Formula Atlantic/Pacific

[seaqnmac27]

As a third former at PNBHS I remember vividly going and interviewing Rob for a school assignment. Biked from Russell St over to Parkland Cres do it on a Sunday morning.

[Homer]

Hi All

just found an interesting read/photos of one of the Graeme Lawerence cars; http://www.apexspeed.com/swift/cars.php?car_id=12

[rogered]

Hi All

just found an interesting read/photos of one of the Graeme Lawerence cars; http://www.apexspeed.com/swift/cars.php?car_id=12

I might be wrong, but seam to recall jovy marcello was later killed at indy

[richard lester]

I might be wrong, but seam to recall jovy marcello was later killed at indy

yes he was unfortunately........he was a nice guy and he and i had some good battles the year he was in NZ....especially manfeild..i was in an 86 rt4 and he was in a swift...some good memories but if you google his death at indy it was a bit like earnheart snr's in that the impact didnt look that hard.....but was...

[jamie]

Yes Rich that was sad

[jamie]

Hi Homa just had A look at your G Lawence re Swift Owner Blurb on the car driven by Jos V it is wrong Jos only crashed One Car at Wigram not 2 Jamie

[Homer]

Hi Jamie

I was thinking exactly the same thing but couldnt quite remember. I though he poked it into the hay bales coming up to the hairpain at wigram..by the hangars? - do you recall who drove the other Lawerence car that year or did he only run Jos

[Steve Emson]

Reading through some of the posts, Robbie Hislop comes up as racing a Pacific. Robbie actually helped Neville Bailey prepare my ETC Shellsport Datsun Coupe in the last season that I raced it. I had to take him to hospital one night. He was working alone in the back shed on the coupe, removing the engine. he decided to pick up the engine and carry it, but dropped it on his leg. A very keen enthusiastic guy. Maybe I inspired him just a little bit to drive himself in later years.
There is also a post about the ex Redman/Oxton car. The photo here is of me and David Oxton. We had a race long duel in my first ever single seater drive. Kenny Smith had let my tyres down on the grid before the race without telling me he was going to do it. (you cannot speak or make yourself heard with your helmet on and the engines reving. The car was understeering badly all the race which made me slower than I should have been. I was the first Kiwi on the road in the last part of the race and then the car started to overheat. I let David through in the last couple of laps. He finished 8th and me 9th.(2nd Kiwi home). I don't think David was very happy with his car.

[Steve Holmes]

Nice post Steve, awesome photo! Why did Kenny let your tyres down?

Do you know what happened to either of the two cars in your photo, yours or Davids?

[jamie]

YO Steve E I tryed to reply earley on but som thing happend WHAT AN AWSOM pitc Jamie

[Steve Emson]

Nice post Steve, awesome photo! Why did Kenny let your tyres down?

Do you know what happened to either of the two cars in your photo, yours or Davids?

Many single seater drivers use a 'hot' tyre pressure. they let the tyres down to the PSI they want once they are run. You hear the V8 supercar guys talk about this, or in the case of Ayrton Senna's accident, their was some early speculation that his tyres got cold and lost pressure following the pace car and subsequently at the restart the car bottomed at the first corner sending Aryton off.
I have never done that. I always use cold pressures. I start were I want and let them build up to whatever they are going too.
On the grid after the warm up lap, (where i stuck my head out into the slip stream and had all my tearoffs ripped off the helmet), i was ready to go and Kenny raced over and let the 2 front tyres down. Of course he was trying to help, but the car understeered so badly on the very important left hander onto the back straight at Wigram, that I had to lift off every lap!!! Sh#@ My terminal speed was way down, however being a newbie, I just kept going the best I could.
Three other things happened in this race that I won't forget. A very well known driver who I had out qualified cut me off big time on the warm up lap. It was pretty radical and meant to scare the new boy. I thought these bastards are bloody serious about this stuff, so thought I had better defend myself and gave it straight back (as you have too do if you want some kind of respect). so I think war was kinda declared there.
There was a rumour that Denny Hulme had said I should not be allowed in this international race as I had never driven a single seater before. I never got to substantiate that one. It was apparently started by another very well known competitor I believe who I had also out qualified. The last thing was I was deaf after the race and my ears 'rang' for 3 days afterwards. lesson to grasshopper: wear earplugs. (when you are right up the rear of another single seater the exhaust is straight in your face)'
Anyway, enough rambling, my apologies for boring everyone to death with things that happened a long time ago.I think I was 19 when I bought this car.

