Gympie’s Mothar Mountain Speedway 50th Anniversary Season Kicks Off
24/09/14…Pam Franz…courtesy of Gympie Saloon Car Club Media Officer Paul Gannon
Next Saturday night, September 27, the Gympie Saloon Car Club will hold the first meeting of its 50th Golden Anniversary Season. Featured on this program will be Modified Sedans, Production Sedans, 4 Cylinder Sedans, Street Stocks and Junior Sedans.
Club President, Allan Jennings said, “The 50th Golden Anniversary Season is indeed a proud moment for the club and a testament to those who formed the club back in 1965. Although there will be some nostalgic moments throughout the upcoming season; the competition will remain as hotly contested as it always is on the Mountain. With the best race cars and drivers on display at each meeting, patrons will be treated to the highest level of entertainment that they have grown to love and expect from Mothar Mountain Speedway.”
Speedway Sedan racing developed from the “bash and crash” of the very popular Stock Car racing days, where the safety bars were on the outside of the car and contact between vehicles was permitted. The safety bar work is now inside the car and deliberate contact is frowned upon.
An old photo of two of Gympie’s early stars in action. 
This photo shows Gympie’s Mark Pagel in action on Mothar Mountain Speedway in his Super Sedan in 2014. Comparing the two photos graphically shows how Speedway Sedan specifications and presentation has progressed. It has been a long journey since the beginning days of the FJ Holden terriers.
Back at the beginning, there was only really the one division of racing and it was pretty much “race what you have.” Today, competition is conducted over a number of completely different categories from the Junior Sedans where youngsters are able to gain their first experiences of Speedway Sedan racing in a controlled and safe environment; right through to the awesome, thunderous power of the V/8 Super Sedans.
In between these two extremes is the 4 Cylinder Sedans which, as their name implies, offers competition limited to 4 cylinder engines. The three levels of mono-construction sedans offer competition in recognisable road going machines all fitted with the required safety features. Street Stocks are basically standard machines. Production sedans offer a small amount of specification freedom, governed mainly by tyre restrictions. Modified Sedans are limited to six cylinder engines and whatever the budget can afford.
All available Speedway Sedan sections compete regularly at Mothar Mountain Speedway race meetings.
The race track itself is almost unrecognisable from the circuit that conducted its first meetings during the 1965 season. There were none of the required safety features of today’s track, race cars or racing attire.
An early race on Mothar Mountain Speedway. There are no safety fences and trees still grow inside the circuit.
Mothar Mountain Speedway today vastly different from the original race track. The “Mountain” remains a most demanding speedway circuit that brings out the best competitive spirit in all of those who race on it.
With such a rich history, the Gympie Saloon Car Club is all revved up for another bumper season on the Mountain.
