Hyper PRO Racer - Crooke's History




	THE 'FATHER' OF AUSTRALIAN MOTOR CAR RACING 1904 - Australia's first car race winner. James Robert Crooke staged, and then won, Australia's first motor race on 12 March 1904 on the horse racing track at Sandown Park. The first race of the day was a voiturette race for cars with engines of 6hp or less and the Australian Motorist magazine reported that "(Crooke) tied down the pressure valve of his steam car and obtained about 1,000,000lbs (!!) of pressure to start with and made hacks of the other cars, travelling nearly 30mph." 1905 - 1906 The world's first race purpose built racing car track. In 1905, James built the world's first motor racing track inside his pear shaped horse racing track at Aspendale Park. The new track was acknowledged as Australia’s “first commercial (race car) track”. The Argus newspaper reported that Crooke, “encouraged by the success of motor-cycle racing on the grass track”, had decided to construct a banked speedway. On 28 October 1905, there was a report in the Moorabbin News that "the steam roller was at work on the motor cycle track on Mr Crooke’s prettily situated and popular race course. The path is in excellent condition and the motorists should be able to put [in] some fast [times]." A History of Australian Speedway states that, "(Crooke) laid down a crushed white gravel circuit, a project which reportedly cost a then enormous 1700 pounds.". The first car race meeting on the track, was held there by the RACV on 29 January 1906, in front of an estimated 1,000 spectators. James, an aggressive entrepreneur, had built at his own cost, his own railway station beside the government owned railway line that ran past his Aspendale property. The track facilities were extensive and 'state of the art' for the time, with an impressive grandstand and gardens designed by William Guilfoyle, the director of the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, who has been described as ‘a landscape architect of genius’. 1907 A year and a half later, on the 17 June 1907, Brooklands race track in England was opened. Owing to the complications of laying tarmacadam on banking, and the expense of laying asphalt, the track was built in uncoated concrete. The Brooklands Society and the Brooklands Museum claim that Brooklands was "the world's first purpose built racing circuit." Lesson - never let the British write history. 1921 In 1921 a new banked concrete (bitumen) saucer-track, a mile in circumference, was built to replace the old track. The History of Australian Speedway describes it as; consisting of two straight runs, each about a quarter of a mile long with a width of 60ft and “banked on the outside to a height of 27 feet” permitting competitors to travel at speeds of more than 100 miles an hour. The James Flood book describes it as a bitumen-coated track, a few yards short of a mile with a width of 45 feet, designed to permit racing cars to negotiate the banked turns at 90mph. Motor car racing continued at Aspendale Park until the late 1940s. References; • Australian Guinness Book of Records • James Flood book of Early Motoring Vol 2. • A History of Australian Speedway by Jim Shepherd. • The Crown of the Road. The Sory of the RACV. Susan Priestley • Motor-Car Races and Trials - Donald Thompson • City of Kingston Historical Website Aspendale Park Racecourse http://localhistory.kingston.vic.gov.au/htm/article/93.htm Racing and Death at Aspendale http://localhistory.kingston.vic.gov.au/htm/article/370.htm FOOTNOTE: In recent years, some journalists have promoted a notable speedway rider, Henry James, as the "Father" of Australian motor car racing. This was due mainly to the fact that he was the great uncle of the late Peter Brock, a famous Australian racing driver. The offending journalists ran with the story and the Brock connection, obviously believed that you shouldn't ruin a good story with the truth. Young Henry, a sales rep for Dunlop at the time, was involved with the first race at Sandown, but the reality is that James Crooke, the promotor and eventual race winner, appointed Henry to act as his assistant for the event. Reference • A History of Australian Speedway by Jim Shepherd.	Australia's first racing car, a 1902 Locomobile 4.5hp steam car with a tiller steering. James dropped the roof down for the race. Car rally at Aspendale for RACV members in 1904, prior to the construction and opening of the motor racing track in 1906. In this picture, the cars are driving on the horse track. The white gravel track in the background was used as a training run for horses. Although details are sketchy, it is probable that the car track with its banked corners, was laid over this in late 1905. The world's first car racing track - 1906 to 1920. The crushed white gravel banked track at Aspendale. This picture was taken in 1920, a year before the new bitumen track was opened. The original grandstand at Aspendale Racecourse. Circa 1904.The extended grandstand at Aspendale Racecourse. Circa 1920.


	SAVING LIVES 1955 Dr Peter Crooke was a successful rally driver in the 50's, winning the 'open class' in the blue ribbon event of the year, the 1955 Sun Rally. 1962 Peter became the CAMS Victorian Medical Officer in 1962, and succeeded Dr Lloyd Buley as CAMS National Medical Advisor in 1966, a position he held for 15 years. 1971 Peter lead an Australian initiative which introduced the motor racing safety standards that we enjoy today, ie; modern helmet design, seat belts, fire proof suits etc. He introduced these standards along with a set of international medical standards to the rest of the world at an FIA meeting in 1971 in Milan. The FIA adopted these standards and Jackie Stewart, and others, then ran with his recommendations in Europe. 1982 Peter was awarded CAMS highest honour, the Award of Merit, in 1982.	1955 Open Class 'Sun Rally' winner. Above: Crooke sets the outright fastest time, in the special test stage at Albert Park.


	TOO EASY 1960 -70's Jon started his racing career in Sprint Kart racing in the '60's and 70's 1982 In 1982 he finished 2nd in the 250 International Superkart Australian Championship. 1986 In his first year of 'car' racing, and driving at circuits he had never driven on before, Crooke, driving a Mk8 Cheeta, decimated the opposition, winning 7 of the 9 rounds of the Australian Formula 2 Championship. With multiple lap records, fastest laps and pole positions, Crooke's total domination of the championship prompted the motorsport press to nickname him "Our Ayrton" 1987 - August Jon joined Peter Brock as a Group A Works driver for the Holden Dealer Team. Jon retired from top level driving at the end of 1987 with the all-time highest "win to start" rate (87%) at National level competition in Australia. 1998 Jon makes the first 'napkin' sketches of the Hyper PRO Racer, a concept he has had floating around in his head since the mid eighties.	Australian Formula 2 Champion 1986 Works driver for the Brock GpA Holden Dealer Team 1987. Cresting Skyline at Bathurst


	DESIGNER CONSTRUCTOR DRIVER Dean started racing AKA Karts at 8 and received his CAMS licence on his 12th birthday (Australia's youngest ever CAMS licence holder at the time). 2000 Dean wins the JNR Vic Club Championship. 2006 Dean co-designs and builds a new concept in kart chassis and beats the world's leading kart manufacturers to win the Snr Vic Club Championship and Driver of the Year. 2008 Dean wins 8 of the 9 rounds of the Australian Hyper Racer Championship to take the title. He also wins his 3rd Vic Club Championship. He is a multiple lap record holder and one of the categories leading drivers. 2009 Dean wins NSW State Championship at Eastern Creek and Oran Park. Dean completes an exhaustive test program in the Hyper PRO Racer.	2008 Australian Hyper Racer Champion.

Hyper Racer - Copyright © 2009 - Dean Crooke