Castrol 6-Hour
The race was run by the Willoughby District Motorcycle Club and held at Amaroo Park until 1983, when it was moved to Oran Park for 1984 until the final race in 1987.
At the time it was the biggest and most prestigious bike meeting in Australia, enjoying huge support from not only Castrol and much of the motorcycle trade, but also was a great hit with the motorcycle community who saw it as a real test of the motorcycles they might wish to buy.
It also had considerable television coverage and either contributed to or was the result of a motorcycle sales boom. Originally the race was called the Castrol 1000 in recognition of the prizemoney on offer from Castrol. $1000 was a considerable sum in 1970 as can be seen by the fact that the eventual winning bike in the first race, a Triumph Bonneville 650, could be purchased for around $1,150.00 at the time.
At first the race was for 3 classes, Unlimited, 500 cc and 250 cc. The race continued in that format until 1975, when the 250 cc class was dropped for “rider safety”. Then in 1978 the 500 cc class was dropped and a 750 cc class introduced. For 1983 The maximum capacity was limited to 1000 cc, probably to comply with the ACCA regulations and in 1987 a 250 cc class was reintroduced.
The first race was run on Sunday, October 18, 1970, when 68 riders lined up for the Le Mans start.
Jim’s racing history with the Castrol 6 Hour race is:
- 1975 – Co Rider with Eric Soetens (debut entry), finished 3rd in class
- 1976 – Team Avon with Roger Heyes: Kawasaki 900 – Outright Winner (Prov. ‘B’ Grade)
- 1977 – Team Avon with Neil Chivas: Kawasaki 900 – 2nd Outright (A Grade)
- 1978 – Team Avon with Roger Heyes: Yamaha 1100 – Outright Winner
- 1979 – Yamaha Pitmans with Greg Pretty: Yamaha 1100 – 2nd Outright
- 1980 – Team Kawasaki Australia with Paul Cawthorne: Kawasaki Z750 – 13th Outright &
7th in 750cc class - 1987 – Procycles Hornsby with Simon Pinnington – DNF
| Year | Position | Riders | Manufacturer | Motorcycle | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | |||||
| 1st | Len Atlee, Brian Hindle | Triumph | Bonneville 650 | 312 | |
| 2nd | C Brown, R Jackson | Honda | CB750 | 308 | |
| 3rd | D Burgess, Joe Eastmure | Suzuki | T20-250 | 303 | |
| 1971 | |||||
| 1st | Brian Hindle, Clive Knight | Honda | CB750 | 333 | |
| 2nd | Tony Hatton, Paul Spooner | Yamaha | XS650 | 330 | |
| 3rd | Max Robinson, B Gault | Honda | CB750 | 328 | |
| 1972 | |||||
| 1st | Mike Steele, Dave Burgess | Kawasaki | H2 750 | 334 | |
| 2nd | G Thomas, M Robinson | Honda | CB750 | 332 | |
| 3rd | Ken Blake, J Curley | Ducati | GT750 | 330 | |
| 1973 | |||||
| 1st | Ken Blake | Kawasaki | Z1B 900 | 342 | |
| 2nd | Warren Willing, John Boote | Kawasaki | H2 750 | 341 | |
| 3rd | Tony Hatton | BMW | R75 | 340 | |
| 1974 | |||||
| 1st | Ken Blake, Len Atlee | Kawasaki | Z1 900 | 344 | |
| 2nd | John Warrian | Kawasaki | Z1 900 | 336 | |
| 3rd | K Chevell, B Mayes | Kawasaki | Z1 900 | 334 | |
| 1975 | |||||
| 1st | Gregg Hansford, Murray Sayle | Kawasaki | Z1 900 | 335 | |
