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has been. Speedway cars were not allowed
brakes - so Lonsdale would simply remove the
brake pedal by undoing a split pin and
removing the entire pedal.
The only other alteration that was required was
to remove a metal block from the rear axle that
"tucked" the right hand rear wheel under the
car. TQs raced in a clockwise direction as
opposed to all other divisions except sidecars.
As a speedway car it was limited to a 500cc
engine, hence the BSA Gold Star in its later life. By the time Larry and Kerry obtained the car it
was fitted with a Suzuki 450 cc twin engine.Larry and Kerry set about tracking down the parts
that were missing off the original car. Colin Lonsdale, the original owner, is still alive and, while
his vision has deteriorated until he is certified blind, he was able to describe the parts used and
the method of construction.
The car was basically complete, but it took a lot of research to identify
the changes that had been made over the years and to find either original
or suitable replacement parts. Parts have been sourced in South America
and the UK. These include carburettors, gearbox parts, tyres and the
tachometer.
The original gearbox was found in Kalgoorlie on a wood saw (stuck in
second gear), while two of the original wheels were found on a discarded
"green rake" at the Kalgoorlie Golf Club rubbish tip. Larry bought an Iso
Diva scooter to get two more wheels, but ended up restoring the scooter
and finally found two wheels in Argentina!
While Larry has not found any records of Lonsdale in
the around the houses events, a gentleman sent him a
copy of a programme and a letter advising him that
this car had won the one and only Goldfields Gold
Nugget Grand Prix of 1956, which was apparently held
over two days.
On Friday the cars raced on tarmac and the Lonsdale
finished second to a Mr HDavies in a Cooper. The
Saturday race was on dirt. The Cooper did not finish
(actually, it didn't start) and Lonsdale won the dirt
event outright. This was on the Showground Circuit.
Regrettably Larry filed the programme and letter in a
safe place that was too safe! He cannot find it.
As time and the nation's prosperity changed, so did
the face of the TQ. For example, the later model car
owned by Dick Turpin is a highly refined machine compared to this early example. They share
the same engine, but the Turpin machine is much faster and boasts such luxuries as a starter
motor, racing slicks, fuel pump, electronic ignition and more.
Eventually the danger and the effort required to race on the streets pushed TQs towards
speedway completely, where they developed into the Formula 500 class raced today.
The Lonsdale with shapely admirers at
the Perth Speed Fest at Kwinana
Motorplex in December 2015
The simple rear axle set-up of the Lonsdale
The restored gearbox
The cost of racing has not increased in 30 years. Back then it cost everything you had...
And it still does!