Dunedin Street Races - revival meeting January 1984

[Roger Dowding]

Milan,

Re ; " I don't know if this 1992 programme cover and track map have been posted and I don't have time to search through 18 pages to find out. "
To my recollection - no, I have not seen that Cover or the Track map.
Yes 18 pages indeed.

Thank you - more for the archives on Dunedin.

Cheers

Roger

[jellywrestler]

I don't know if this 1992 programme cover and track map have been posted and I don't have time to search through 18 pages to find out.

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got one of those programmes for sale if anyone wants one.

[Roger Dowding]

" SNAPSHOTS " from the 1961 Dunedin Festival Road Race event..

Bikes and Cars.

Entry List for the Saloon Race Event IV.

1962 and Pat Hoare - Ferrari has its nose out of shape..

[Roger Dowding]

Guys, this is a small thread because, I got sidetracked with my Pukekohe shots - there are another 30 photos to come Saloons, Specials Gee Cee S etc and Vintage - the ERA, and 50's single seaters, must get back to it soon.

Post #10 - from 26th October 2015 at the early part of the Dunedin Story of the 1984, I made the above comment.

Recently posted on Facebook by Warner Collins is a video of the 1984 Event which includes the Bethunes Gully Hill Climb on the Saturday and the Races in Dunedin Central on the Sunday.

Can't get the link across, but do look for it.

Mark D who ran the HUGE Pontiac Bonneville 4 door Saloon /Sedan at both events features and sent me the details.
Mark is restoring the Bonneville at the moment and it has been to events recently - photos on this thread have been posted

Think the 1984 Video has been posted on South Island Motorsports page by Adrian Robertson too !!

Remember standing at some of the corners taking photos on the Race Day - Sunday as well as the Sprints in Fryatt Street on the Saturday.

[Roger Dowding]

A certain Zephyr and a Jaguar [ Mark 3 at 2553 cc versus a Mark 2 at 3781 cc ]. The CC's won..

The Entry List ..with notes - thanks to Milan Fistonic.

[Roger Dowding]

The Weekend consisted of 3 Events, the Hill Climb at Bethunes Gully and the Sprints of Fryatt Street in the City on the Saturday.
Historic Street Races were held on the Sunday.
- [ The Event was what started this thread ]

A couple more photos of what was the " Biggest " Car at the event - in size and a rather large Motor too !!

The Entry List [ again ] for the Saloon Class Race ..

The Pontiac Bonneville of Mark Dawber at Bethunes Gully - this photo is from near the top of the climb.

The Pontiac in the Street Races on Sunday - being chased by a group of Mini's.
All images from Mark D's archives... the notation A Swain was a nickname..

The Pontiac being raced at a Vintage Car Club Grass Sprint - in late May 2023.
The car has been restored /repaired by Mark and his son.

[Roger Dowding]

A photo and an entry list ..

Entry List for the Sports Specials and Racing Car Race - with two Austin Healey's running a 100 [ 4 cylinder 2660 cc ] and a 100 - Six [ 2639 cc The Maserati - supercharged, C - Type Jaguar and Cooper. are listed

[Roger Dowding]

Renwick 1962 meeting.

The start of the " Renwick 50 " - Graham Woods archives - from a newspaper or Magazine

Angus Hyslop - Cooper - Climax 2.5 L, Morrie Stanton - Stanton Corvette - 4.9 L front row,
Tony Shelley - Lotus - Climax 2.5 L, behind with Barry Cottle in the Lola - Climax - 1098 cc - Sports Car.
Then other older Racing Cars 250F Maserati and the Ferrari of R H Smith 3.4 litre
Chris Amon in the Entry too !!
A typical Entry for the time an NZ Specials, Sports Cars and Racing Cars all in the same field.

The Entry List - Graham Woods archives

[Roger Dowding]

Posted a couple of photos of the Ex Bira ERA - the Blue one with yellow stripes [ yellow on the chassis ] on a facebook page and Allan Dick responded with the attached information.

" It is Romulus, the famous ex Bira ERA which came to NZ with it's proud and enthusiastic owner Bill Morris who drove the car like fury and had an awesome reputation in the UK. One of the Dunedin motor racing crew — Greg McKenzie — went to the UK in the late sixties or early seventies for his OE and ended up staying four or five years and became great mates with Morris. When Morris brought the ERA to NZ he stayed for the summer and competed in classic racing up and down the country. He stayed with Greg in Dunedin for several weeks when he did the southern races. Greg brought him to the pub every night and Bill became part of the Downtown Tavern "think tank" who met nightly to talk motor racing and solve the world's problems. Bill was great and easy company - no airs and graces. Sadly, his health went down and he died in 2018. " ***.

The photo - posted before under the Dunedin 1984 part of the thread when I first wrote it ..

