New Zealand ShellSport Saloon Series 1978 - 1985

[Rod Grimwood]

Great photos Steve, keep them coming.
Frist car did have FVA to start i believe, it used to scream.

[Howard Wood]

Rod,

I have sent you a pm with Bryce P's contact details.

[Steve Holmes]

Love the pics Steve, really cool!

[Rod Grimwood]

Rod,

I have sent you a pm with Bryce P's contact details.

Cheers

[Steve Emson]

A couple more photos of this car, including the final races of the 75/76 Shellsport Championship. The shot of me going around the outside of Robbie Francevic was the first race. I tried everything to pass him as he was holding me up so that Reg Cook could catch us both. I ended up getting sandwiched between them cutting my tyre valve stems and putting me out. The other photo is the second heat of the final, And that is a very pissed young driver waiting for the two other drivers to try and pass him. I was going slowly, but they wouldn't or couldn't come close to me. It was probably a very good thing that they did in hindsight. I think I had sent a very clear message to them on the dummy grid as to what was going to happen in this race!. No problem, this was a very long time ago and things were different then. I only tell the story to illustrate the intense racing we had that season and how well this little car did against the Quasi 'factory' cars. This was the cars first season and we built it out the back of P&R Motors in a tiny shed. Neville Bailey built it, and Stewart Coutts did the handmade suspension. Graham Hill and I did the fibreglass parts. It always had the engine forward and only had the parts we could buy in it. 2 Shellsport Championships in a row make a great history for the little beast, and then Rex Findlay and many others have had fun in it. It is still racing!!!

[ROTATN]

Seems its a little off topics and perhaps a SS2000 topic would be better suited?

However those that were involved in the early years. Does anyone have pictures etc of the Mark Harrowfield RX-7?

[Rod Grimwood]

Rod,

I have sent you a pm with Bryce P's contact details.

Can you send again Howard as did not recieve it

Cheers

[Howard Wood]

Sent again to your grimmie email address, let me know if it isn't there this time.

[Rod Grimwood]

Steve, after Rex ran the car Glen Jones drove it and was quick. On trailer day it was delivered, then new colour and Glen cleaned up 2Ltr Sports Sedan Championship in it, (bugger dicked me)

[Rod Grimwood]

Couple more and Glen with the spoils this time Auckland Car Club. That was a very good car.

[jim short]

Thats a great shot ,,pretty shure he made the front row in the wet at BP one meet,,,right beside me.. thats way up the other end Rod

[Steve Emson]

Thats a great shot ,,pretty shure he made the front row in the wet at BP one meet,,,right beside me.. thats way up the other end Rod

Great photo's. If that is my old car (which it must be) It continued on its winning way!! Jim, talking about the wet at Baypark. when I raced this car for 2 seasons, we never had any wet tyres, only some old second hand intermediates. One time at Ruapuna, Reg & Robbie beat me in the rain because of this. At Baypark one time in the second season (when it was black- 1977) Reg Cook had done an enormous amount of work on the Cherry. A certain very well known competitor who wanted to see me blitz the Cherry and its driver, lent me his wet tyres off of his F5000.
It was bucketing down all through practice and the lead up to this meeting. Mud everywhere. I was entered in all 3 classes. 0-1300,0-4200,0-6000cc of the Shellsport Championship races. I went out and never wanted to come back in! They kept hanging out the pit 'in' board. The result was the car was on pole for every class the next day. This is against the very best cars in NZ at the time; 3 poles in one day- what a car! As a post script it was dry for raceday and i thought it prudent to not start from pole in the 0-6000 race. That might have been suicide as I was not known for my great starts.The 0-6000 boys were playing for keeps and sheep stations.

[Rod Grimwood]

So right Steve, a set of wets makes/made a big difference, remember similar with you at BP it was wet and I had just been doing normal in practice. let air out of old slicks with some grooves (useless). Got hold of some slightly worn wet fronts from Steve Millen/Pacific and mate did that shake a couple up when we took off from arse of field on race day. Steve, the best thing i think was us smaller guys dropped about 1 to 2 seconds in wet and the big boys dropped 4 or more, Ah the wet loved it.
Also Jim, in handicap races back then you would have been off front.

[jim short]

You know Rod even the folk standing close to the startline thought the same thing but I must admitt when first in this car it would bog down bad time and again.there was a hillclimd out of Tokoroa Jackson French? and Rotorua mates came over Jackson had Crowes Starlet {there was some debate about running on slicks }the car at that stage ran on what came with it fron UK so not that flash,up to the last run Kershure?? {I think that was his name in a Datsun?? } how is it posible to loose thirty seven copys of the results anyhow we were on the same time in front, this time it just jumped away and he was standing watching as during a delay had returned to the start, He walked away saying its all over unfortunatly the start was so good the timekeeper forgot to push the button, so we deadheated,,Now BP was the same from the third row drop the clutch at 6000 and be in front by the back straight!!!! Back to Glen prety sure that race in the wet it was Huxford,Glen and no 5 of the front!

[Steve Emson]

The little coupe did 63's (1m 03) around Baypark in the dry.They did send me out in the rain once on slicks. S*%$ that was exciting......huge 5th gear slides down the back straight. It would crank itself sideways and you would get off the throttle, put almost full opposite lock on and wait..............all you heard was SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUSH as you waited for the wheels to bite. My Historic Falcon GTHO here in Queensland used to do it also in the rain in top gear everytime you got on the throttle. It always won in the rain fortunately.
Actually, come to think of it, I love driving in the rain.
For those of you that think we are off topic, sorry. The photos of the coupe are immediately before 1978 and the car then raced through that period. I thought it may have some relevance because of that.

[kiwi285]

Steve, I have sent you a PM

[Rod Grimwood]

Any good old memories are good to read Steve. One normally leads to another. Any way that car was the bees nees, it was quick all its life. Yea slicks in the wet fun!! i think it is in the Escort thread from awhile back some photos of BP wet on slicks.

[tweaks]

Hi Guys ,

This is a great little tread and I have just been over it again from the start.....great cars and drivers from the era but what about other makes and other drivers ( also rans ) , Mitsibushi , Honda ,VW ect... did anyone else try to give it a go ?
I left the shores in 73 and missed out on all of this .

Cheers

Lynds

[Steve Holmes]

Bill Leckie ran a Mitsi Lancer, there was at least one Toyota Starlet, plus a Honda Civic I? Seemed to be predominantly Datsuns and Escorts though.

[Lurker]

Bill Leckie ran a Mitsi Lancer, there was at least one Toyota Starlet, plus a Honda Civic I? Seemed to be predominantly Datsuns and Escorts though.

Yes, Warren Burt in the Starlet, I think the Parnells had the Civic and also Wayne (Noddy) Murdock in an Avenger