Dunedin Street Races - revival meeting January 1984

[Milan Fistonic]

The Carlos Neate Prince GT at Ruapuna in 1966

[Roger Dowding]

Mt [ the Mount ] Maunganui Street Races ran in late December 1962 [ 29th ] and 1963 [ the 28th ], using roads in what is now the heart of the Commercial Area around Hewletts Road - the main way into the Mount from Tauranga across the " new " bridge.

These photos from Graeme Kennish archives.
Jaguar of Alistair McBeath and Ernie Sprague in his Zephyr in pursuit.
The Zephyr without the Oil Cooler through the grille - that must have come later.
December 1962.

Small capacity Saloons

- Note by Milan Fistonic - when the photo was put on the " Mt Maunganui Not Baypark " thread
" The cars in the second photo are:

Kerry Grant - A40
Paul Fahey - VW
Morrie Hogan - Anglia
Neil Johns - Mini
Brian Ax - A40

They finished in the order Grant, Johns, Hogan, Murray Charles and AX. Fahey retired on lap 3. "

From the 1963 event an Anglia in the Haybales. J Murphy in #34.

.

Entries for the two events - originally posted by GD66 - the 1962 event and Milan the 1963 - on the Mt Maunganui Not Baypark thread started by " Oldfart " back in August 2014.

Results for a Mount event shown as 1964 - from Motorman, but would be the 28th December 1963 event - Graham Woods archives.
[ bringing it all together ].

[Roger Dowding]

A bit more on the events -
This about the 1963 event.

From a Car Club magazine - Graham Woods archives;

from Motorman - about the Stanton incident.

Map of the Track - from Glen Ducey archives - presume that is GD66..

Another photo from GD archives -Racing cars on the startline.

Saloons at the start from GD archives. 1963

Front row ; left #43 Kerry Grant Cortina GT, Ernie Sprague Mk 3 Zephyr Paul Fahey #108 Lotus Cortina

Bringing the information together..

[Roger Dowding]

1963 .. The Sports Car Races.

The starting grid with Frank Matich. pole Johnny Riley and the Jaguar

The Entry list. Milan Fistonic archives

Report in the Graham Vercoe Book with grid places and finishers of the Premier Race [ Ken H archives ].

1963 the Saloons - Alan Boyle photos.
- posted elsewhere - now all together.

McBeath, Jones and Nazer

Dancing at Hull Road corner ;

Ford Dancing at the same corner - the front row of the grid posted earlier.. Sprague, Grant and Fahey..

[Roger Dowding]

Not Dunedin City, not even Otago but perhaps the first racing in the South Island regions after the Second World War.
- Ohakea held events in 1949 1950 and Seagrove, and Muriwai Beach were being used for big meetings, not just Club events..

Te Pirita Airstrip, near Dunsandel, in Otago. 6th June 1949 - Was it " Kings " birthday weekend ?..

Big oops on my part Te Pirita is near Dunsandel, near the Rakaia River and close to Christchurch as noted by " Allan ", " jellywrestler " and " Greg T " !!
[ my apologies gentlemen - now suitably corrected.
I should have remembered I had commented on the place when "jellywrestler " was seeking information for his book on Motor Cycle Racing venues back in 2020.

Have also edited the photo titles in my archive to relate to Motor Racing in Canterbury - by attaching them to my " Wigram " file,
- not " Dunedin "

Advert in a magazine for the event - Graeme Staples archives.

Results from the event from Milan Fistonic vast archives.

Some well known names in there Hec Green in his Wolseley, Don Ransley in a Riley. Pat Hoare in a Singer and Geoff Mardon on an A J S motorcycle - would be before he went to England. Les Moore in a 500cc Triumph motorcycle.
Les also went to the UK for motorcycle racing
Event was a combined Car and Motorcycle event.

part one

part two

Does anyone have any more information on this early Post War event?.
There was Beach Racing in Otago Southland at the time, I understand.

[Allan]

Te Pirita and Dunsandel are in Mid Canterbury nowhere near Dunedin.

[jellywrestler]

closer to Dunners than the earlier posts about Mt Maunganui and Ohakea. I think this thread morphed a wee while ago into more than just Dunedin.

[GregT]

Te Pirita was the start point for a very long and localised history in Central Canterbury. The Motor Racing Club and Canterbury Car Club are a large part of that. They deserve - and have - their own history.

[Roger Dowding]

closer to Dunners than the earlier posts about Mt Maunganui and Ohakea. I think this thread morphed a wee while ago into more than just Dunedin.

It did indeed Graeme as I didn't want to start another one to keep an eye on.. Now covers most events outside of Auckland,
Auckland events - Ardmore and others Whenuapai etc will put on the Pukekohe thread.
Just haven't got around to get TRS to amend the Title - covered in the first post though, which has been amended several times !!

Cheers
Roger

[Roger Dowding]

Te Pirita was the start point for a very long and localised history in Central Canterbury. The Motor Racing Club and Canterbury Car Club are a large part of that. They deserve - and have - their own history.

Greg T, Thanks for that - must do some research on the MRC and CCC ..
Do you have some information on Te Pirita .. I thought it was further South than Canterbury - off to Google now !!

Cheers

Roger

[Roger Dowding]

Should have gone to Spec-Savers.

Just word searched ' Te Pirita ' on this forum and found it mentioned by " jellywrestler " on a separate thread and in " Old Race Tracks." too - found my own post and this ;


Was near Christchurch and a long way from Dunedin - but at least I had it in the proper Island !!

