Catalina Park Raceway, Katoomba

[Fat Bastard Customs]

I was in sydney this week and thought i'd drop in at a place i love spending time at which i thought i'd share with you all. Catalina Park Raceway is a wicked little race track in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. Its was used mainly in the 60's and 70's as a sporting car track and a rallycross track. I'll attach an article that will describe the track better than i ever could other than to say visit it. Its a nice little walk and an awesome little piece of aussie motorsports history, just head to katoomba and follow the signs to the aquatic center.

 

On a side note, its in a horrible state and will only get worse due to it being deemed aboriginal land and never really looked after. Now whilst i have no dramas with the aboriginal history of the place, i think it would be fair to keep the track in the condition its in now (ie: not raceworthy but a decent historical place). I wonder if it would be possible or how one would go about getting a group of people together to maintain the place. Any suggestions?

 

Anyway, enough chat, pics!

 

Catalina_Park_Raceway_Article.pdf

Article

Circuit Map

Studebaker racing

Start/Finish Post

Start/Finish Line

Bottom of main straight leading up the hill, to the left is the split off where the dirt rallycross section starts

Better View of Dirt split off

A bit of sponsorship still there

Last few shots are of the straight down to a relatively tight sweeper

end of the sweeper, short straight section, small right hander into...

This, whilst it doesnt look to severe this hill would be silly fast and there is a massive dip at the bottom

up the other side of the hill you come up to a minor right hander into a straight section

[Fat Bastard Customs]

That continues up a short straight into

another right hander, followed by another short straight and a little, blind right hand flick into this

the most bullshit insane hairpin ive ever seen, ive seen driveways with bigger hairpins that this

and if you stuff up this catches you

at least you can enjoy a craven a ciggie while you are slowly bleeding to death in your car

 

 

Will post remaining pics tomorrow, my laptop is slowing dying and silly me forgot a power cable :hmm:

[anastasios]

are you able to drive on it?

[seabiscuit]

Great write up FBC. Very interesting piece of history. Must have been hundreds of race tracks around the country at one stage

as I haven't heard of any of that lot. Motorsport must have changed it's course quite a bit since the old days.

[parrot]

Was there for a AH Sprite / Midget weekend probably 25 - 30 years ago and it was already pretty decrepit, road surface poor etc. And yes there was no run off, but incredible atmosphere. I think that was going to be one of the last meetings?

 

Would have been awesome in its heyday

 

http://www.vsccwa.com.au/cms/uploads...ept-Page09.pdf

 

Actually reading this reminded me of the fog. The meeting I was at had a number of holdups as the place was enveloped in fog. The circuit was located in a sort of hollow with Katoomba up on the ridge, and the fog would sweep in and sit in the hollow.

 

It really was quite an amazing place.

[Fat Bastard Customs]

can't drive on it anymore, you can only walk around it. Whilst i love the history of the place there is no way in hell i would drive around it at any speed. I'll put the pics up when i get the chance again but just wait till i put up the tunnel of love pics

 

and parrot, even in its current state, its an amazing place, it just oozes atmosphere of a bygone era i don't think we'll ever see again. I definately advise a walk around the place.

 

 

 

Theres a thought, how bout a cruise/walk to catalina?

[coln72]

Tunnel of Love - wasn't that where a guy with a trumpet would play the last post to every car that crashed there?

[Fat Bastard Customs]

Part 2, i got batteries now

 

Long straight leaving the hairpin down a hill into a sweeping left hander,

the chain wire on the left is where the swamp is starting to eat away at the track.

more safety fencing

Down the hill, gently sweeping long right into...

The return of the dirt section on the left and up the hill to the right into...

more sweeping right and the imfamous tunnel of love

fairly sharp downhill right hand sweeper onto the front straight

[Fat Bastard Customs]

Tightish left hand sweeper onto front straight

Hi tech pit area (note feint white double lines)

Finish line

 

Now the Dirt bit

 

The dirt section splits off to the left here

drops down off the track surface and to the right

along a little straight secton and then a nice wide left hander,

after this point its all overgrown and i can't tell exactly where the track went

this is where the dirt returns on the other side, as u can see its really overgrown

here on the left is the dirt return

[Fat Bastard Customs]

Just a few other piccy's from around the track

 

 

The remnants of a marshalling point

The old rallycross pit area, this is now a dog park

The old Pit Paddock area near the start finish line

What looks to be the remains of a bank of sorts for spectators

The crap that is the majority of the lower infield now

 

Hope you lot enjoyed my pics

[Funking-Awesome]

Thats cool man. Nice write up..Probably be a fun track if it was still a track. :hmm:

[sammo[RL]]

Hope you lot enjoyed my pics

 

Loved them! Great write up, you've convinced me to go have a look!

 

The one good thing is, at least most of the track is still there, unlike the old Amaroo track, and the soon to be ripped up oran park...

Edited August 27, 2011 by philbey
Added quote bracket

[Kebin[RL]]

Theres a thought, how bout a cruise/walk to catalina?

I like the idea of that

[raleigh]

Its a shame to see catalina park In such a state.I competed in the annual VSCCA meetings up untill 2000.The feature race was a Hour and a half long and the demands of this track had your undivided attention,especially in the wet.The local community put a end to the track,I still have a few trophys from these events some where.Back in 1992-3 I was up there watching the V8's doing a trial run.The Winfield and Benson and Hedges sponsored VP Commodores were quite a sight and the sound of the V8's in the valley is unforgetable.Regards,Raleigh...

[tech160s]

Great post...You almost had me tearing up at the state the track has been let go :-(

 

I have attached a pic of me at Catalina Park Katoomba, It was a Sprint race with the Manly Warringah Sporting Car Club 1991. Oh the memories... I still had 3 years on a 5 year loan and I had to race the Pulsar!! (sorry not a Corolla guys but I thought it would be a good addition to this post)