Kenny in STP hat

[jamie]

Hi Steve the stufh ledgons are made off the big boys did not like you chalange them the biger the name the worse some of them behaved Been there JAMIE

[Steve Holmes]

Many single seater drivers use a 'hot' tyre pressure. they let the tyres down to the PSI they want once they are run. You hear the V8 supercar guys talk about this, or in the case of Ayrton Senna's accident, their was some early speculation that his tyres got cold and lost pressure following the pace car and subsequently at the restart the car bottomed at the first corner sending Aryton off.
I have never done that. I always use cold pressures. I start were I want and let them build up to whatever they are going too.
On the grid after the warm up lap, (where i stuck my head out into the slip stream and had all my tearoffs ripped off the helmet), i was ready to go and Kenny raced over and let the 2 front tyres down. Of course he was trying to help, but the car understeered so badly on the very important left hander onto the back staight at Wigram, that I had to lift off every lap!!! Sh#@ My terminal speed was way down, however being a newbie, I just kept going the best I could.
Three other things happened in this race that I won't forget. A very well known driver who I had out qualified cut me off big time on the warm up lap. It was pretty radical and meant to scare the new boy. I thought these bastards are bloody serious about this stuff, so thought I had better defend myself and gave it straight back (as you have too do if you want some kind of respect). so I think war was kinda declared there.
There was a rumour that Denny Hulme had said I should not be allowed in this international race as I had never driven a single seater before. I never got to substantiate that one. It was apparently started by another very well known competitor I believe who I had also out qualified. The last thing was I was deaf after the race and my ears 'rang' for 3 days afterwards. lesson to grasshopper: wear earplugs. (when you are right up the rear of another single seater the exhaust is straight in your face)'
Anyway, enough rambling, my apologies for boring everyone to death with things that happened a long time ago.I think I was 19 when I bought this car.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]9681[/ATTACH]Kenny in STP hat[ATTACH=CONFIG]9682[/ATTACH]

Definitely not rambling Steve, I love these stories! This is just what this website was created for. Keep 'em coming!

[Rod Grimwood]

Steve Emson, this is all part of our history of motorsport in NZ and is definately not rambling, if it is please keep it coming. It is great to hear it from the people involved.
PS Steve H, earlier in thread a little bit of what happened with Steve E's car after he had his unlucky incident, with a couple of younger (older than Steve E in those days) is there. Robin Irving ran it for a while, She was a sweet little car and lead us on some great trips.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Rod, I'll work my way back through. Now you've mentioned it I do recall reading something about it in here.

[Lee Tracey]

Steve, to quote Led Zep "Ramble On"

This is all great stuff to someone like me who as a young fella only got to see the little that made it too the mainstream media.

Cheers
Lee

[jamie]

Yes Lee it was A neet time to be invloved Jamie A

[frd1]

I'm not sure if there's any info or pictures of this car on this site so here it is anyway! It's what I recall was the first run for Bryan Hartley's last Atlantic. It was an RT4 (obviously) built up from Ralt Australia's spare parts and was essentially a brand new car. I had been involved with Bryan with B & H campaigns etc and he mentioned he would like another Atlantic. The Ford dealarship I was working at lent Graham Watson a couple of cars to use while he was running David Brabham and somebody else at Manfeild. Graham invited me down to the workshop he had rented and I saw a brand new tub on stands and the rest is history I guess.

One pic shows the Tul FF1600 behind the Ralt, I think John Evans drove it that day. Pretty sure we got both cars there in Richard Lester's transporter, wonder if he knew?! Sorry, can't recall much more than that.

[richard lester]

I'm not sure if there's any info or pictures of this car on this site so here it is anyway! It's what I recall was the first run for Bryan Hartley's last Atlantic. It was an RT4 (obviously) built up from Ralt Australia's spare parts and was essentially a brand new car. I had been involved with Bryan with B & H campaigns etc and he mentioned he would like another Atlantic. The Ford dealarship I was working at lent Graham Watson a couple of cars to use while he was running David Brabham and somebody else at Manfeild. Graham invited me down to the workshop he had rented and I saw a brand new tub on stands and the rest is history I guess.

One pic shows the Tul FF1600 behind the Ralt, I think John Evans drove it that day. Pretty sure we got both cars there in Richard Lester's transporter, wonder if he knew?! Sorry, can't recall much more than that.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10135[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10136[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10137[/ATTACH]

yep thats close,my recollection is the car was built from bits and spares for tony george to drive and then Bryan took it over..i think he helped put it together and was involved with the engine......
That is actually my sister debbie in the Tul...my brother in law john evans drove it in a clubmans later on....Even Murf drove the Tul one clubmans when he was working for me ...he shunted one of my Van diemen rf91's in practice and jumped in the tul and still finished top 3...

[frd1]

Thanks for clearing that one up Richard, got my club days messed up! Was thinking when I went around to Graham's workshop, Phil Moore was there working on that tub starting to put it together. I think Bryan freshened the engine and finished putting it together in his garage at home. Are you driving a white Commodore these days?