d only get away with it for one race.
What enabled you to keep returning and winning …
If you were drinking, carousing, chasing girls, not working on your cars, you would never get back down here. If you raced hard, and they knew you were working on the cars, you would get back here. It was pretty easy just to drink beer — there were a lot of guys who wanted to drink beer with you.
And you could make a few bob in Australia and New Zealand whereas in America, there are no drivers who just run midgets and can eat dinner every night. The money I made in Australia and New Zealand financed a lot of my racing.
You met your wife in Auckland ...
Erin Fletcher ... from Glen Eden.
In California, most guys have three or four marriages. You’re somewhat under the radar at just three … when you get to four or five, people say you must be the problem. But we’ve been married for 42 years.
Like all marriages there have been ups and downs and race drivers aren’t the easiest to be around.
It’s been tough for her — I had a motorcycle accident 12 years ago when I flipped a BMW street bike at nearly 90 miles per hour (140km/h). I broke everything in my body — demolished my pelvis, my heart stopped twice. It’s been a nightmare and I’m still getting surgeries. But I’m going okay now.
When did you visit New Zealand last?
Erin goes to New Zealand a couple of times every year but flying is tough for me since the crash.
The last time was around 2009 ... Danny Lendich (the Auckland businessman who Tripp raced for) flew us down and rented the Hyatt and had 60 or 70 people there. He put on a kind of roast for me, showing all my racing, with videos. Different guys would go up and say what a clean driver I was — I was sitting at the back laughing of course.
While I was in Auckland I went to watch (10-time national midget car champion) Michael Pickens for the first time and couldn’t believe how fast he was.
Pickens has been to my house in California. He’s a really nice kid, and super talented. They say he is getting some pretty good racing now after having it his own way for a while.
How do you feel about speedway ending at Western Springs?
We’ve been hearing that for six or seven years ... but it is serious this time. It’s very hard to hear about it.
All those people complaining about the noise ... that facility was there a long time before any of them bought their houses. It’s sad to lose a speedway with so much history to it, it really is.
And I don’t know about Waikaraka Park ... it’s nice to have a track but speedway will be second fiddle to the stock cars. It’s their place.
The council is spending $11m on upgrading Waikaraka Park ...
I hope it goes well, but from what I’ve seen of the place it doesn’t look much to me. Excuse my language, but the place is a s***hole.
Any treasured Western Springs mementos?
I gave away all my trophies. First young kid to my car, I’d give them the trophy. About six years ago I called Danny Lendich and asked for a couple of trophies back though.
I have a man cave now with two and a half garages full of photos ... there are photos of Ivan Mauger, Barry Briggs, a big photo of (former motorcycle world champion) Wayne Rainey, who is a good friend of mine. I got the 1994 50-lap trophy from Danny, the last race I ran at Western Springs.
The Sleepy Tripp name has lived on in New Zealand, in various ways ...
I know. There’s been a racehorse, a trotter, a greyhound dog and a punk rock band with my name ... that’s pretty cool huh? So maybe I was a little bit famous down there. But once you retire, they move on to the next people — it’s all in the past.
Chris Rattue has been a journalist since 1980 and is one of the most respected opinion writers in New Zealand sports journalism.