The Roaring Season

Ken - dont take hit numbers personally...Bathurst is on remember, the world in Aus and NZ comes to a grinding halt.
Also many of us are working long hours for TACCOC next Saturday.

Thanks John,
I will keep plugging.
I found these two photos from Eoin Young's book "McLaren Memories"
One shows Bruce leading the Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood in August 1964 in the Zerex Special and the other is just about a week or so later in the beautiful unpainted McLaren Elva Mk 1 # BMMR 1/64 Traco Olds V-8.








It certainly was a beautiful design at least compared to the "Zerex Special"


(Ken H )

The hits Ken, on my thread, is as much due to regulars popping in, from here and overseas as anything. Very little to do with the quality of images or information! It has gathered a bit of a rolling mass so if like me, you pop into TRS several times a day, just to see what is new, or to revisit existing sites, obviously the hit rate is high.

As a NZ based site, naturally enough, there are many more items of Kiwi interest than UK or US, but right from the start, I asked Steve if he wanted UK and overseas stuff on here. The rest is history - and no pun intended.

After seeing the film 'Reach For The Sky', then later, reading the book, Douglas Bader was one of my childhood heroes. This statue of him is at Goodwood. By all accounts, not a particularly nice man, but still a hero.
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Although I didn't visit Goodwood in period, very little seems to have changed and what has, has been for the better. Going to a Revival meeting there is a genuine return to an earlier period of life, as it has an atmosphere that no modern track can possibly emulate.

What has enhanced it though, for these big meetings, is the sheer variety and quality of food stands/trucks etc. As someone who is second only to Tony Roberts for a love of food, it ticks my boxes, with everything from champagne and oysters, (not my thing!) to cheese on toast, bacon butties, fish and chips and curries. (Very much my thing.) I could put on more weight at a weekend at Goodwood than a 14 day Princess Cruise - though it could be at a hefty cost. Very little is cheap.

If I go next year, I'll have to get my tickets early (Saturday tickets sell out by April) and see if there is any way I can lean on someone for a mechanic's pass again, to give me paddock access.

By 1966 the end of an era came with the closing of the Goodwood Circuit to public motor racing. The track held many memories from the terrible crash that ended Stirling Moss's racing career to the display of future champions such as the great Jim Clark.
The track would continue to be available for teams to do private testing with none more so than the Bruce McLaren Racing team..

[video=youtube;T3KzutF8Gxk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3KzutF8Gxk[/video]




( Ken H )

By 1967 one can see how the Goodwood stands by the chicane were deteriorating in this Tyler Alexander photo of Bruce testing an M 6 A before the days of wind tunnels !
"Bruce McLaren liked to test a new car without the bodywork in order to get a sense of how it performed without any aerodynamic effects. One result seen here is the M6A’s front tire lifting off the surface at Goodwood."



(Ken H )

Brilliant thread Ken. Thanks.
It seems as though Ray might be talking me into getting there 2018. 2017 was a bit difficult, son's wedding, and I think I might have had a wee bit of trouble if I had tried to choose Goodwood

I haven't mentioned it seriously to my wife yet, but I'm doing my planning anyway... If I do manage it again, I may just have to have an afternoon nap so that I don't miss the late afternoon races.

I've started a 2018 thread...

I remember some of the old Goodwood stuff was televised, particularly the TT - but obviously in typical BBC style, between sessions of dog meat racing and other stuff we didn't actually watch, on 'Grandstand'. Often in those days, feature races were nearly always on a Saturday, to get TV coverage, limited though it was.

Occasionally, we'd get a GP televised on a Sunday.

In 1969 the Alan Mann Racing Team with Frank Gardner driving, tested their Open Ford Racer at Goodwood before the Can Am season.
It had high speed stability issues and Goodwood may not have been the ideal testing area. It took a brave driver such as Frank to get behind the wheel of this machine.











(Ken H )

In 1969 Goodwood was also the site for much of the testing of the McLaren M9A which was a F1 car with 4 wheel drive. It was not a successful project and only raced one time at the 1969 British Grand Prix F1 race at Silverstone.
These are shots of Bruce in the car at Goodwood which seems to include a skid pan / wet track experiment.









(Ken H )

I think the 4WD car is now in the Donington Museum - unless that too has been flogged off! I believe there may have been an attempt to purchase it by a well known Kiwi a year or three ago. I may even have published a pic way back.

In 1969 and 1970 Bruce McLaren would sometimes drive his personal project car, the M6GT, from his London home down to Goodwood after stopping to do the shopping first !





Bruce proudly showing his M6GT outside his home.

This car did come to NZ and spent some time at the MOTAT Museum in Auckland before it went to the USA. In 1994 I saw this ad at the Fantasy Junction site. I was hoping I could convince someone to help me buy it as I knew what an historic treasure it was. But it was not to be. It did go the Mathews Collection and I remember it came up again at Fantasy Junction in 2010. I am not sure where it is now.

1994 information sheet.


M6GT information in 1994.

When the car was for sale in 2010 this Fantasy Junction site has some great photos and information.

(Note when Bruce drove the car it had no exterior mirrors !)

http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/873-McLaren-M6GT%20Prototype-350%20c.i.%208%20Cylinder


(Ken Hyndman )

khyndart in CA wrote:In 1969 the Alan Mann Racing Team with Frank Gardner driving, tested their Open Ford Racer at Goodwood before the Can Am season.
It had high speed stability issues and Goodwood may not have been the ideal testing area. It took a brave driver such as Frank to get behind the wheel of this machine.
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(Ken H )

Amazing pics of one of my all-time favourite race cars. Too bad it only raced twice. It had potential, but Ford were never serious about the Can-Am.

Its fascinating seeing some of the background images after the tracks closure, and how quickly things fell into disrepair. But the Goodwood Revival and Members Meeting just wouldn't be the same had the track continued on in period, and had been constantly upgraded and modernized.

I remember being in Sydney, working at W.H. Lober Holden dealership and on June 1 1970 we were just glad that the Indy 500 had been completed without anything happening to the McLaren Team after the practice incidents with Hulme getting burnt and Amon not liking the track and now it was on to real racing again. It was shattering news the next morning to hear of Bruce's fatal crash at Goodwood. June 2nd 1970 will always be etched in my memory.
I have some scrapbook photos from the M8D initial testing at Goodwood in May 1970.
I think Cary Taylor was assisting Bruce drive the # 5 M8D at Goodwood before sending it off to the US Can Am Series for Denny Hulme to drive..
Again note the lack of rear wing bracing when Bruce was testing and then the later diagrams showing the rear wing supports.
I don't think a M8D ever lost a rear wing again. Such a sad way to find a design flaw !

I think that is Bruce under the rear of the car and Cary Taylor at the front. Goodwood pit area. May 1970


Starting the M8D. Goodwood. May 1970


Bruce McLaren cornering in the M8D at Goodwood. May 1970. (Note the rear wing !)



Bruce discussing the test session regarding the new M8D. Goodwood. May 1970.


Diagrams of the M8D after June 1970.


(Ken H ) June 2nd 1970. Goodwood. "The Day the Music Died "

Hi Ken
Simply amazing shots! Legendary times with legendary people!

Paul,
It seemed like all my boyhood heroes had all been affected by Goodwood, from my uncle crashing his plane nearby, Stirling Moss's race career ended here, Bruce McLaren in 1970 and even Jack Brabham had a nasty crash at the 1999 Goodwood Revival ironically driving a 1967 McLaren BRM M5A at the Saint Mary's Corner and I don't think he raced again after that.


I look back at my times of Trojan testing in late 1973 where you could wander along and listen to Robin Herd talk to J.P. Jarier about how to improve the F1 March for the next season while an unknown Patrick Head pokes his head in to check out the car. Instead of a wind tunnel duct taping was used and Jarier would hurtle the car around and come back in. Note the seat was just a cushion belted in !
It is a fond memory and the old Goodwood was in pretty sad shape although the track was still good but there was talk of it being closed in the near future.

(Ken Hyndman photo >>Goodwood Oct. 1973. )

Ken, do you know when the chicane was removed, and why they removed it? Seems it was there when Bruce McLaren was testing his latest Can-Am car in 1967 as in post #25, but was gone by 1969.

Paul,
I am so pleased that Goodwood has been so well restored and I thought of you and Bruce (Spgeti) when I saw this wonderful race clip from the 2015 Goodwood Revival Meeting. Great stuff.

[video=youtube;o25ats_KXRk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o25ats_KXRk[/video]


So ends my input on Goodwood.
Cheers,
Ken

Thanks for the thread Ken. Really enjoyed it. I just love watching the racing from Goodwood and again this year it did not disappoint.

Cheers
Bruce

I agree Bruce, great thread. In fact I promoted it to the Home page: http://www.theroaringseason.com

Agree wholeheartedly with Bruce ^^ awesome thread. Loved the Thunderbolt clip, that big block FE engine is just the bomb for me, love it!
Thanks ever so much.
Cheers
Paul