Speedway Glory Days

When the final design was decided upon we set about applying the brand to infographic panels, advertisements and electronic media. The Claremont Council, in concert with the Claremont museum, had collected a treasure trove of photos, ephemera and artefacts for us to weave stories around, including actual vintage Speedways cars, motorbikes and uniforms.

The display space allocated to the exhibition was compact so we had to be precise when populating the available panels and walls to maximise impact whilst still being clear in our communication.

It was truly enlightening to discover just how popular the speedway was to Perth's former generations and what an important role it played in entertainment and putting Perth on the national and international speedway stages.

The legendary men, and women daredevils who delighted the crowds made for excellent material to create informative graphic panels and 3D displays around. It was a dangerous pursuit with plenty of speedway spills and dramas every time the wheels started turning. The gladiatorial style spectacle went on for many years spanning from 1927 to 2000, involving multiple generations of families in some cases.

Many older community members we encountered along the way vividly remembered the thrill of the speedway roar and the massive social environment it provided in the town. It was a popular place to take your date and apparently many marriages began trackside.

A 93 year old gentleman we met during the production told us stories of the men, women and machines, how he rode with some of the greats, making us jealous that we never experienced the great speedway phenomenon first hand.

The wild machines no longer slide around the dirt track but we are proud to have been able to contribute to the preservation of this classic era of West Australian sporting history.