The Roaring Season

A few Kiwi tin top drivers:

Red Dawson, set to do battle in the DeKon Monza.

Paul Fahey in the PDL Mustang. His 2.5 seasons was a love-hate relationship with this car.

L - R: Leo Leonard, Jim Richards, and Jack Nazer at Manfeild, 1979.

Jim Richards and Rod Coppins at Levin prior to a Castrol GTX production car race.

Jack Nazer in the Victor Chevy Miss Victorious

From Terry: "McRae on the grid at Levin, 1970, open face helmet and all. I didn't think much of F5000 when they first appeared at Bay Park in December '68. Big old pigs, but by 1970 they were the bees knees".

Brilliantly timed shot this one with Haig again in the shot.

Steve Holmes wrote:This sequence of photos have been published a number of times, but I never get tired of them. Terry did a beautiful job capturing this incident.

But Riley wasn't done with yet. Before the dust had even settled, he fired up the Camaro, and set about trying to get back into the action. But unbeknown to him, the fuel tank had been ripped out in the incident, the Camaro was quickly starved, and stopped.

Riley, the former speedway hard-charger, was always spectacular.

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Steve Holmes wrote:From Terry: "McRae on the grid at Levin, 1970, open face helmet and all. I didn't think much of F5000 when they first appeared at Bay Park in December '68. Big old pigs, but by 1970 they were the bees knees".

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I actually found Terrys' letter to Dicks' Autonews this afternoon where he tells his feelings about "The state of NZ motorsport" Can retype if you want (Can't scan)

Yeah that would be good Rhys. Is that the old original Autonews?

Couple of great shots of the Paul Fahey RS2600 Capri, first with Fahey himself, then with the cars next owner, Grant Walker.

John Riley was a crowd favourite, and these photos demonstrate why. He always gave 100%, and drove a road race car like he was still on the bullring dirt ovals. He didn't have the equipment of the top guys, but was usually within striking distance. He had his best years in tin tops racing the ex-Fahey Shelby Mustang, which he campaigned for three seasons, 1969/70 - 1971/72. His best season with the car was his first, where he finished 3rd in the NZ Saloon Car Championship.

These shots capture Riley during his second and third seasons, after the Mustang had been painted metallic green. He lights up the rear bags exiting the hairpin at Bay Park and kicks up a bit of gravel for added drama!

His son Brett was a pretty good peddler too!

A letter to the editor
Well I've seen the first two races for this years' "New Look" Tasman Championship and to say the least if next season is going to be the same I don't car weather (sic) I see another Tasman Championship meeting.
I reakon (sic) I must be one of the worlds most enthusiastic race fans but these so-called "thundering flame belching monsters" in their present form leave me cold. Admittedly we have the middle field runners from this years Guards and Continental championships in Britain and the US of A (plus Englands great World Championship hope in his thundering blue monster) but also I think you must admit that Frank Matich is about as fast a peddlet as we will see, yet even his great skill cannot get the M10A (to put it simply) into such spectacular cornering attitudes as say Max Stewart and the Mildren. Sure the 2 litre car is easier to drive on the limit but it is this that the spectators want to see. They say these cars make an exciting sound, granted - but we've had it with saloon and sports cars for the past 3 or 4 years. Oce in the days of the BRM and now the 2.4 Dino Ferrari the 2 litre Waggott and the Cosworth Fords a chill went right through you when they were revved. These 5 litre V8s just fall flat on their faces when compared to the noise of the "real thing".
At Levin under 2.5 liter cars were first and second with a stock block engined car next. The racing engined cars closer together at the finish than the stock blocker. At Pukekohe the stock blocker beat the racing engines but they were closer together than the stock blockers. Well so what you might say. I don't know but if close racing is what the spectators want to see I don't think they're getting it this year.
On the other side of the fence at the GP meeting my camera failed. Now over the past 3 years I have seen all my motor racing through a telephoto lens and a Press Pass. This I thort was the way to see motor racing because even if the racing wasent so good you could still take your pickshures and remain interested. And you know I reakon that I'm right. Because at the GP, after the failure of the Foto Macheen I thort I would be a typical Kiwi for a change and watch from the stands. So watch them from the satnds I did "AND I WAS BORED STIFF"...
Not was I bored stiff because of the vantage point was no good, but because the razing was so booring. Fair Go - what these paying supporters of the sport have to go thru for what they hope is a gud days motor racing is no joke. This was supposed to be an International meeting. No wonder spectator figures are falling. Just becuase one driver comes from Wales, one from Sweden a couple from England, one from Riverside, USA you don't think you are going to get International class motor racing do you? You might have an International flavour but that's all. You wouldnit match a hillbilly kite flyer with an astronaught now would you and hope to get an air race. Well that's wat we were getting thisyear my friends - Hillybilly motor racing.
If the Tasman series is going to grow it must not only cature the imagination of the New Zealand press but also the overseas press and bods higher up must be suitably impressed. Without a doubt Formula A is the way for us to go but not with the filed of also rans that we've got out here this tear. What's the use of pitting them against the best that we have. This is primarily our series so wouldnit be better and of more value to everyone to have 2 or 3 top English and American A drivers such as Gethin, Taylor, Hailwood, Hobbs, Cannon, Posey etcetera plus our top drivers against one or two graded drivers. Then we would have a truly unique series where our top could have a real crack at the cream of the overseas drivers and these drivers could in turn , have a shot at the established driver on there own terms.
No I a'm waiting for someone to say that the series couldn't afford such extravagances.
But alas we would still have that noise problem. May be that we could fit silencers to the cars and play real racing engine noises over the public address.
Finally I'm an atroshiious speller and anithing that you can do to correct it wud be 'preciated.
Terry Marshall"

I don't care about the writing Terry, the man behind the shutter more than made up for the lack of literary skill. And that season was pretty dull!

Wow, interesting letter! TM really DIDN'T like those early F5000 cars did he! But I can see his point. NZ went from having modern F1 cars and F1 drivers to Formula A cars, driven mostly by people Kiwi punters had never heard of.

TMs tribute to his good mate Murray McLaren (MAC), who passed away just recently.

MAC (standing next to the front wheel) looks over the damaged front suspension Dave McMillan has just smashed on one of the Pukekohe chicanes.

McMillan team line-up.

Dave and MAC.

Having just won the 1980 Lady Wigram Trophy race.

Formula 5000 at Wigram:

Ken Smith, Lola T332



Peter Gethin, Chevron B24:



Graeme Lawrence, Lola T332:

Graham McRae, McRae GM2: