The Roaring Season

by **Roger Dowding** » Thu Oct 10, 2024 2:51 am

The New Zealand TT moved from Waiheke - 1931 to 1950 to Seagrove Airfield.
Some details have already been posted on here.

In the NSCC thread has been photos of Car Racing.

Here the Airfield - aerial view.

The TT Track outlined over the Airforce Map with notes by : " jellywrestler " aka Graeme Staples.
Cars only used the Runways but the Bikes used other parts of the area.

by **jellywrestler** » Wed Nov 15, 2023 9:22 pm

Oldfart wrote:JW, a quote from you 14th Oct "There was also road races held at Seagrove prior to this meeting too." Were these held on the roads at Seagrove, or on the airfield? What qualifies as "Road Races", I visited a number of the Northern Ireland road venues apart from being insane, they have to be on roads, not constructed circuits

In NZ we have rule books for road racing and other classes, it's about the style of bike rather than venues. Seagrove did some racing on the airstrip and some including the NZTT on a combination of the airfield and the roads at the facility. In my book New Zealand Motorcycle Road Racing Circuits I covered Airfeild, closed circuits, street circuits (like cemetery circuits 1 mile downtown) and road races, like pateas 10 mile 16 km circuit. I've covered 160 venues inc variations of them in nz, for the airfield ones i only covered one version at each venue, as the layout was often a fixed route yet corners varied due to traffic cone placemnet on wide open spaces effectively giving them endless options. hope that claifies things?

by **GregT** » Wed Nov 15, 2023 7:04 pm

The "Road race" term I assume came about to differentiate between scrambles/Motocross on a soft surface and races held on a hard formed surface.
"Scrambles" held on rough ground were certainly run here well before WW2. My father talked of riding in them as well as Hillclimbing around the Canterbury area

In Europe and the USA of course there were "Track" races on banked tracks like Brooklands and the board tracks. If you want to get awkward about it, I've seen the racing at some Uk circuits prewar described as "Path racing"

It can be a bit of a minefield..

by **Oldfart** » Wed Nov 15, 2023 7:41 am

Thanks GregT. I suspect that may be why there can be a level of confusion, as for the last 6 decades I have assumed a "road race" to be on roads, not circuits.

by **GregT** » Tue Nov 14, 2023 11:22 pm

In the motorcycling world a roadrace circuit has a formed surface and has both left and right hand turns. Historically the surface can be almost anything from rolled and oiled dirt to modern hotmix. But it's as smooth as possible.
It's quite distict from a motocross cicuit which should have a "natural" surface - albeit often roughly graded.Usually including jumps.
The Irish "real roads" circuits these days are an anomaly. I think Ireland and NZ probably have more surviving than anywhere else. sadly I suspect their days are numbered.
Spyda knows more about the Seagrove setup than me,

by **Oldfart** » Tue Nov 14, 2023 5:51 pm

JW, a quote from you 14th Oct "There was also road races held at Seagrove prior to this meeting too." Were these held on the roads at Seagrove, or on the airfield? What qualifies as "Road Races", I visited a number of the Northern Ireland road venues apart from being insane, they have to be on roads, not constructed circuits

by **jellywrestler** » Tue Nov 14, 2023 9:07 am

seeing things that may not be correct on a forum and noting them often either brings out the correct details, or disproves the person who says something, they are great things for searching further. I'd love to post more piccies here but i have not eaily mastered dropping picture quality so low, must spend some time on that as i have so much stuff to post. Busy busy these days too
I travelled south a couple of months ago and spent $2k on programmes, that was what i offered, i now have 27 odd page list of what i have and there's oodles of stuff in them.
great info about blanford park, i have read a bit on it

by **Roger Dowding** » Tue Nov 14, 2023 2:17 am

jellywrestler wrote:fantastic set of piccies, not sure whether D hennings speedway 1926 is correct, The facility wasn't opened till 1929. I recently was given 5 late 1920's early 30's grasstrack programmes from takapuna and kensington park and Len Coulthards name is there a few times

" jw ", I do not know, just what was in the article - well the notes with the photos ;

- Blandford Park, however I do remember as used to be taken there as a Youngster to watch the Soccer Matches, especially if Grafton was playing, as my Dad had played Senior Team Soccer for them in the late 1930's into the 1940 Season.
This was before he left to join the " Fleet Air Arm " on the ill-fated " Rangitane " Voyage in November 1940 - sunk by a German Raider the " Orion " off the Coast of New Zealand.

Had read about Motorcycle Racing at Takapuna, but never seen pictures

by **jellywrestler** » Mon Nov 13, 2023 7:57 am

fantastic set of piccies, not sure whther D hennings speedway 1926 is correct, The facility wasn't opened till 1929. I recently was given 5 late 1920's early 30's grasstrack programmes from takapuna and kensington park and Len Coulthards name is there a few times

by **Roger Dowding** » Mon Nov 13, 2023 5:28 am

A Montage of photos from the archives of Hec Cole - posted in the November 2022 NZ Memories Magazine.

