Matamata Round the houses.

Shooting the bull on historic motor racing and motorsport history.
Milan Fistonic
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by Milan Fistonic »

jim short wrote:I was there ,first time I ever saw a car with dual wheels, a Dodge or ???plus around the fuel tanks at Mt Maunganui was the same time Frank Matich in a Lotus 19 ?? and a Brabham?? cleaned up. Archibald in a Mk2 Jag also ran I think


The 3.8 Jaguar that ran at the Mount the year Matich competed (1963) was driven by John Ward from Gisborne.
jim short
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by jim short »

So did Archibald race there at all I think perhaps Jim Palmer may have won instead of Matich???? Met Matich at a cycle Fair in LA about 17yrs. ago joined a group to ask about his cycle helmets{headway brand} when my turn came I asked hin about racing around the fuel tanks at the Mount ,He was pleased to remember!!
jamie
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by jamie »

Hi Gang Raced there 2 times good fun Jamie A
Oldfart
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by Oldfart »

Thanks for that programme Milan, clears up a few things with Bucklers too!
Do you have any programmes for Mid 60s at Waharoa? I know they happened, and of course Raglan too!
Sometimes my spelling is so crap! Changed now. My english teacher at school would be turning.
Rex Bentham
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by Rex Bentham »

Well done Milan, some great names and cars on that programme, thanks for having the foresight to keep a piece of paper most of us
threw in the bin the next day! My apologies for calling it Matamata Airfield (as it is now) back then it was always called Waharoa
Aerodrome.
Milan Fistonic
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by Milan Fistonic »

Rex Bentham wrote:Well done Milan, some great names and cars on that programme, thanks for having the foresight to keep a piece of paper most of us
threw in the bin the next day! My apologies for calling it Matamata Airfield (as it is now) back then it was always called Waharoa
Aerodrome
.


The Car Club calls it the Waharoa Aerodrome but the Piako Aero Club disagrees.

"The Piako Aero Club once again welcomes the Hamilton Car Club to Matamata Airfield. We hope this day will be as successful and safe as all previous meetings. G. Fromm, President, Piako Aero Club.
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Steve Holmes
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by Steve Holmes »

Outstanding thread. I'm really enjoying this. Thanks Milan for your postings. You never cease to amaze me with what you have in your collection.
David Manton
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Jaguar 3.8 driver at Matamata

Post by David Manton »

jim short wrote:So did Archibald race there at all I think perhaps Jim Palmer may have won instead of Matich???? Met Matich at a cycle Fair in LA about 17yrs. ago joined a group to ask about his cycle helmets{headway brand} when my turn came I asked hin about racing around the fuel tanks at the Mount ,He was pleased to remember!!


The driver of the silver 3.8 Jaguar at the Matamata and Mt Maunganui street races was Chris Keehan, from Central Hawkes Bay, a popular member of the local Car Club. Chris and other club members shared car rides and motels to keep costs down while trekking to race meetings from HB. I've got a photo somewhere of group members sharing a meal before Sunday racing started at Matamata. Included in the photo is Angus Hyslop's race engineer/mechanic Bill Hanna, Nigel ? (raced a fast dark green Fiat saloon), the Cooper single-seater driver Bruce Webster and a young motoring writer from The Napier Daily Telegraph. It was an extremely cold Winter morning!
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by jim short »

I think Mt maunganui street races ran for 2 yrs??? I think Archibald took part, also prety shure Dennis Marwood as well in a Humber 80
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by Lurker »

David McKinney wrote:Definitely 64 and 65. I went to the first one, but not the second

Ten points for whoever can identify the Spitfire driver:


Not sure I saw a definitive answer on this - Is it Reginald Cook?
Milan Fistonic
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by Milan Fistonic »

Oldfart wrote:Thanks for that programme Milan, clears up a few things with Bucklers too!
Do you have any programmes for Mid 60s at Waharoa? I know they happened, and of course Raglan too!
Sometimes my spelling is so crap! Changed now. My english teacher at school would be turning.


Sorry that's the only Waharoa programme, but I do have this one from another Hamilton Car Club Grass Track Meeting held in 1970.

