The Roaring Season

This was a revelation when it first appeared. Mallory Park April 1970. Note the body mods just 2 months later. Brian Martin's BM8 Kit car day at Mallory 1987 Whenuapai 1990

1970 Nitus Bedford - Prescott Formula 3 Lotuses. Flash paddock facilities back in 1970... Ellerslie 1992 Hamilton 1994 A fraction of the Pre '66 car park Goodwood 2016.

Another mix...
1967 1978. My best pal since the age of about 8, went through a marriage break up and the house proceeds were split, so first he opted for an MGC GT - which I thoroughly enjoyed as a passenger, or driving. It wasn't long before he upped to this Lotus Europa. In the background is my then lodger's Lotus Elite. 1980 Cadwell again. Lola Aston Martin at Donington 2018 Gaydon

Ray this photo of the BSA at Pukekohe. Do you know what the car is behind it The 1920's Vintage.
Could it be the 1922 Lorraine Dietrich owned by Ivan Bennett, Jim Bennett of Furi Cars fame older brother.
This photo from Kwaussie shows the Bennett Boys and their cars Jim with Furi 14 centre, presume Cliff in the other car left.
Second thoughts not the Lorraine but here is the photo anyway - will go on the Dunedin thread later
Notes from an Otago Daily Times article that the photo [ cropped ] appeared " The retired Bennett brothers helped each other building this trio of vehicles. Photo by Gerard O'Brien "

Bentley I think Roger. If it had been a bit more unusual, I might have snapped it.

ERC wrote:Bentley I think Roger. If it had been a bit more unusual, I might have snapped it.

Ray, thanks had started the post and thought similar without having the photos side by side as it were !,

Interestingly that Blue Sports Car left in the photo, is Cliff Bennett's built from a wrecked Lotus Europa that burnt out, aluminium body by Cliff and re-powered with a 1600 Fuego motor - modified [ hotted up ] which Cliff and Jim worked on and worked over - the story on the Dunedin thread.

Curborough 1982. From memory, Arthur Mallock at the wheel. Again from memory, possibly a young Nick Whale, who went on to better things. Pukekohe March 1983 Donington 1988 Manfeild 1990 Ellerslie 1991. Interesting that Jay Leno claims the SP250 is one of his favourite cars.

ERC wrote:This was a revelation when it first appeared. Mallory Park April 1970.
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Note the body mods just 2 months later.
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So neat to see colour photos of the BL Group 2 Rover P6. I believe there were a couple of these cars built? One of them somehow ended up in Australia, owned by Jim Smith, and raced as a Sports Sedan. I think Smith raced it once in NZ also?

Correct Steve. Link to the page on the UK site. I have been supplying them with photographs for some time:


http://www.modbase.info/#/rover-p6/4593476643

1995 Otaua - Kieft 2005 Teretonga 2018 2019 Dad's Merit Alfa. Sadly a broken/missing steering wheel and screen

Luv the old Merits. Nothing like them now

Agree chaindrive. Airfix kits were 2/-, Merit were 7/6, Revell E type Jaguar (a fine model - with chromed fittings) was 15/-. Nowadays, apart from the Tamiya Jaguar Mark 2 (another fine model, in road or race trim) nothing much has appealed.

The two Merits with engines, (Alfa & Talbot Lago) have been re-released as SMER. I bought the Talbot on Ebay last year but someone had taken many of the parts off the plastic sprigs so I haven't bothered to assemble it.

Probably need your suggestion of a set of Herb Deeks wire wheels to make it worthwhile.

ERC wrote:1970 Nitus Bedford - Prescott
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Any more info on this car?

ERC wrote:The 1977 car (my picture) was probably driven by Tony Rouff (USA) who finished a very creditable 6th at Snetterton, March 27th - but as a Formula 2 car, tailing the F5000's. Fields seemed to have been a bit erratic in the Shellsport series and the Sana was replaced by a Ralt. Rouff took out a win later in the year, but there weren't many F5000's running that day.

In 1967, I had moved south and purchased my first car (at 21 - it wasn't cheap running a car when wages were so low!) so I was then able to start going to events on my weekend's off (alternate weekends, though usually called in on one of the two days, making it a 13 day working fortnight, as we never ever got the midweek rest day's off).