[GregT]

Until recently I lived in Hororata which is the nearest settlement of any size. Having known for years about Te Pirita being used I did ask one or two of the locals for any info. Not being a born and bred local myself. I'm told there's pretty much nothing left of what was the airfield. It was after all only a grass strip - like Wigram - but without Wigram's sealed perimeter track. That area is all relatively recent conversions to dairy. Within the last 20 years or so anyway. I suspect you'd be hard put to see any evidence even from the air by now.

I knew about it from listening to talk at home - the old man was a founder member of the Motor Racing Club.

[GregT]

Greg T, Thanks for that - must do some research on the MRC and CCC ..
Do you have some information on Te Pirita .. I thought it was further South than Canterbury - off to Google now !!

Cheers

Roger

There is a massive tome published on the history of the Motor Racing Club. Your local library may have a copy, Christchurch certainly does. They come up occasionally at swap meet stalls. Cheapest I''ve seen was $100 which is why I don't have a copy.

[Roger Dowding]

Te Pirita and Dunsandel are in Mid Canterbury nowhere near Dunedin.

Allan - missed your comment - post #299 now suitably corrected - Thanks for the information.
Cheers

Roger

[jellywrestler]

Greg T, Thanks for that - must do some research on the MRC and CCC ..
Do you have some information on Te Pirita .. I thought it was further South than Canterbury - off to Google now !!

Cheers

Roger

sounds like you need one of my books....

[jellywrestler]

Until recently I lived in Hororata which is the nearest settlement of any size. Having known for years about Te Pirita being used I did ask one or two of the locals for any info. Not being a born and bred local myself. I'm told there's pretty much nothing left of what was the airfield. It was after all only a grass strip - like Wigram - but without Wigram's sealed perimeter track. That area is all relatively recent conversions to dairy. Within the last 20 years or so anyway. I suspect you'd be hard put to see any evidence even from the air by now.

I knew about it from listening to talk at home - the old man was a founder member of the Motor Racing Club.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Te+Pi ... 171.893538
there is a slight trace on google maps, i flew over there recently and at that time of the year couldn't see anything at all, pretty cool feeling to see seagrove air base still clear as from a plane up north. I have become friends with a guy called Max Poole, he was a child on Seagrove shortly after the war, I took him out there recently and loved his guided tour of where everything was there too.

[jellywrestler]

Should have gone to Spec-Savers.

Just word searched ' Te Pirita ' on this forum and found it mentioned by " jellywrestler " on a separate thread and in " Old Race Tracks." too - found my own post and this ;


Was near Christchurch and a long way from Dunedin - but at least I had it in the proper Island !!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]73320[/ATTACH]

quite a mission merging old aerial photos into modern maps, first is to get them both to the same direction then get the scales to match. This on was harder as the black and white is made of more than one aerial merged too, it's just a patience thing but no-one else could pinpoint the facility.

[jellywrestler]

Not Dunedin City, not even Otago but perhaps the first racing in the South Island regions after the Second World War.
- Ohakea held events in 1949 1950 and Seagrove, and Muriwai Beach were being used for big meetings, not just Club events..

Te Pirita Airstrip, near Dunsandel, in Otago. 6th June 1949 - Was it " Kings " birthday weekend ?..

Big oops on my part Te Pirita is near Dunsandel, near the Rakaia River and close to Christchurch as noted by " Allan ", " jellywrestler " and " Greg T " !!
[ my apologies gentlemen - now suitably corrected.
I should have remembered I had commented on the place when "jellywrestler " was seeking information for his book on Motor Cycle Racing venues back in 2020.

Have also edited the photo titles in my archive to relate to Motor Racing in Canterbury - by attaching them to my " Wigram " file,
- not " Dunedin "

Advert in a magazine for the event - Graeme Staples archives.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]73306[/ATTACH]

Results from the event from Milan Fistonic vast archives.

Some well known names in there Hec Green in his Wolseley, Don Ransley in a Riley. Pat Hoare in a Singer and Geoff Mardon on an A J S motorcycle - would be before he went to England. Les Moore in a 500cc Triumph motorcycle.
Les also went to the UK for motorcycle racing
Event was a combined Car and Motorcycle event.

part one
[ATTACH=CONFIG]73307[/ATTACH]

part two
[ATTACH=CONFIG]73308[/ATTACH]

Does anyone have any more information on this early Post War event?.
There was Beach Racing in Otago Southland at the time, I understand.

that's actually the original programme fo the event, damn lucky to find that, it was in the Vintage Car Clubs archives. They have a lot of old programmes and initially had brushed this aside as a drag race type of event untill I googled the venue and found at the time it was new zealands biggest airfield. I returned the next week to the VCC archives and found the events were listed including laps so a proper race meeting as such. Andy Anderson the last surviving founder of the VCC went to the meeting, I need to track him down and see what his memories are of it. The brick structure that stored aviation fuel for this is still in the ground at bankside very close to SH1 and has been deemed of historical interest

[GregT]

You know Kevin Clarkson don't you Spyda. Chairman of Beaded Wheels editorial comittee. Used to race in CAMS and his son Brent still does occasionally. Kevin would I'm sure put you in touch with Andy anderson.

[Oldfart]

Slightly irrelevant, but I was taken to see Te Pirita airfield remains in 1970 when I was teaching at Dunsandel in 1970. Largest airfield? That's surprising. FWIW Dunsandel Rugby club played in the South Canterbury sub section, although most other areas defined the boundary as the Rakaia river.
I believe the local garage owner, Ivan Happer raced there.