GRENVILLE ANDERSON MADE LISMORE SPEEDWAY WHAT IT IS TODAY
Grenville Anderson IS Lismore Speedway.
Is and always WILL BE Lismore Speedway.
A Lismore Speedway icon.
A man who will never be forgotten.
A man loved and admired by all who witnessed his peeress performances on the track.
A man who was very special with incredible driving skills.
A man who made such a lasting impression at Lismore.
A man spoken of in such high esteem.
No other Lismore driver possessed such an impressive state, national title and major open sedan event winning record.
His passing in 2004 was not only one of the saddest days in Lismore and Australian speedway history, but his death signalled the end of a dynasty.
The final chapter was written and book closed on this remarkable man whose Lismore track deeds are legendary, typified by his induction into in the Speedway Australia Hall of Fame.
There are many who say Grenville Anderson put Lismore Speedway on the map and that’s a pretty damn good call. He was colour, excitement, personality-plus, super talented behind the wheel – and, above all, a bloody decent bloke who was taken from us way too early.
Former Lismore Speedway promoter and car owner Peter Croke has so many fond memories of Grenville Anderson. As a car owner-driver team combination, they were the best in the business.
Almost unbeatable.
The opposition believed they WERE unbeatable approaching every race meeting the duo entered.
“He was an absolutely unbelievably brilliant driver and a gentleman,” Croke, 76, said recently.
“He had natural talent and ability that I have not seen in another driver. Prior to the running of the first East Coast Grand National at Lismore, nobody had heard much of the Andersons (Grenville and his brother Adrian). But that drive by Grenville in the 75 lapper was something that I had never seen in my life. (see Howard Atkinson’s story elsewhere).
“I was mesmerized that night and it was that evening that I purchased the car and later took on Grenville as the driver. Just after that East Coast Grand National we went to Rockhampton and won there.
There was wonderful camaraderie between Grenville and Peter. (See Peter Croke article elsewhere).
Success bred success and they turned their racing into a business because Grenville also was in demand for the big shows away from Lismore, too.
“I did the business side of things I guess you could say and I kind of managed Grenville and his racing schedule.
“I could not believe that I had met such a talented person. He was just an incredibly decent person, but his talent was something else. He just did his own thing on the track.
“We had Bill Mann doing the engine. Bill knew Grenville before I did and they were pretty good friends and that was how I got to know Bill Mann. Bill’s a good guy and an extremely knowledgeable man.”
Peter Croke says he will never forget that time in his life with Grenville Anderson. “They were the best years of my life. We had more fun in those six or seven years than any other time in my life.”
The fans loved Grenville Anderson and his admirers were many – the legion of admirers also included visiting American competitors.
“Some of the American drivers commented to me he was a freak and unique talent,” Croke recalled.
Widely regarded as the greatest sedan driver in Australian Speedway history, Grenville Anderson completed his final lap in life, passing away peacefully on May 31, 2004 as a result of injuries he received in a crash years earlier.
The reverence with which Anderson is held among the Sedan fraternity is unsurpassed in any other form of modern day speedway competition in this country. The time immediately following the accident at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway in the early 90s that initially almost claimed Anderson’s life saw an outpouring of emotion not seen in this sport since the Sydney Speedcar fatality of the legendary Jeff Freeman on May 9, 1965 – such was the hold that Grenville Anderson had on those in speedway.
Growing up in the New England region of New South Wales, Anderson began his illustrious career in the mid 1970s with a Torana XU-1. Soon after his competition debut, he started winning – and the big ticket items that were the special events to chase, Grenville ticked all the boxes in the winner’s column!
Anderson had arrived.
It was soon after that Peter Croke stood on the spectator terraces at Lismore Speedway and watched the young Grenville compete against a top field of Super Sedan competitors from Brisbane and Newcastle.
Croke commented to East Coast Speedway Monthly magazine in 1981:“He absolutely destroyed them. Grenville did things that I had never witnessed before. I decided I had to have that car!”
Croke completed negotiations with Grenville’s father (not actually meeting the younger Anderson at that time), before racing with moderate success himself. It was soon after one of the finest sedan oval track racing partnerships commenced.
When Croke purchased the XU-1 Torana, it was like a long term plan put into operation and the purchase was the first step.
His choice of driver was obvious – Grenville, of course, and a potent driver-owner combination was immediately established.
In February, 1975, Croke met Grenville, an agreement was formed and some eleven months later, Anderson entered his first National Sedan Championship and won on debut at Adelaide’s Rowley Park Speedway in front of Peter Timberlake and David House.
His next two national title wins came in 1978 and 1980 in Perth and Darwin respectively.
Anderson’s failures in title finals were almost as exciting as his wins.
In 1980 he finished second after being sent to the rear of field for an infringement. In 1977 he incurred the chief steward’s wrath twice and still managed a fourth, while in 1981 his car finished upside down in front of the judges box. “We were looking good at the time, too,” Anderson later said.
Grenville’s brother Adrian was rated by Grenville as his toughest challenger.
It was soon after his third title win that Grenville made the decision to retire. Anderson had more title wins than anyone else in Australian speedway sedan racing history.
Some years later, the three time Champion was coaxed back behind the wheel for another tilt at the title in 1992 at Adelaide’s Speedway City.
Anderson was infinitely faster than the remainder of the field and had established such a points advantage, he would start on the pole regardless of whether he competed in his final heat or not. Ever the racer, Anderson competed in the final heat and as only Murphy’s Law would have it, crashed. Unfortunately, the damage was severe enough that he was unable to start the final, ending the fairy tale comeback.
The following season was a different story.
Down in Tasmania with the cream of Australia’s Super Sedan crop in attendance, Anderson was once again supremely fast.
This time, however, there was no accident in the final heat and he took an emphatic Australian Championship victory at Latrobe Speedway from Allan Baker and Ron Pyne, completing a New South Wales trifecta.
Grenville Anderson became a four time Australian Sedan Champion and set a record that has stood the test of time.
Not long after Grenville cemented himself into the history books as the greatest sedan driver of all time, his career took a tragic turn. During hot laps at the Brisbane International Speedway (Archerfield Speedway), Anderson lost control on the back straightaway, riding the wall, before rolling heavily.
The accident was one of the worst in Australian Speedway Sedan history and rendered the legend virtually incapacitated.
The spread of emotion by competitors and fans alike throughout the nation was overwhelming and everyone in Australian Speedway was shocked to learn one of the sport’s legends had his career viciously terminated at a time when he was at his best.
Sadly, Grenville’s injuries prevented him from attending the racetrack, nevertheless, his presence remained strong in the following years since he turned a wheel for the last time that fateful night in Brisbane.
Grenville Anderson has left an indelible mark in this sport in Australia. His star was extinguished when it was at its brightest.
Monday, May 31, 2004, represents one of the darkest days in Australian Speedway, when Grenville’s star that shone so vividly became a lasting legacy as the most prominent in our sky.
If Australian Speedway adopted the Rugby League approach for honouring its legends, Grenville Anderson would be the ultimate immortal.
However, he has found a very special place in Speedway Australia’s Hall of Fame which is befitting this man we will always remember as definitely one of the greatest if not THE GREATEST speedway sedan drivers of all time.
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