Motordrome (Melbourne)
| Former names | Olympic Park Speedway, Melbourne Speedway, Victorian Speedway |
|---|---|
| Location | Olympic Park, Batman Avenue, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°49′29″S 144°58′52″E / 37.82472°S 144.98111°ECoordinates: 37°49′29″S 144°58′52″E / 37.82472°S 144.98111°E |
| Owner | Melbourne Carnivals Pty Ltd |
| Capacity | 15 000 for football, 32 000 for racing. |
| Surface | Grass (oval)/Concrete (raceway) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1924 |
| Closed | 1951 |
| Demolished | 1951 |
The Motordrome, also known as the Olympic Park Speedway, the Melbourne Speedway or the Victorian Speedway, was a former speedway and Australian rules football ground located on the site of Olympic Park in Melbourne, Victoria. The ground was primarily a speedway track, but also hosted football matches.
Melbourne Carnivals Pty. Ltd, a company established in 1923 by Jack Campbell and Jim DuFrocq, developed and leased a large site known as the Amateur Sports Ground from the Crown with the help of local entrepreneur John Wren. On the site, the Motordrome was constructed. The stadium contained a grassed oval suitable for football, set inside a saucer-shaped concrete oval track suitable for motor racing; the track was a third of a mile long and banked at a 46° angle. Although Melbourne Carnivals originally had visions for the stadium to accommodate 100,000 spectators, it was ultimately built to accommodate around 32,000. The Motordrome was opened on 29 November 1924, and 32,000 spectators attended the inaugural race meeting.
In 1933, the ageing concrete surface of the motor racing track was no longer suitable for the higher powered vehicles which used it, so it was demolished and replaced with a dirt track which continued to be used for motor racing. In the same year, the Amateur Sports Ground was renamed Olympic Park, and the name was generally used for both the former Motordrome stadium, and the wider park in which it was situated. The name change had no connection to the Olympic Games – Melbourne was not selected as the host of the 1956 Summer Olympics until 1949 – and rather was chosen because the former name 'Amateur Sports Ground' no longer reflected the class and type of sport which was now played on the grounds.
The complex was sold after the Second World War and began to be converted into the Olympic Park Stadium used during the 1956 Olympics.
During the time of the Great Depression the ground regularly drew in crowds of more than 30,000 to watch speedway, motorcycle and sidecar racing. It is generally acknowledged that the first Speedcar race in Australia took place at the speedway in 1934.
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