One of the earliest solo 4 wheel trips was a second trip to Shelsley Walsh, though I had managed Mallory Park on two wheels.
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Three years later after my short lived marriage split, I was off to Prescott.
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Anyone know whose is the McLaren?

possibly Patsy Burt.

Patsy Burt's McLaren was blue and white. (Pic published earlier).

Car 158 I thought was 1970 Prescott but double checking through, it seems as though it must have been May 1971, in which case it was well known hillclimber Roy Lane's McLaren M10B - but with 5,500cc according to the programme, not the usual 5,000cc.

Johnty Williamson's Cooper Chrysler was packing a 7,200cc motor!

Mike MacDowell (who I met in NZ a few years ago at a McLaren Trust do in Newmarket) was driving John Cussin's Palliser Repco 3000cc but I don't have a pic of that. If it was yesterday, I'd probably have a couple of pics of every single car running!

Loton Park August 1973 and Roy Lane again, but McLaren M14D, 5,700cc

ERC wrote:Patsy Burt's McLaren was blue and white. (Pic published earlier).

Car 158 I thought was 1970 Prescott but double checking through, it seems as though it must have been May 1971, in which case it was well known hillclimber Roy Lane's McLaren M10B - but with 5,500cc according to the programme, not the usual 5,000cc.

Johnty Williamson's Cooper Chrysler was packing a 7,200cc motor!

Mike MacDowell (who I met in NZ a few years ago at a McLaren Trust do in Newmarket) was driving John Cussin's Palliser Repco 3000cc but I don't have a pic of that. If it was yesterday, I'd probably have a couple of pics of every single car running!

Loton Park August 1973 and Roy Lane again, but McLaren M14D, 5,700cc
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Thanks guys, I sent a message off to Allen Brown, race car historian who has the excellent Old Racing Cars website: https://www.oldracingcars.com/

Allen confirmed it was Roy Lane from 1971: https://www.oldracingcars.com/hillclimb ... scott/may/

I have been to Allen's site before (he has posted a couple of my pics too) but I couldn't find a specific link to the Hillclimb pages, so sent him a message. I do have some stuff he'd appreciate such as some notated programmes listing non-starters, compiled by the NSCC race secretary or officials, at one or two F5000 races at Mallory Park.

Rare F3 Ginetta at Curborough October 1980 Gaydon 2018. I'd had this 2018 pic in the not-sure pile since September but thanks to Google, was able to confirm that it is a Horstman, built in Bath. Taken at one of my favourite UK museums, Haynes at Sparkford John Hudson's BMW 2019. He called at Caffeine & Classics, en route for Hampton Downs, January. Leadfoot 2019

More from the slide pile... Just about finished logging and scanning the slides, but now started culling the not so good pics (out of focus, scratched, over/under exposed and duplicates) during the evenings. Then daytime it will be back to scanning negatives...

Racing Car Show January 1971. Cadwell 1980 I think, September 11th 1986 2002 Ellerslie but no idea what this special is, but someone worked hard on making the panels for it. if anyone can put a name to it, I'd appreciate it. Hans Compter's Jowett alongside. September 2002. Someone caused a nose to tail at the hairpin exit during an earlier race hence the lopsided Marcos right front. The TR6 is the one that at a later meeting, sheared a hub and ended up upside down just in front of me, as I was flat yakker through the mountain, resulting in extensive damage to the bonnet and the rear of the car's bodywork and a damaged left front suspension, bouncing off the concrete as there was no run off on the inside of the corner, despite there being plenty of room... Poor, badly designed circuit upgrade.

Rod Hemmings' well used TVR and Stuart Clumpas, MG Midget just behind. JT in his race days... Derek Prior on the watch, Brian Skudder flag, CoC Stan Edwards observes.

2002 - There were rumours of a return to the tracks recently, (Greg Bellingham) but nothing so far. The café at Hampton Downs (outside) has this large glass wall that adjoins the Toyota Race Series workshop. Which begs the question, what happens to all the TRS cars when they are pensioned off, given that there is a new chassis for next season? We seem to have had a myriad of single seater race formulae over the years, but how many do we see in formula libre races? Leadfoot 2019 again. Probably now my favourite NZ event.