The Roaring Season

Got a message from Mark Holman,regarding the article in C and SC May 1989.
as follows;

" Hello Roger
Thanks for your kind words and for the photos and recollections which brought back great memories of both race meetings. My first ever ‘big’ overseas magazine article too!

The Ardmore meeting, from memory, suffered from the non arrival of various cars from overseas (BRM V16 among them?) and it was very hot. I must have caught the train from Wellington up & back. It was well worth it anyway.
The Dunedin race meeting was brilliant; I just loved the circuit and the range of cars present. A couple of photos attached; there are more!
The Wigram Country Gents meetings from the late 80s were magical too.
Thanks again and kind regards
Mark H "
The non-arrival of various cars is mentioned in Mark's text in the article.

Mark also added three photos from Dunedin.

The ERA, being tailed by a Formula Ford ?
The Nissan Prince " 2000 " GT - I put Nissan on the photo - Nissan took over the Prince Motor Company around that time. see plate details below - now added **.
Prince being followed by an Alfa Romeo Saloon...
Stanton Corvette - being followed by another Single Seater - Formula Ford ?.
- Need to find a copy of the programme for the event.
The Track was different to the 1984 Track apparently - the " Wharf Circuit ", used in 1984 and 1986 and is described as the " Oval Circuit " ....- now to find the details.

A bit of detail on the " Prince ".

" 1967
Make: NISSAN
Model: PRINCE
Colour: White
Body Style: Saloon
Plate: JH17
Engine No: G7158531
Chassis: 54111642
Vehicle Type: Passenger Car/Van
Seats: 5
CC rating: 1,988cc
Fuel Type: Petrol "

Plate details;

" JH17
Plate Type: Standard
Origin: NZ New
Used as: Exempt Class A (EA) vehicle
Cause of Latest Registration: New
NZ First Registration: 15-Mar-1976
Cancellation Date Of Registration: 30-Oct-1995 ".

JH plates - were issued in 1980 according to information I have so the Mar 1976 dates seems - irregular.
- 1967 plate issue was EE to EL prefixes.
- 1976 plate issue was HO - IJ,

On checking the Carlos Neate Prince GT, which did come to New Zealand new but it was in 1965 had Registration prefix DV ..[ DV8717 ]

" 1965
Make: PRINCE
Model: SKYLINE
Colour: Cream
Submodel: GT
Body Style: Saloon
VIN: 7AT0EL03X21100486
Plate: DV8717
Engine No: COVERERED
Chassis: 54-100486
Vehicle Type: Passenger Car/Van
Seats: 5
CC rating: 1,998cc
Fuel Type: Petrol
Assembly Type: Imported Built-Up
Country of Origin: Japan "

Plates History

Plate Effective Date
DV8717 05-Aug-2021
DV8717 01-Jan-1965.

The Carlos Neate Prince GT at Dunedin - a different event. Crawford Street Sprints in 1967.

what programme do you want? got some Dunedin ones to sort today

jellywrestler wrote:what programme do you want? got some Dunedin ones to sort today

" jw " - sent you an Email, cheers, Roger

" Question ; Levin photos -must find an appropriate thread to show them ?. - Preferring to keep this thread for " South Island " events although have put some others on here.
Or maybe this thread should be " Dunedin and other Classic Events ".
Never got it renamed to Lost tracks etc.. but it now is ..

As noted in the First Post - Old Tracks and Old Events apart from Pukekohe will post on here "

A couple of photos from Lewis Townsend - the archive that Ross Cammick has been working on ..

Ohakea. 1961 The grid was wide not deep..
Levin. 1960
More to come on these - have information on many of the drivers and details of the Cars..

A collection of photos from Ohakea 1961 - from the Lewis Townsend collection - processed by Ross Cammick.

The entry list from the archives of Graham Woods - the Racing Cars Sports Cars and Specials.
Some of the entrants cars ; The Racing Cars
Coopers of different styles and engines.

Climax - Tony Shelly Repco Holden - Jack Malcolm Bristol - A A ' Bert ' Grimshaw - Jones. A Special - The Normac. - Normac III.
Chevrolet 6 powered. built by the McCutcheon brothers - they made two Racings cars, Normac I and Normac III.
They all used the same Wayne Chevrolet Engine. Information on the cars from Bob Homewood Milan Fistonic Graham Kyle and others.

More of the Lewis Townsend photos.
In the Paddock

Tojeiro Jaguar of W R Gardiner ..
parked behind Ivy Stephenson Buckler #3, W S Donnelly Zephyr Special #19, another Sports Car - looks like a Mistral body is it the Missattor ? and G G Eder in #10 an Elva Ford.
Ruddspeed 3000 - the Russell Leathers car that later went to the McLaughlin Brothers.
Rod Coppins at speed in the XK120 ..
The XK120 at Alfriston with Rod and family - friends - from the Coppins archives.
MG TF - believed to be a Spectators Car.
Saloons on track and Grid Field photos to come

Lewis Townsend archives.

Specials Saloons and others in the paddock.
Saloons on the startline -quite a few Zephyrs Saloons in a line again - Zephyrs. Under the bonnet of one of the Zephyrs, Triple SU's and a Raymond Mays Head rumoured.
On Track - something unusual a Peugeot 203.
A Big Ford ' Customline '.. and a Chev Coupe.


