This might be a case where, whoever the artist was who did this mural, didn't do enough research.
I came upon it in its formative stages some weeks back, and then spotted that it had been completed, so took a photograph last Friday. This is situated on Great North Road, close to the Housing Corp flats at Tuarangi Road corner, and is quite near to Stadium Road, the access to Western Springs Speedway. You'd think, therefore (I would, for example) that this relates to that particular attraction.
Because I know nothing about speedway at all, but my friends Bill and Barbara Ellis do, I sent the images to them. Their comment?
What was the artist thinking? These are stockcars or production saloons that race at Waikaraka Park Onehunga not at Western Springs. Western Springs has midgets, sprintcars, TQ s etc.
Fair enough comment, I think, when you compare images from Western Spring's Speedway's website to those from Waikaraka.
Hmmmm I vaguely recall as in very vaguely there being stockcar racing at Western Springs. My family used to go but most of it was at Waikaraka. That or it was my vague imagination. But you have a point there.
ReplyDeleteThere is no modern-day stockcar racing at Western Sprihngs, however it is the original home for that class of speedway in Auckland.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.historicspeedway.co.nz/History%20of%20Stockcar%20Racing%20in%20NZ.htm
From your link:
ReplyDelete"In 1961 the final stockcar races were run at Western Springs and activity moved to a new track at Gloucester Park for three short seasons before closing and leaving Auckland drivers with nowhere to race."
So, for the last 50 years, there has not been that kind of speedway racing at the Springs. Again -- I think the artist probably didn't research this too well. Why not have images of the kind of vehicle that does race at Western Springs today? Nothing on the mural points to it portraying the racing in a historic context.