The Roaring Season

Steve Holmes wrote:Interesting to see one of the Brock M3s from the 1988 season. Were these not the JPS cars from 1987?

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Yes, you are correct Steve. I owned this car for 9 years. It was built especially for the World Touring Car round at Bathurst in 87. Jim Richards came 4th in it. I think that it was Jim's car for the 88 season, it certainly wasn't Brocky's. The team ran 3 cars late in the season, with Neil Crompton getting his first drive in the big time. At the end of the season 2 cars were sold to Peter Doulman (this one) and to John Cotter. They ran as a team, and this car won it's class at Bathurst in 89. When Super tourers were started, Peter Doulman converted the car to 2 litre (with a crank and rods made right here in Christchurch by Bob Densom @ Denco Engineering) and won the Super Tourer Championship in it. After one more season, Doulman retired, and Justin Matthews purchased it and ran again in Super Tourers. Homogation ran out in 96, and I purchased it in Feb 97 and bought it back to Christchurch still in Faber Castell colours. With so many JPS cars around at that stage (1 M3 and 2 325's in Chch alone) I decided to paint it in Mobil colours in 2005. I sold it back to Jim Richards in 2006, just a couple of months before Brocky was killed.
M3's are the most incredible car to drive. They make the most average driver feel like a World Champion. It is not possible to just go out and cruise, they just call out to be driven hard. I really enjoyed my time with that car.
Pete Blomfield

Interesting to see one of the Brock M3s from the 1988 season. Were these not the JPS cars from 1987?

Don't be too dis heartened by the "shambles" for Historic racing in NZ.
Look at exactly what you have there
1 3 million people and how many race licences holders there then compare to Oz 20 million UK 65 million EEC 733 million USA 315 million so based on a pure percentage say 1% of population have a race licence you are going to struggle with Motor sport
Throw in the various categories circuit race rally speedway numbers fall away

2 Within circuit racing there are 3 splits saloons single seaters and sports cars and they split into road going based and prototype
Then you have modern and historic within these splits

3 UK EEC & USA have had historic racing for over 30 years and they all started from humble beginnings
Oz is catching and they are a far richer nation than NZ so look at what you guys have done in say the past 10 years and you have a superb set up considering.
IMHO we have too much historic meetings in UK EEC with some pretty dumb clashes of dates at times and split categories "stealing" entries form each other.
Im afraid it all comes down to money
IF NZ can get some good funding to cover freight costs to invite cars drivers from UK EEC USA to January festival weekends then you will be able to grow quickly.
Ideally you need a theme every year just like Goodwood do for FoS usually a marque or era of car or category i.e. Porsche or 1950-60s cars or F1 or can am /Gp 6 3 & 2 litre sports cars.
However you do need to keep the local historic fraternity involved with F5000 FFord saloon cars of yester year.
The big plus for you is its winter up here and n racing so it will not be difficult to invite 10 F1 cars from UK EEC 10 from USA on year to have a grid of cars
I would throw in every year and odd "modern" category like F Holden F Atlantic for 85-2000 to draw out some different cars and would it be viable to include some demo runs of drivers from the past in the original cars they raced in period
What is the gate charge? is it too high deterring "the casual viewer"
In theory the race enter fee covers the circuit hire and spectator gate money could subsidise the freight fee for invited cars.
It will not be difficult to get Ozzie cars over
What government grant in the name of promoting tourism is there?
What about a freight company being involved for discount shipping and an air line for special price tickets to encourage people to come to see the racing and driver family/ team personal to fly in.
Throw in local company sponsorship for races and then some good media coverage in the press and TV it will work

Main thing is to remember that you are a small nation and can only do so much and maybe keeping it 'tight" is better than trying to run a big fancy loss making festival and actually have a festival that overseas people say I want to go there every 2 years and local racers prepare car for every year as the NON NEGOTIABLE event to contest.

Beedub wrote:It is truly a great meeting, really good access and lots going on around the track too. It is my NOT NEGOTIABLE meeting of the year. As an expat Timaruvian living in Melbourne I have loved the discussions on this website.....would love to catch up with some of you at Philip Island 2015... Bryan W

So true Bryan, i've been twice and its up there with anything i've seen in the USA, may come back for 15 if life doesn't get in the way? Our equivalent is the Festival of Motor Racing at Hampton Downs every Jan but we still have a "long way to go" before we have any proper historic meetings in this country, its a shambles at the moment!!

Dale M

It is truly a great meeting, really good access and lots going on around the track too. It is my NOT NEGOTIABLE meeting of the year. As an expat Timaruvian living in Melbourne I have loved the discussions on this website.....would love to catch up with some of you at Philip Island 2015... Bryan W

Interesting to see an increase in early V8 Supercars now appearing in historic events.

Go onto the http://www.vhrr.com website. There is a list of contacts. They will be able to point you in the right direction. They are extremely helpful and accomodating. It is an event not to be missed.
Grelley

Steve Holmes wrote:Great idea! How do we do this?

Well, I'll approach the organisers closer to the time, and we'll see how we progress from there!

All these images are just getting me more enthused to get to the next one!!!

Bondy wrote:Justin McClintock in the Galloway (his father raced this in the 80s) ahead of Jim Doig in the Motorlab ASP. Jim has owned this car since 1973 and i think has only missed one SA Australian Race Meeting as he was overseas at the time. It would easily be the most raced driver car combo in Australia. Still driven very quickly

Thanks Bondy, that is cool!