Caversham T-Circuit
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| Phil Jordan picture of racing on the T circuit, 1959. Car in foreground is Aub Melrose in the Austin-Healey. The cluster of white-overalled officials just visible above the Healey are probably on the Start line, and the pits are out of sight on the right behind the spectators. You can see the rows of broken-off scrub dividing the broad runway. |
The Caversham T-circuit was first used on March 7 1955. It was then used intermittently until the Mick Geneve Memorial and Benefit meeting on the July 4th1959, which was the final T-circuit meeting.
I didn't include any map of the circuit in either the book or CD editions of Around the Houses because I had no idea at the time how it was laid out. (There are four possible ways you can lay a Tee onto a crossroads.)
However, at the 2006 Caversham reunion at the WA Sporting Car Club clubhouse, Mick Geneve's son Ray, himself a racer and speedway driver of considerable fame, brought along a very rare race programme from that Memorial meeting, and in it was a circuit diagram.
The sketch map in the programme is just that - a sketch - but if you orient yourself on a good map or air photo the layout becomes clear. Unfortunately the lap length, direction of racing, and even the start and finish lines, were not indicated on the sketch map or in the programme. Logic suggests that the start-finish would be on the long straight close to the pits, and the photograph above confirms that the circuit was clockwise. The two-way traffic on the broad runways was separated by rows of broken off scrub laid down the middle.
There was a full card of events from all around the motorsport scene, including races for motorcycles, speedcars, TQs and even Vintage Cars.
Results:
July 4 1959
5-lap
sports:
1 . Tony Carboni, Austin Healey
2 . Clem Dwyer, Triumph TR3.
3 . Ron Heath, Jaguar XK120
5-lap
Racing Cars:
1 . Syd Negus, Repco Cooper
2 . Sid Taylor, TS Spl
3 . Peter Bond, Bondley
5-lap
production cars:
1
. Jack Ayres, Holden
2 . Dave Van Dal, Holden
3 . Dave Sullivan, Holden
5-lap
racing cars:
1 . Sid Taylor, TS Spl
2 . Syd Negus,Repco Cooper
3 . Peter Bond, Bondley
5-lap
sports and production cars:
1 . Jack Ayres, Holden
2 . Bob Annear, Holden s/c
3 . Lionel Beattie, MGA
5-lap hcp
racing and Sports cars:
1 . Ron Heath, Jaguar
XK120
=2. Peter Bond, Bondley
=2. Sid Taylor, TS Spl
4 . Lionel Beattie MGA