The history of dirtbikes might be relatively short, but it’s no less fascinating – and instead of locking it away in museums, clubs like Heaven VMX bring it to life on the track. Regular vintage motocross meets, like the recent 2025 Picton Cup VMX, give these classic machines a proper run and put the sport’s heritage on full display.
The Picton track, about an hour south of Sydney, is blessed with the kind of terrain that’s tailor-made for natural terrain motocross. This property has previously hosted rounds of the Thumper Nats, Amcross, and even a Red Bull event. Whether by luck or divine design, it’s a spot that seems purpose-built for dirtbikes. Weather conditions on the day were ideal – recent rain left the track tacky and largely dust-free, aside from a few sunbaked patches – and there wasn’t a cloud in sight from horizon to horizon.
Classes were divided by both rider and machine age, with bike categories starting at pre-1970 and stepping up in decade increments through to 2000. There were capacity-based classes for 125cc, 250cc and 500cc machines, along with a dedicated four-stroke class. Rider-age groups ranged from under 40 to 60-plus in 10-year brackets, and there was also a junior class for 12–16-year-olds. In short, there was something for everyone – and with most riders eligible for multiple classes, the schedule was packed and the track busy all day long.
The machines might have been long in the tooth, but most looked like they’d just rolled off the showroom floor – not something you could say about all the riders, although plenty were surprisingly young. Enthusiasm was high across the board, from the main pits to the kids’ Pee Wee track, but once riders lined up on the start line, the mood shifted. Everyone was there to race – and it showed.
The start chute ran across the main track and up a slope, gradually funnelling into a left-hander about halfway through the lap. Each race was around three minutes per lap and ran for three laps, with riders crossing the start chute at 90 degrees. The day ran like clockwork thanks to a dummy grid system, which had the next race ready to go as soon as the last rider cleared the track. The only hiccup came when a rider went down hard and didn’t bounce back up, bringing racing to a temporary halt. We wish him a speedy recovery.
As the day wore on and riders became more familiar with the track, jump heights and distances began to increase – despite fatigue and any reservations about older suspension setups. The track layout cleverly used the natural slopes and gullies to create a rollercoaster-like flow, with wide, open corners and plenty of passing opportunities throughout. Racing was tight and entertaining, with late-braking duels into corners, big roosts on the exit, and the occasional old-school cross-up over the jumps.
The Picton Cup was originally planned as a one-off event, but there’s talk of it evolving into a seven-round series – and judging by the strong turnout of competitors, it’s already showing all the signs of success. If you’ve been thinking about dusting off an old bike in the shed, or making a comeback from racing retirement just for the fun of it, the Heaven VMX Club has exactly the kind of events you’re looking for.
RANDOM RIDERS’ THOUGHTS
MARK BIRKETT
Mark was campaigning a 1973 Husqvarna 400CR, a 1977 Husqvarna 250CR, and a 1982 Honda CR480. He found the track both challenging and exciting, and was very pleased with the overall layout.
MARK TOMKINS
A highlight for Mark was finding himself right on Geoff Ballard’s tail — until GB went down and Mark had to take sudden evasive action to avoid running over him. He described the track as fantastic, adding it was one of the best he’d ever ridden. His garage included a 1983 KX250, a 1986 KX250, and a 1994 KLX250.
VICTORIA MIDDLETON
Victoria thought the track was awesome, saying she’s a big fan of natural-terrain circuits and prefers them over man-made layouts. She was competing on a 1989 CR125 Honda and a 2004 Yamaha YZ250F.
These comments were typical of the riders I spoke to — it’s safe to say Heaven VMX is onto a winner with the Picton Cup concept.
HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN
Heaven has been operating as a vintage motocross club for over 20 years, bringing together like-minded riders to share knowledge, help with restorations, and – most importantly – to use these bikes the way they were meant to be used: on the track.
The club hosts around seven or eight meetings each year, with racing divided by both machine period and rider age. Eligible bikes range up to model year 2004 – anything newer is considered too modern for now.
Alongside classes like Pre-’70 and Pre-’75, there’s the Evolution class for air-cooled, drum-braked bikes with no linkage suspension (yes, mono-shock Yamahas are allowed), and the Revolution class for “hot rod” builds featuring parts from later models.