| 2nd | Ken Blake | BMW | R90S | 331 | |
| 3rd | Roger Heyes, S Crymble | Kawasaki | Z1 900 | 329 | |
| 1976 | |||||
| 1st | Jim Budd, Roger Heyes | Kawasaki | Z1B | 350 | |
| 2nd | Ken Blake, Tony Hatton | BMW | R90S | 349 | |
| 3rd | Dan Oakhill, Ross Pink | Ducati | 900SS | 348 | |
| 1977 | |||||
| 1st | Ken Blake, Joe Eastmure | BMW | R100S | 356 | |
| 2nd | Jim Budd, Neil Chivas | Kawasaki | Z1B 900 | 356 | |
| 3rd | Alan Hales, Dave Burgess | Kawasaki | Z650 | 353 | |
| 1978 | |||||
| 1st | Roger Heyes, Jim Budd | Yamaha | XS1100 | 354 | |
| 2nd | John Warrian, Terry Kelly | Ducati | 900SS | 353 | |
| 3rd | Mick Cole, Dennis Neil | Honda | CBX1000 | 353 | |
| 1979 | |||||
| 1st | Alan Hales, Neill Chivas | Suzuki | GS1000 | 360 | |
| 2nd | Greg Pretty, Jim Budd | Yamaha | XS1100 | 357 | |
| 3rd | Len Atlee, Gary Coleman | Yamaha | XS1100 | 357 | |
| 1980 | |||||
| 1st | Andrew Johnson, Wayne Gardner | Honda | CB1100R | 322 | |
| 2nd | Neil Chivas, John Pace | Suzuki | GSX1100 | 322 | |
| 3rd | Roger Heyes, Dennis Neil | Honda | CB1100R | 318 | |
| 1981 | |||||
| 1st | Dave Petersen, Neville Hiscock | Suzuki | GSX1100 | 314 | |
| 2nd | Roger Heyes, Malcolm Campbell | Suzuki | GSX1100 | 313 | |
| 3rd | Ron Boulden, Stephen Gall | Yamaha | XS1100 | 312 | |
| 1982 | |||||
| 1st | Wayne Gardner, Wayne Clarke | Honda | CB1100R | 367 | |
| 2nd | John Pace, Peter Byers | Honda | CB1100R | 367 | |
| 3rd | Alan Blanco, Geoff French | Honda | CB1100R | 367 | |
| 1983 | |||||
| 1st | Malcolm Campbell, Rod Cox | Honda | VF750F | 372 | |
| 2nd | Rob Phillis, G French | Honda | VF750F | 372 | |
| 3rd | R Heyes, Robert Holden | Suzuki | GSX1000S | 372 | |
| 1984 | |||||
| 1st | Richard Scott, Michael Dowson | Yamaha | RZ500 | 260 | |
| 2nd | Wayne Gardner, John Pace | Honda | VF1000 | 260 | |
| 3rd | Neil Chivas, Robert Holden | Suzuki | Katana 750 | 256 | |
| 1985 | |||||
| 1st | Richard Scott, Paul Feeney | Yamaha | FZ750 | 238 | |
| 2nd | Len Willing, Iain Pero | Kawasaki | GPz900R | 238 | |
| 3rd | Michael Dowson, Kevin Magee | Yamaha | FZ750 | 238 | |
| 1986 | |||||
| 1st | Michael Dowson, Kevin Magee | Yamaha | FZ750 | 270 | |
| 2nd | Robert Holden, Brent Jones | Suzuki | GSXR750 | 270 | |
| 3rd | Richard Scott, Rod Cox | Yamaha | FZ750 | 269 | |
| 1987 | |||||
| 1st | Kevin Magee, Michael Dowson | Yamaha | FZR1000 | 269 | |
| 2nd | Peter Byers, James Knight | Yamaha | FZR1000 | 266 | |
| 3rd | Robert Holden, Aaron Slight | Suzuki | GSX-R750H | 265 |
The race was run by the Willoughby District Motorcycle Club and held at Amaroo Park until 1983, when it was moved to Oran Park for 1984 until the final race in 1987. At the time it was the biggest and most prestigious bike meeting in Australia, enjoying huge support from not only Castrol and much of the motorcycle trade, but also was a great hit with the motorcycle community who saw it as a real test of the motorcycles they might wish to buy. It also had considerable television coverage and either contributed to or was the result of a motorcycle sales boom.
