Eureka Speedway Stadium was located about ten miles south of Lusaka and was basically an oval track with a compacted dirt (laterite) surface.

In 1967 I was employed as truck mechanic working on Canadian Kenworth fuel tankers for Smith & Youngson on the Hell Run* and myself and some of the other mechanics had volunteered one Sunday to cut down some of the tall elephant grass which had grown in the centre of the track.

We fitted a short length of chain to the PTO (Power Take Off) of a tractor and this was used to flail the grass into submission.

Once all of the grass was cut, I strolled across the middle of the circuit  back to our Toyota Pickup**  parked on the opposite side.

There were still large clumps of grass still lying around as I casually meandered my way, only to stop suddenly by the sound of a very loud hiss.

I had nearly stepped on a Gaboon Viper and this is how to this very day I still hold the lap record at Eureka - RUNNING.

* The Hell Run was a 1,200 mile dirt road stretching from Kapiri Mposhi to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and was the main route to bring fuel into Zambia after the border with Rhodesia was closed due to UDI being declared by Mr Ian Smith.

** Bakkie in local parlance.