On the track

Otago Daily Times photo of the ERA and the 260M - as in the above colour photo..

** Have found out a bit more about the ERA .. It was one of several that were in the stable of Prince Chula of Siam and his brother Prince Bira used to race them .. more to come on this.

Details from John Newell ..about the ERA. this was a reply to Allan Dick's comment posted above

***
" actually the E.R.A. that Bill Morris brought out in 1984 is Hanuman II. Chassis R12B, and always a 1500cc engined car.
It was one of Prince Chula's White Mouse Garage E.R.A.s, and was raced by his cousin Prince B. Bira.
There were two other Siamese Prince owned cars. These are Remus (R5B), and Romulus (R2B).
I was priviledged to help Bill push start Hanuman II that year in Dunedin, as a teenager. It is a memory I won't forget!
When in the UK on my OE playing with Vintage racing cars for 6 years in the 90s, I got to know several E.R.A. owners, and worked on one of these cars.
R12B is actually now back in Thailand.
R2B spent most of its life there but is now back racing in the UK. "

An ERA was in Dunedin in 1989 as well.. an article by Mark Holman for Classic and Sports Car Magazine from the UK - who also writes for NZ Classic Driver.
This on Ardmore and Dunedin in 1989..

[Milan Fistonic]

Bill Morris at Whenuapai in 1984

[Roger Dowding]

Not sure if posted before - went back over the thread recently. the images was scanned in 2019.

This was the centre-spread in the " Dunedin Midweek " - the Weekly published on the Wednesday following the event on 29th January 1984.

Mark D posted a couple of photos recently from his own and also the Bramwell collection of cars at the events - including the Newell Vauxhall 30/98 having a slide on Bethune's Gully - the Hill Climb ..

The 1930's Alta that was in the Entry Lists of the Pre-war vehicles - actually Vintage and up to 1954. It included Sports and Racing cars from the 1930's to 1954.
Behind the Honda tow car ..

A crowd around the Alta with the Engine cover off - location not stated - from the archives of Mark Dawber.

[bry3500]

[video=youtube;Bu9EkZSO0Ds]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu9EkZSO0Ds&t=192s&ab_channel=LaurieBrenssell[/video]

[Roger Dowding]

A story from Allan Dick of Autonews and now Classic Autonews.

" Dunedin 1962 and the last what were called the Oval Meetings because the circuit included the Oval sports ground — which isn't anything like Oval in shape!
It rained on and off and there were lots of spins, crashes and John Mansel died from injuries. It was a very unhappy meeting in a lot of ways.

This is the intersection of King Edward Street, Bridgeman Street and, Wilkie Road. It was a tricky, bumpy corner with lots of camber changes and a service station at each corner!

Here Stan Prestige [ S Prestridge in the Entry List as shown in post #368 below -thanks Milan Fistonic ] in his 1946 Ford takes the corner and chases after Peter Elsey in his pink and black VW while Ken Berry in his VW and an unknown Morris minor driver both spin. Photo taken, I think, by Bob Woodford who was one of thousands of spectators upon the railway embankment.

This was the corner where Rod Copppins spun the Tec Mec (as a sports car) and reversed it through the brick wall of the small flour mill to the right of the image and Chris Amon found the gap between the flour mill and the railway embankment with no damage to the Maserati. "

Note from Graham Woods " No.7 is W. Hayes from Invercargill " ...

Photo - posted before without all the detail.

[Milan Fistonic]

The entry list for the 1962 Saloon Car Race.

[Roger Dowding]

Saw this car at Dunedin in 1984 - the Street Races that started this thread..

Recently some photos have emerged of the car at the Lyttleton Street Races in the 1980's.
I need to research the actual date or dates. *** See note below in this post

The car has been rebuilt by Mark and his son in the last couple of years and has been to some VCC events around Christchurch.

Photos from both events ;

Lyttleton ..

This from a John Wards who took a number of photos at the event.

Photo from H Dawber archives - his own photo I believe.

Moving on around 40 years - the car had been off the road for around 30 years so since early 1990's.

The VCC Grasskhana event, raking up, and taking up, a lot of the track.
Mark Dawber's own photos.

The car showing some primer paint as was not finished at the time.
Have seen a number of photos of the rebuild - mainly of the bodywork.

The car was known as the " Aircraft Carrier " when Mark raced it in the 1980's

Have just found this on an early thread on TRS where there was a question about the Races.

There were three events
This about the first two - from Chris Read.