More Saloons to follow - On Track.

Lewis Townsend archives. some more

Kerry Grant in the A40, the Mini was driven by ... Cowie
Humber 80 of M R Baigent - from Matamata
Jaguar Mark 2 3.8 of Simon Taylor.
Humber 80 Maurice Larsen and Wolseley 1500 of R L Salmon from Taupo Motorcycles are not in my area of knowledge.**
** " Bikes are a BSA Gold Star foreground. Villiers powered DOT converted scrambler on the right. Triumph twin recognisable in the left background. "
Thanks to Greg T for the notes on the Bikes ..

Will move South for the next sets of the Lewis Townsend collection.

Bikes are a BSA Gold Star foreground. Villiers powered DOT converted scrambler on the right. Triumph twin recognisable in the left background.
The DOT's interesting - it's still got a 21 inch front wheel. Must have been fun finding a road/race tyre for that.

The Peugeot 203 was driven often by Brian Lawrence, brother of Graeme and son of Doug, sometimes used to tow the Lola sports to meetings, towbar removed, then raced and with towbar replaced the ensemble returned to Wanganui (with NO H)

Oldfart wrote:The Peugeot 203 was driven often by Brian Lawrence, brother of Graeme and son of Doug, sometimes used to tow the Lola sports to meetings, towbar removed, then raced and with towbar replaced the ensemble returned to Wanganui (with NO H)

The Peugeot was driven Tony Lawrence at that 1961 meeting. Doug was driving the Cooper Bobtail in the sports car races alongside Graeme in the Mistral-bodied TR2.

Milan Fistonic wrote:The Peugeot was driven Tony Lawrence at that 1961 meeting. Doug was driving the Cooper Bobtail in the sports car races alongside Graeme in the Mistral-bodied TR2.

Milan, thanks, I had written Tony Lawrence in the " name of the photo " but not in the post.

Do you have the Saloon Entry Lists or even List of Competitors for the event ?? ..//.. I only have Racing an Sports Cars - as posted earlier.

GregT wrote:Bikes are a BSA Gold Star foreground. Villiers powered DOT converted scrambler on the right. Triumph twin recognisable in the left background.
The DOT's interesting - it's still got a 21 inch front wheel. Must have been fun finding a road/race tyre for that.

Thanks GregT - will add to the photo caption.
Cheers
Roger

More Lewis Townsend photos
- some of the same cars were at Ohakea later on - the 1961 meeting in previous posts.

Jim Palmer Lotus
The Allan Freeman Talbot Lago.
on the trailer
On the track chasing the field - Sports cars Lotus IX and racing cars
Cooper - Another famous - well would be soon driver.
Maserati 250F Len Gilbert at the wheel.
Next set - Sports Cars and Saloons..

The Lawrence Peugeot, I should have said driven by almost all the family at some stage! I wrote an article for the Peugeot Club magazine about the car with input from Brian and Tony. At least I didn't say who was driving at that meeting

Lewis Townsend photos - from the same meeting.

Rex Flowers in the Lotus - is it a " 6 " or an early " 7 " with race number " 5 ".
***It is a Lotus Six ..
.. and as commented on another thread Car #24 is the Missattor.
- photo here to keep the set together.
Vic Simkin in the Buckler 90 - Humber powered and with a Sunbeam gearbox - presume Rapier.
Jaguar Mark 2, 3.8 of Simon Taylor - car was new and had only done 500 miles before this event.
The car and Simon were at the 1961 Ohakea event too !!.
The Jaguar again - would assume that it is Simon Taylor standing with the car..
Other competitors Mark 2 Zephyr and Ford V8 behind the car.
Something rather different with this Saloon
Alvis
The Alvis raced at Ardmore in 1962 ..
Saloons on the Track to follow..

Lewis Townsend photos.

Zephyr at the front - Ivan Segedin. Mark 2 Zephyrs - there were a few and Rootes Group cars too - Hillman, Humber and Singer..
An early Hillman - pre the Audax models " Humber 80 "was unique to New Zealand a Todd Motors badge engineered version of the Hillman Minx, not seen in the UK. an Audax Humber 80 in the photo too !!
Entry list for one of the races at this meeting - Milan Fistonic archives
Placings at the bottom- Ivan Segedin in #41 the winner,Fourth place not in the entry list.

Levin was a tight track - here a photo from a 1958 Programme [ 1.175 miles ]
- there were minor variations to the track over the years from the first meeting in 1956. Programme says " 1 MILE ".
Map of the the track in 1964 - from a programme.
both images from Graham Woods.

There was a third version too, a more sweeping corner onto the front straight to make a higher front straight speed done ready for 1966.

jellywrestler wrote:There was a third version too, a more sweeping corner onto the front straight to make a higher front straight speed done ready for 1966.

This one. From the November 1966 programme.

Thanks to " jellywrestler " for the above images.
[ must reply to your message ].

The events were known as the Dunedin Festival Races and became part of the " Southern Festival of Speed "

Dunedin 1992 to 1997 and 2003 Programme Covers.
.

Thanks also to Milan for the 1966 Track Map of Levin.
I had been told there were three variations to the track and seeing the 3 images side by side you can see that.
Not major changes.
- Another of New Zealand's " Lost Tracks " with Pukekohe scheduled to join the category in April 2023.