Originally the race was called the Castrol 1000 in recognition of the prize money on offer from Castrol. $1000 was a considerable sum in 1970 as can be seen by the fact that the eventual winning bike in the first race, a Triumph Bonneville 650, could be purchased for around $1,150.00 at the time.
At first the race was for 3 classes, Unlimited, 500 cc and 250 cc. The race continued in that format until 1975, when the 250 cc class was dropped for “rider safety”. Then in 1978 the 500 cc class was dropped and a 750 cc class introduced. For 1983 The maximum capacity was limited to 1000 cc, probably to comply with the ACCA regulations and in 1987 a 250 cc class was reintroduced.
The first race was run on Sunday, October 18, 1970, when 68 riders lined up for the Le Mans start.
Jim Budd Motorcycle Racer 
Wow, look at all those wonderful names. If nostalgia counts, then it’s there in spades. Can I direct you to another site dedicated to one of the greats?
http://www.kennyblake.com.au
Trust me, I’ve read through your tribute site to Kenny Blake. I never got the priviledge to meet him, but I have become a fan of his since.
Dear Sirs,
Good morning to you.
I am a associate of the XS1100 UK register in the UK.
We are currently considering producing a replica of the 1978 Castrol 6 Hour winner, the number 3 Avon XS1100, ridden by Jim Budd and Roger Heyes at Amaroo Park Australia. The replica produced is not for commercial gain and would be a one off, to be shown at various classic bike shows throughout the UK. Therefore could you put this request forward on our behalf and or direct us to the person’s that we should discuss this with.
To add. Would you know of anyone that would have any stills /images of that particular bike available to email on, for us to ascertain what branding was applied to the livery. There isn’t a awful lot on the net and what is, is of poor quality, hence my request.
Your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Yours in anticipation and Thanks.
Gary Mills
I Have a 1 hour video of the 78 race
Glenn in Oz
About your request for photos of Avon XS1100 No 3: I ended up on this site after some memories got to me. I appreciate its a fair time since your post. I was Co-ordinating Secretary for Willoughby Motorcycle Club at the time and was responsible for the 6 hour race for a number of years in the late 70s. I have a good collection of photos of the bike in action around Amaroo Park and if you are interested, let me know
David Robards
David, any info and/or photos on JB especially would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
David,
Thank you for taking the time to look in. If you have any photo’s that could be scanned and forwarded on I would appreciate it. The particular bike as I mentioned before, I am interested in, is the winner of the 1978 Castrol 6 Hour. The number 3 ridden by Jim Budd and Roger Heyes. Any shot would be appreciated you could forward them onto me at dada@atlas.co.uk
Many Thanks in anticipation.
Regards
Gary
Hi there! I have been looking for any footage of that first 6 hour race- my father Geoff Lucas raced in the first 3 races but had poll position on the first one.We have a few pics including the start but no vision- I remember as a 3 or 4 year old seeing on tv so maybe it’s out there somewhere?? Thanks
Cheers
Mark
Cheers Mark
Hi Mark, unfortunately, I can’t help on the six hour tape front, but I would be interested to know if your dad ever raced an Aermacchi? I once owned and raced a ’67 short stroke 250 that was allegedly one raced by Geoff. Any info would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Russell
Saw your Dad Race at Oran Park,Amaroo and Bathurst from 69 to 74, he Rode a Triumph Engined Norton (Triton) was one of Australias Greatest Road Racers. When Agostini came out around 71 i think i remember the Unlimited A Race,Ago chased by Bryan Hindle,then Ron Toombs and Geoff Lucas right up their clacker,wasnt 40 metres between them and Geoff only on highly Modified Street Bike. Ago on the M.V. Agusta,Hindle on a Works Yammy,Toombs on his old Matcho then Geoff, he was in fine company,great memories you must be very proud of his achievments.
Cheers Bob
i just spent the weekend with Niel Chivas and Eric Soutens and Phil Jackson at moto gp 2012…. what a cool bunch of guys….. also had the privilige of knowing Alan Hales
i remember the races with Hiscock, Dowson and Cambell from about 1980 and the 1984 race with the rz 500…. at the time i was only 10 …. 32 years later i own a rz 500
good times…
Aaron