The Roaring Season

Finn "Alan Findlayson" made it over from Aussie for the funeral service, its been about 15 years since I last saw him. Introduced him to Terry Marshall.

[quote="markec"]Many of you wont realise that the RX7 was a USA sourced car, acquired by Bob Slade who packaged it up and sent it over from California. John built the car up from scratch as it was ex road car body shell when he received it. It was always left steer, at the time there were very few on NZ's roads.[/quote]

I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing. I always loved that car.

What a wonderful photo...just pure, natural enthusiasm.

[attachment=0]Ozzo with Finn.jpg[/attachment]

Leo Leonard was present at the service, you could have had many memories tpo share with him. He's still alive and well in Timaru, still gets the overalls on each day.

The 300z was originally used as a Targa car, it did 2 Targa's before being semi retired to Classic racing. Devopement was still being done through to 2015.

Many of you wont realise that the RX7 was a USA sourced car, acquired by Bob Slade who packaged it up and sent it over from California. John built the car up from scratch as it was ex road car body shell when he received it. It was always left steer, at the time there were very few on NZ's roads.

Jacmac, the Escort shell is in safe hands in Ch Ch,it sits along side the Ron McPhail one.

A service for Ozzo was held in Christchurch on the 31st December at 2.00pm. A large gathering of many of his old freinds and asociate"s
were present in large numbers including some from the north Isalnd along with Finn ( Alan Finlayson ) who came over from Aussie.As John was originally from Dunedin, most of his family from there were present, 2 nephews were pall bearers along with son Tim,Denis Chapman, Scott O'Donnell and a cousin.Speakers were, Denis Chapman, Keith Cowan, Neice, Jessica and a personel account of having grown up with his father from Tim Osborne, Johns son.
A very special service for a very special person.
I spoke with Debbie Chapman, who along with Denis and Scott O'Donnell from the H W Richardson Group from Invercargill with others, are Trustee's of "ProactiveDrive", Debbie said they would be looking for a suitable candidate to carry on John's Dream.

[color="#0000CD"]Always wondered what happened to the Escort, pretty sure he traded it on the Camaro when he bought it off Lawrie Bruce, then it went to Agnew.

List of cars as I remember was Mini, Escort, Camaro, Ex Halliday Capri V8, Ex Fahey Capri V8, Mazda RX7 V8, and of late the 300zx in SFOS & Club/classic events, probably more..[/color]

I think a photographer was injured in that incident too, looks like someone being attended to in the foreground between the fence and John's car. Hell of a crash, that corner has seen some memorable wrecks!

Thankfully, several of Johns old race cars still exist, including the RX7, despite its famous Pukekohe accident:

[video=youtube;TMaOgZ08EF8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMaOgZ08EF8&feature=youtu.be[/video]

John’s funeral service will be held at 2.00pm December 31 Thursday at the Wairakei Road Lamb and Heywood Chapel, airport end.

Oh hell, that was quick. Sad news. Rest well old warrior and thanks for all the memories. Condolences to family and friends.....

My early childhood memories are bought back to me today, thinking of going to the track with my dad and Watching John and My Dad and Trevor Crowe and many other locals race. I still remember him up at the fence to our Garage area at surfers paradise race when I was working for one of the Indy car teams and the big smile he had on his face and how thrilled he was for me. I kept in contact with him in recent years through emails and a few visits in Australia and N.Z. I am very saddened by the news. John was a legend, a great Guy and a true racer, he will be missed by all of us that knew him

Oh man, so sad to hear this. Oz was my second ever motorsport hero. My first was Leo Leonard in the PDL Mustang II when I saw him racing at Manfeild in 1979, when I was 8 years old. John Osborne became my second motorsport hero in 1981, again at Manfeild when I saw him hustling that mighty metallic blue Chevy Camaro. Up against of sea of faster V8 powered Capri's including those of Wayne Huxford and Inky Tulloch, Osborne was epic. He drove the wheels off that car, and it took my breath away.

The Camaro was rough around the edges, Osborne was happy to use the bumper, and that car had so much character, and Osborne was a warrior.

Ozzy would eventually join the Capri ranks, and he was just as spectacular in those cars, but my greatest memories of him were in that tough old Camaro.

It was more than two decades later before I got to see the Camaro again, by now owned by Tony Boyden. I wrote a story on the car for NZ Classic Car mag, and I got to interview John Osborne, and he was just as rugged and direct as I was expecting.

We don't have heroes like this anymore; drivers of true grit with larger than life personalities, and massive characters that shine through. This is a sad loss.

RIP Ozzy, and thanks for the memories.

Most of us who were around when John ran the RX7 V8 will remember that terrible crash at the end of the front straight at Puke where he hit the inside fence and one of the posts came up through the floor and did a lot of damage to one of his legs.
A week or so later Rob Ward and I drove up from Tauranga to visit him in Middlemore hospital to check on his progress. John complained that the rescue team had cut his overalls off to work on his injuries and asked if we could make him a new driver suit ( we were supplying some of his safety gear back then). I suggested we should wait until we knew for sure that he wasn't going to lose his leg, otherwise it would save us some money to make a new suit with just one leg. Apparently the nurses down the corridors from his ward could hear John's very colorful, loud and detailed response! RIP John.

Great stories! Love these tales about larger than life characters.

RiP

[quote="Rod Grimwood"]John Osborne (OZ) passed on to the big motorsport club and race track in the sky yesterday. This is becoming a very elite club.
OZ ran a great race right down to the last lap, which was his longest of all, but he was still a winner.

This will leave a very big gap in a lot of peoples lifes and NZ Motorsport, especially in the South Island. To all who have been so lucky to have been involved with John or have just spent many weekends watching him do his trade behind the wheel of very wild and fast cars over the years, remember those times and also the other people he raced with who are also not with us anymore, they will be reorganizing the grid order at the race track in the sky.

To Andrea, Tim and family, our thoughts and love are with you at this very sad time.

JOHN OSBORNE (OZ) RIP[/quote]
Sad day for nz motorsport.i remember some of the great battles that he had in osca at levels,always a man to be feared,a crowd favourite,no bullshit guy.i remember him well,as a kid at levels,i was leaning on his rx7,having a look inside it,i guess i was about ten or so,when he told me to 'get off,youll effing scratch it'.another memory was wen he took too much of the inside ripple strip,going through the esses at the end nf the front straight,and punctured his sump,he came roaring bak into the pit lane amid clouds of smoke,jumped out of the car,everyone keeping there distance ,except gerald mckissock,who was trying to give johna roasting for his entry bak into the pit lane,after the race john,ciggie a blazing started walking out on the track,with gerald,and some of his crew in tow,all keeping there distance as ozzo walked up to the offending ripple strip,the crowd was going nuts as ozzo was pointing and raving on to gerald about the height of it.on the walk back to pits,he was flicking the bird to some spectators.does anyone else remember this.entertainment plus!.r.i.p johnno..a real character in nz motorsport

John Osborne (OZZO) passed on to the big motorsport club and race track in the sky yesterday. This is becoming a very elite club.
OZ ran a great race right down to the last lap, which was his longest of all, but he was still a winner.

This will leave a very big gap in a lot of peoples lifes and NZ Motorsport, especially in the South Island. To all who have been so lucky to have been involved with John or have just spent many weekends watching him do his trade behind the wheel of very wild and fast cars over the years, remember those times and also the other people he raced with who are also not with us anymore, they will be reorganizing the grid order at the race track in the sky.

To Andrea, Tim and family, our thoughts and love are with you at this very sad time.

JOHN OSBORNE (OZ) RIP