The Roaring Season

khyndart in CA wrote:1962 Ardmore Motor Cycle TT up to 500 c.c.
I note # 5 bike is ridden by F.Cardon. If this is the Lycoming driver, he certainly had a busy day !

(scrapbook of 8o'clock cuttings )

Hi Ken,
Thanks for these cuttings, I had them in an old scrapbook for years but they were well time-ravaged. I have taken the liberty of sharing them to a fb page related to the history of NZ Motorcycle racing with a credit to you, if that's not ok I will soon pluck them off !
Regarding Forrest Cardon, yes it is the Lycoming pilot, I was about to spring into print and say Malcolm Gill would probably have been the driver but that was in 1961, and Forrest was winding down his distinguished bike racing career and did indeed race the Lycoming that same day at Ardmore in 1962. For years he held a spot in the NZACU rulebook as holder of a beach speed record set at Muriwai : he had raced speedway and roadracing with great success and this pic is from his win on a Manx Norton at the 1961 Cust Grand Prix held outside Christchurch on swept, oiled gravel roads !

GD...
I am happy you can do something with these old clippings.
I also found this page from the 1962 programme.



Remember the days of "Overseas Funds"
If you wanted a decent new car, this is what you had to have back then.




(From the pages of the 1962 NZGP programme)

( Ken Hyndman )

Ardmore. Jan. 1962. The last New Zealand Grand Prix at this circuit.
Here is a silent YouTube clip of what it was like at Ardmore that day.
Perhaps the skinny tires of the day helped in the rain compared to the wide tires of today.
There were not many spins and most of the problems were caused by poor visibility and the drivers being soaked !

[video=youtube;rEmoya_LhG4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEmoya_LhG4[/video]

(Ken Hyndman )

Interesting program. Hugh Anderson was back a couple of years later demo'ing a works 125 Suzuki at the GP.

January 1963.
The NZ Grand Prix now moved from Ardmore, to a new circuit at Pukekohe ( "the hill of the koekohe, New Zealand's native mahogany tree).
The circuit was built for an amazingly low price of fifty thousand pounds!
If you look closely at this newspaper cutting of Bruce McLaren bursting through you will note the track is not built yet.


[ATTACH=CONFIG]28846[/ATTACH]




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7bmxjB_-Aw

A silent Youtube brief video of what the first race at Pukekohe looked like. Again note the crowd size.

(Ken Hyndman )

wooow Ken this is amazing , looking down on the then new circuit.... did not realise the follow through to railway was an after thought, now one other thing I am sure I was there with mum & Dad on opening yr 1963 ....... my understanding there was a good race when Bruce brought out his mini cooper [semi works....or works] & had a great race with a green mk 3 zepher , I heard a few stories ......... hey Ken did you know that Vern Jacobsons , is now leased out to Stadium Cars [jap importers] we are have a very mild autumn to date .....

A few slides from the 1961 GP.

Is that Pat Hoare 246 Dino f1 the prettiest car ever ?????????

Grinder, fabulous photos taking me back!

Oldfart wrote:Grinder, fabulous photos taking me back!

I cant believe these photos!!! Yes it is Pat Hoare and I can still see that beautiful car sliding out of the clover leaf!!! What a classic. Brabham's car roped on a trailer that seems to be made out of 12 mil steel rod.

Grinder,
Thanks for sharing these fabulous photos. Some great drivers drove these cars.
# 1 Lotus was for Innes Ireland. # 6 Lotus was for Jim Clark. # 7 Lotus was for Stirling Moss.
# 8 BRM was for Graham Hill. # 9 BRM was for Dan Gurney.
# 25 Cooper was for Joakim Bonnier.
But Pat Hoare's Ferrari # 19 is the best looking of all in my opinion.
Wow these are so clear..great stuff.

( Ken Hyndman )

Brilliant photos !!!!! Never made it to Ardmore,wow fantastic.

Agreed....what such great photos ....never ever seen b 4 must be lots around we have never seen .......takes us back a bit Thank you for sharing these ...... Grant

Cheers,have some more from '61 & '66 GP,Dads candid shots as he wandered around the pits & paddock,certinally never been seen before,will endevour to scan them up over the weekend.
Thats me at Ardmore in the pram looking unimpressed by the whole thing.

I seem to remember somewhere you said your shots were your Dads "candid shots". These are platinum (beyond gold!!!) We will forgive the couple which are reversed. Thanks so much for sharing.

Grinder,
These are just superb photos. Thanks for sharing them. I like the one with Jim Clark and Denny Hulme especially as it captures Clark where he is nervous off the track and was known to always pick at his fingernails (that is something I have in common with Jim !)
Your photos also capture the open atmosphere where everyone is friendly to each other. I think Jack Brabham loaned parts to Stirling Moss so he could go out and compete one year. The colour is just fantastic. I can't thank you enough. Please share any more that your Dad may have taken.

(Ken Hyndman )