Hautapu 70 Prog.JPG


Hautapu 70 1.JPG


Hautapu 70 2.JPG
Milan Fistonic
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by Milan Fistonic »

jim short wrote:I think Mt maunganui street races ran for 2 yrs??? I think Archibald took part, also prety shure Dennis Marwood as well in a Humber 80


Yes two years 1962 and '63. Alistair McBeath in '62 and John Ward in '63 drove the only two Jaguar saloons that raced at that circuit.

MMN 62 Entry.JPG


MMN 63 Entry.JPG


I've just noticed my scanner has chopped off the top line of the 1963 list.

52 Fuller, R. W. Wellington Humber 80 Fuller Motor Bodies Ltd
stubuchanan
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by stubuchanan »

Lurker wrote:Not sure I saw a definitive answer on this - Is it Reginald Cook?


There wasn't. Just someone with an answer being secretive. Newspaper report said "K.Grant". Drove A40/Lotus Cortina? Brabham 2.5.

Don't know if he ever drove a Spitfire at other meetings. Someone who lived at the other end of N Island might.

Stu
David McKinney
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by David McKinney »

David Manton wrote:The driver of the silver 3.8 Jaguar at the Matamata and Mt Maunganui street races was Chris Keehan, from Central Hawkes Bay, a popular member of the local Car Club. Chris and other club members shared car rides and motels to keep costs down while trekking to race meetings from HB. I've got a photo somewhere of group members sharing a meal before Sunday racing started at Matamata. Included in the photo is Angus Hyslop's race engineer/mechanic Bill Hanna, Nigel ? (raced a fast dark green Fiat saloon), the Cooper single-seater driver Bruce Webster and a young motoring writer from The Napier Daily Telegraph. It was an extremely cold Winter morning!

Chris Keehan did race the Jag at Matamata (and Ahuriri) but not, I think, ay the Mount
David McKinney
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by David McKinney »

stubuchanan wrote:There wasn't. Just someone with an answer being secretive. Newspaper report said "K.Grant". Drove A40/Lotus Cortina? Brabham 2.5.

Don't know if he ever drove a Spitfire at other meetings. Someone who lived at the other end of N Island might.

Stu

Kerry Grant raced the Spitfire at Ruapuna and then Matamata, then sold it to my mate Ian Pinkerton
rogered
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by rogered »

norm agnew


David McKinney wrote:Definitely 64 and 65. I went to the first one, but not the second

Ten points for whoever can identify the Spitfire driver:
David McKinney
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by David McKinney »

No, it's Kerry Grant
rogered
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by rogered »

Are You Sure????
Milan Fistonic
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Re: Matamata Round the houses.

Post by Milan Fistonic »

rogered wrote:Are You Sure????


Yes he is sure!

Agnew drove a Spitfire numbered 23 in 1965.

Grant drove the Spitfire pictured, numbered 31, in 1964.
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Roger Dowding
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Matamata Street races 1964 -65 The Kerry Grant Triumph Spitfire

Post by Roger Dowding »

David McKinney wrote:Definitely 64 and 65. I went to the first one, but not the second

Ten points for whoever can identify the Spitfire driver:


The answer - somewhat late is ... Kerry Grant in the Spitfire.

as seen in this photo
Sadly David cannot award the ten points [ RIP David McKinney and RIP Kerry Grant recently ].

This is a Morrie Given photo as found in the Scott - Given Studio archives on the events in Matamata.

Motor Racing Matamata #39 1964 31 Spitfire Kerry Grant  Ross Cammick Scott-Given archives.jpg


and this photo from Bob Homewood archives. Think the same photo that started the question in the earlier post..

Motor Racing Matamata #40 1964 31 Kerry Grant Spitfire Bob Homewood.jpg


The car is also in this group - photo by Alan Boyle

Motor Racing Matamata #68 1964 Sports Cars Alan Boyle photo (2).jpg


I posted the Scott - Given series of photos on my Dunedin Thread - but perhaps they could be repeated here.
This thread was started in 2012 before I joined TRS and I don't think I have looked at it before.
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