They show Hec and a fellow Motorcycle Courier in 1940 - in WW2, Photo A

Events around Auckland in the 1920's including Motorcycle Football at Blandford Park in Grafton - now part of the Grafton Motorway section.

Photo B is the start of a run to Beachlands from Greenlane in 1925,
Photo C - middle Top - A Days outing from Remuera
Photos D -set of 3 - middle Motorcycle Football at Blandford Park top and bottom and Hennings in 1926
Photos E Len Coulthard at a Hill Climb in Mt Roskill 1926 and on a track
Photos F - a pair Racing at Takapuna 1920's and in 1935.

by **jellywrestler** » Sun Oct 15, 2023 8:11 pm

Oldfart wrote:It does say in the commentary that "it's the first road race in the North Island where the roads have been specially closed for the race".
100 miles, 100 entrants!!!!!

1st motorcycle only event 1933 Orakei was car and bike

by **bry3500** » Sun Oct 15, 2023 8:50 am

Oldfart wrote:It does say in the commentary that "it's the first road race in the North Island where the roads have been specially closed for the race".
100 miles, 100 entrants!!!!!

The plot thickens

by **Oldfart** » Sun Oct 15, 2023 8:48 am

It does say in the commentary that "it's the first road race in the North Island where the roads have been specially closed for the race".
100 miles, 100 entrants!!!!!

by **jellywrestler** » Sat Oct 14, 2023 10:03 am

Roger Dowding wrote:Bry3500,
- They can't claim the " First North Island Road Race " unless they mean Mainland North Island NZ ..
maybe they meant " First North Inland Road Race "

Just thinking.

there was a motorcycle class at the 1933 Orakei street races too, to be fair magazines were spasmodic in those days and people didn't now what had gone on elsewhere often, we didn't have these forums to discuss things, There was also road races held at Seagrove prior to this meeting too.
There was a race in Brunswick near wanganui labour weekend 1948, I scored a programme for that meeting two weeks ago, but that followed the 1948 hamilton 100 too.

by **Roger Dowding** » Sat Oct 14, 2023 4:26 am

Bry3500,
- They can't claim the " First North Island Road Race " unless they mean Mainland North Island NZ ..
maybe they meant " First North Inland Road Race "

Just thinking.

by **bry3500** » Sat Oct 14, 2023 12:03 am

[video=youtube;gAJsSmpUn7I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAJsSmpUn7I&list=WL&index=4&ab_channel=McLarenArchive[/video]

by **jellywrestler** » Tue Oct 10, 2023 1:00 am

Milan Fistonic wrote: January 1, 1950 was a Sunday, which could be why there was no racing that day.

it was fine to race on a sunday, but they couldn't pay prize money hence mondayising it a few cemetery circuits were 27th dec not boxing day

by **jellywrestler** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 9:23 am

The minute size of the piccies needed o here is a headache, I should find a quick easy way to resize as right now i seem to have to do it in several steps. Must try harder.

The first race was june 1931, emulating the IOMTT on an island etc. It ws very creditable but apart from some races at hennings speedway loosely under the road racing format there had been no other road races in nz and certainly no lead up to either test the endurance and abilities of the competitors, or the popularity. All this in winter, in a depression.
By 1932 it was in January, in summer so common sense prevailed.

later, post war as Roger had said they ran two races, a Junior for up to 350cc macines usually new years eve, and a Senior for 500cc early in the new year, jan 1 or 2nd, they mondayised meetings where possible as it wasn't against the law to race but it was against the law to pay prize money. I have many duplicate NZTT programmes from Waiheke Island, Seagrove, Mangere and pukekohe park available and many CUT NZGP spares too if anyone is after copies

by **Roger Dowding** » Mon Sep 11, 2023 5:22 am

Very confused now - these two images .. should have read closely **
posted on page one. a very poor quality image which has been enlarged.

Image from " jellywrestler ", posted on the " Historic Waiheke - Facebook page.

If the events started in 1931 - should be the Fourth TT, not the Fifth,
Did they hold two events in the same year ?? .

**
.- yes they did the Fourth on 29th January 1934 and he Fifth on 29th December 1934.
Later they ran a Senior and Junior TT over two different days ..

by **Roger Dowding** » Sun Sep 10, 2023 4:56 am

Programme Covers from a couple of the early events 1932 and 1936.

From Graeme " jellywrestler " Staples collection.

Graeme is looking for any programmes and other items on the TT Races held originally on Waiheke Island from 1931 ..

The Roaring Season

New Zealand Tourist Trophy and other NZ Motorcycle Races

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