Geoghegan Family Cortina In New Zealand

[Roger Dowding]

Whoops ! Those darned Minis made me do this !

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Neptune racing team Mini and Mustang [ Beechey ], not sure of the other Mini though ..

On their way to a meeting - from Fb page Old Australian Motor Racing Photographs - well worth a look.

[Milan Fistonic]

Neptune racing team Mini and Mustang [ Beechey ], not sure of the other Mini though ..

On their way to a meeting - from Fb page Old Australian Motor Racing Photographs - well worth a look.

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This is an entry list from the Warwick Farm meeting on 5 December 1965. The numbers don't match but it does show the three Neptune Racing Team cars.

[Roger Dowding]

This is an entry list from the Warwick Farm meeting on 5 December 1965. The numbers don't match but it does show the three Neptune Racing Team cars.

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Milan, thanks for that - I would like to post the entry list and the advert on the Australian Fb page - with appropriate acknowledgement ..

Interesting that Alan Moffat - was Canadian at that time, and in his pre Mustang Days - he ran Lotus Cortina's in the USA as well, with Horst Kwech, a European - Australian who finished in North America, Moffat the other way around.
Think Ken H has posted stuff about Horst on other threads.

[Ray Bell]

I think you'll find that's the team for Lakeside...

[Terry S]

Growing up in the 1960s , as a kid I went to the movies.
Before the main feature there was black / white Aussie news staring off with Kukaburras then showing , I think, a Mk1 Cortina coming round the corner of a race track and rolling.
What track and whose Cortina please ?

John, if it was a white car it could have been NZer John Ward at Catalina in 1968.

The crash was fatal as he wasn't wearing a seat belt

http://autopics.com.au/68056-r-coppins-mustang-passing-j-ward-s-fatal-crash-catalina-park-katoomba-1968/

[John McKechnie]

Terry.....was earlier than 1968,maybe 1963-67, did you not get this Aussie news at your picture theatres like we did?
Spectacular with many roll overs,sure the car was light colour
Understand from a racer friend of his that the steering wheel did significant harm.

[John McKechnie]

After some research and seeing the Kookaburras-
https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/26150/movietone-news-kookaburra

...this could be it. thought it was a Cortina when I first saw it, maybe not.

https://aso.gov.au/titles/newsreels/australian-movie-magazine-7201/clip1/

[khyndart in CA]

Did Peter Manton have an "unfair advantage" at Catalina Park in his LHD Mini Cooper # 2 on an anti- clockwise course?

(Ken H)

[khyndart in CA]

Catalina Park could be a brutal track as Bob Jane found out in 1965 with his Mustang crash and it was especially sad for us in NZ when John Ward died there in August 1968 and as Terry's entry #25 notes that it is his very good friend Rod Coppins passing the scene in his Mustang.
" R. Coppins Mustang passing J. Ward s fatal crash - Catalina Park Katoomba 1968"

John Ward on the left and Rod Coppins were partners in a car sales yard in Gisborne in this 1967 photo.(Gisborne Photo News)



(Ken H)

[Ray Bell]

When Manton turned up with the LHD installed in his Mini it was said the plan was to change for left and right-handed tracks.

I don't know that he actually ran LHD at any time other than this Catalina, but he may have at Sandown in the following February.

As for the rollover at Bathurst, it does look familiar but I just can't pick it, it happens so quickly and going back slowly it is too blurry. Is that a Viva in the foreground? If so, that will locate the year and then the identification is easy.

[John McKechnie]

Took a while to find this, do other people remember seeing this?.
Looks like a Viva Ray. black and white film, no jappos then.

[Dale Harvey]

I think it is the Viva rollover.
Dale.

[John McKechnie]

number A 58- Shoesmith/ Robarts...50 year on, I now know
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz_jVjdMv8Y

[Ray Bell]

What a shame it wasn't a Cortina...

[John McKechnie]

Ray...Cortinas have had a high attrition rate..Check out cars in NZ.Gerald Hargraves V88 version rolled, Jack Nazers burnt, John Wards, written off., just to name a few .

[Ray Bell]

But the Vivas had such a short time in the sun...

Cortinas just kept on going in some form or other.

[John McKechnie]

Ray,In our Sports Sedan Class, Vivas running from XU1 -327,352 Chevs are still having their place in the sun with Historics.
.......and we have no Cortinas, they run in Historic Saloon Class.

[Ray Bell]

Wouldn't they be Vivas the same as we called them Toranas?

All the same, only a couple ever raced in Australia. One with a Hemi 6 engine.

[John McKechnie]

This one is HB Viva which has square headlamps.- has had 202 XU1 motor fitted to it and raced since 1977.
HB Torana has same body but square headlamps

[Ray Bell]

We're getting a long way from the Geoghegan Cortina..,

Which did win the ATCC at Lakeside by the way. A lucky win as Brian Muir was forced to use Goodyears which had an increased wear rate as they wore down. And Bob Jane's Jag had gearbox trouble IIRC.