" The first meeting was SUNDAY 13 11 88 and was a very hot day which played havoc with cars on the grid without starters as the race was new and getting the races away was taking 5 minutes after formation. I cooked the motor! The Cooper Bristols of Jim Boult and Wayne Marsh were there I think and too fast for me. The BCM, ACE111 and 260M were evenly matched and we had great racing.
Times were 59 seconds. There is a great photo in the following weeks Press of Graeme Hamilton in the ACE and me in the BCM cutting the corner at the top under a verandah. Not sure if this meeting or the next but over the bridge the Stanton dropped its rear diff drive chain with me 1 foot behind and it sure made me pucker until I saw it lay itself on the ground and I passed over it and round the Stanton as it came to a stop.

THE SECOND MEETING WAS 12 11 89. It was a hot fine and sunny day. I was racing the BCM Special. Times were about 60 sec for the classic single seaters. Both the Coopers were absent. Russell Greer had the Stanton and once in front he was too wide to pass. I had pole but the Stanton got in front and stayed there. The ACE111 had broken its drive train so I had no one to play with except a bothersome anklebiting FF which was lots of fun. Getting the corner right onto the straight after the down hill bit gave you some straight speed to pass. I really enjoy street racing and this was all of that so it was a pity this was the last meeting. I think I was awarded the PDL trophy for best effort by a NZ built special. All I was trying to do was get past Russell.
A Porsche came to grief but not sure if that was why it did not happen next year. I think it was a matter of logistics. Great wee circuit and part of NZ history of street circuits. Chris Read "

" jellywrestler " states that there was a third event 11th November 1990 - Armistice Day WW1 Anniversary

[Roger Dowding]

Events were held at Ryal Bush, Southland in early 1956 and again in 1957, in February of that year.
This is before the opening of Teretonga, a dedicated Racing Track in November 1957.

A series of photos from the " Eric Rillstone Studio " have been shared by Graham Woods on Old New Zealand Motor Racing Facebook page - Graham mentions that he has discovered 24 photos from Ryal Bush mainly 1956 with some 1957 and also photos from Teretonga in later 1957, when the Track opened.

Cars in the Southland Centennial Race.
Note some cars also ran in the " Sports Car Race ",

The Entry list Lap Chart - posted before ;

Grand Prix cars - Ferrari's

Peter Whitehead in the pits

Whitehead on track

Reg Parnell - in his Aston Martin ** - should have read the entry list and had a good look at the car.

Ron Roycroft Bugatti - Jaguar leads Peter Whitehead followed by Frank Shuter in the Edelbrock Special

Ron Roycroft in the Bug-Jag

More action to come - the Sports Cars

[jellywrestler]

Events were held at Ryal Bush, Southland in early 1956 and again in 1957, in February of that year.
This is before the opening of Teretonga, a dedicated Racing Track in November 1957.

A series of photos from the " Eric Rillstone Studio " have been shared by Graham Woods on Old New Zealand Motor Racing Facebook page - Graham mentions that he has discovered 24 photos from Ryal Bush mainly 1956 with some 1957 and also photos from Teretonga in later 1957, when the Track opened.

there was another meeting in 1990 too

[Roger Dowding]

Ryal Bush 1956 - The Sports Cars - as noted some cars competed in the Sports Car Race and the Southland Centennial Race.

Entry List for the Sports Cars ;

Mrs June Monk in her TR2 in the lead an Allard behind

Ray Archibald in the XK120 and Tom Killkelly MG Special

HWM Jaguar - photo was posted with the note who is the driver ? #44
will be in the Entry List for one of the Races. F A O Tony Gaze in the Sports Car Race he had a Ferrari GP Car in the main race or is it John Horton in the main race, but he was #7 ..

Tom Sulman in the Aston Martin DB3S

[Roger Dowding]

Another from 1956 of Mrs June Monk leading a couple of others with a car off in the grass.
Titles were used for females back in these days.

The NZ Road Race Championship - Entry List for the 1957 Event.

Some of the Entrants on track.

A group with Tucker in the Ransley Riley [ RR 2 ].

Reg Parnell and Peter Whitehead

Jack Brabham in a Bobtail Cooper - Climax

Horace Gould of Cooper Bristol fame in a Maserati 250F

Some details on the photos including an error H Gould Maserati. not Ferrari
That is all for the moment.
Do have the Saloon Car Entry List for one years events but no images

[Roger Dowding]

" New Zealand Championship Road Race ". 1949 at Wigram RNZAF Base.

In the 1950 Programme for the same event it states
The event was "Run jointly by the Canterbury Car Club (Inc.) and the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand, - Held under the auspices and rules of the ' Association of New Zealand Car Clubs ' and Supplementary Regulations.".
The Association had been formed in 1948.

Entry List and Lap Chart for the " Main " Race. up to lap 21.

The entrants on the startline from a Newspaper or Magazine of the Day.

Notes on the Drivers.

Other notes - unsure where from - a Club newsletter perhaps - not serious enough to be in the Programme.

All from Graham Woods vast archives