Old Race Tracks

[GD66]

The bikes ran two races at each of the International car meetings run at Totara Street in 1963 when world champ Jim Redman rode his Honda 250 four, and '64, then ran a motorcycles-only meeting there in 1965, dominated by the Hamilton rider Bryan Scobie who went on to race cars in latter years. After Te Puna, the motorcycle club had run two meetings in Tauranga around a tight circuit comprising Dive Crescent, Marsh Street, Cliff Road, Monmouth Street (right past the Police station !), Willow Street and McLean Street, featuring international riders and a good crowd, in January 1962 and '63. As well as the bikes-only Totara Steet 1965 meeting, the club ran a couple of standing- and flying-quarter mile sprints in Totara Street.
The triangular Otumoetai circuit, comprising Vale Street, Bureta Road, Ngatai Road and Chapel Street ran in January 1966, with Anderson aboard his world championship-winning 125 Suzuki, and Jan 1967, then Bay Park opened in December 1967 and that was the end of the popular street circuits around Tauranga. Good fun while they lasted, and very popular with the holiday crowds.

[jellywrestler]

thanks for that gary, coincidentally a brochure from hugh anderson turned up in the mail today with those circuits on it, and the tauranga airport one, been on to aerial maps of the day and found where the airport one was, not much left there now, here's a glimpse of what's left of one of the straights. fascinating stuff. https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.6687956,176.2028022,3a,75y,296.97h,87.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svrkdHvCLBtxYuqFoEsCkhw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Allan]

Does anyone know anything about this that I found on the internet recently?

[khyndart in CA]

Allan,
Perhaps Scott Dixon is arranging for an Indy car event as that looks like it could be a pretty quick circuit.

I did not know before that the Auckland and Waikato boundaries went right across the circuit and the Waikato has the biggest share !

(Ken H)

[Roger Dowding]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]62919[/ATTACH]

Does anyone know anything about this that I found on the internet recently?

Horses OUT, Cars IN by the looks .. there have been a few ideas about changing Pukekohe over time but nothing has happened apart from losing the Club Circuit and the back straight Chicane that has changed a few times !!

[Roger Dowding]

Allan,
Perhaps Scott Dixon is arranging for an Indy car event as that looks like it could be a pretty quick circuit.

I did not know before that the Auckland and Waikato boundaries went right across the circuit and the Waikato has the biggest share !

(Ken H)

So we could half a Blues /Chiefs game there and would be a home game for both teams for half the game !! just thinkin'

[jellywrestler]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]62919[/ATTACH]

Does anyone know anything about this that I found on the internet recently?

it's just someone playing, if you were serious about improving a track the first thing would be make it safe so motorcycles can return. That simply makes decent business sense if nothing else, next is to sort out some esses,

[Ray Bell]

It's another evidence that few people today can think of anything but exaggerated importance of braking areas to improve 'racing'...

Look at the map of Queensland Raceway to see how that pans out.

[jellywrestler]

Getting back to the thread title, Old race tracks, when I lived in Christchurch in the 50's there used to be a track round the perimeter of Lake Bryndwr on the northern side of the city. I didn't ever go to a meeting there, but we used to water-ski on the lake itself. This would have been about 1956. I dont think any of the races there would have been for 'Chassis Racers', but I suspect all sorts of hum-drum saloon cars of the 30's and 40's. That seems to be what these old machines were reduced to, as Pallmall has said, nobody wanted them. I'll bet George Smith and Co also went there to do some skids. The whole area is probably a housing estate now, if it hasn't been shaken to bits by the earthquakes.

so Bryndwr first ran in 1950 does anyone know when the last meeting ran, and why it shut down?

[jellywrestler]

Ronnie moores father , Les, died in a race at the old aerodrome in Timaru in the 1960's. does anyone out there know what sort of meeting he was competing in, or a date so i can track an old newspaper down please?
not being morbid here, I have a friend who raced bikes at the same meeting and interested in that side of the meeting, whether it was grass track or what.

[jellywrestler]

saltwater creek in timaru, anyone intimate with what went on there?, and when?

[Roger Dowding]

saltwater creek in timaru, anyone intimate with what went on there?, and when?

Allan Dick of Autonews in the 1970's now a writer for NZ Classic Driver Magazine and runs the " Classic Autonews " Facebook page may be able to help - it was down his way, I understand - Allan is from Dunedin and now lives in Oamaru.

I may have a couple of photos from there - not mine - will have a look.

[khyndart in CA]

The Saltwater Creek track at the southern end of Timaru was the original airport and was used for racing once the new airport at Levels was constructed.

RA Vanguard information;
" First racing appearance of wires seems to have been with Les Moore in 1960

Moore's fatal accident in the car was at the Saltwater Creek track, Timaru, on Labour Weekend the same year." (David McKinney. April 2013.)

The conditions seemed a bit rough as shown in these photos. Similar to Tahuna Beach, Nelson.

(Doug Algie )

(Fred McLean in his Buckler..)

Info from previous TRS posts.

(Ken H..)

[Roger Dowding]

The Saltwater Creek track at the southern end of Timaru was the original airport and was used for racing once the new airport at Levels was constructed.

RA Vanguard information;
" First racing appearance of wires seems to have been with Les Moore in 1960

Moore's fatal accident in the car was at the Saltwater Creek track, Timaru, on Labour Weekend the same year." (David McKinney. April 2013.)
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The conditions seemed a bit rough as shown in these photos. Similar to Tahuna Beach, Nelson.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]63525[/ATTACH]
(Doug Algie )

[ATTACH=CONFIG]63527[/ATTACH]
(Fred McLean in his Buckler..)

Info from previous TRS posts.

(Ken H..)

Ken H, you have been busy - think I have a couple of Allan Dick photos of the events there too !! Cheers

[jellywrestler]

there was a one off street circuit in downtown Timaru in febuaray 1967, odd that this happened after waimate and only just before levels was opened instead of just keeping going with waimate.
Anyone got any ideas as to why the change please?

[jellywrestler]

anyone got any old programs from Mariehau in chch, found three a couple of weeks ago and keen on more to find out how long it ran for etc please

[Ray Bell]

Here's a little video...

https://youtu.be/zWa9gvLygng

And another interesting one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZlKY5oALVU

And from there you'll get the 'Circuits of the Past' videos by their large number.

[bry3500]

Here's a little video...

https://youtu.be/zWa9gvLygng

And another interesting one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZlKY5oALVU

And from there you'll get the 'Circuits of the Past' videos by their large number.

Subscribed! Cheers Ray, nice links.

[jellywrestler]

there was a one off street circuit in downtown Timaru in febuaray 1967, odd that this happened after waimate and only just before levels was opened instead of just keeping going with waimate.
Anyone got any ideas as to why the change please?

appears that the governing body anzcc (motorsport nz) banned street racing at the time but allowed this one off meet in timaru to run in the interim as it was deemed safer until levels was opened later that year.

[stubuchanan]

appears that the governing body anzcc (motorsport nz) banned street racing at the time but allowed this one off meet in timaru to run in the interim as it was deemed safer until levels was opened later that year.

By all accounts it was a pretty rough circuit and the mechanical carnage and accident rate was quite high. I remember hearing at the time that the organisers ran the circuit in the opposite direction to that approved originally by ANZCC. Can't vouch for the truth of this.

Stu