The Roaring Season

A Tribute from Allan Dick - Classic Autonews

" VALE CHARLIE STANTON.
103 is a pretty fair age but that’s the milestone Charlie Stanton reached before he quietly slipped away earlier this week.
As the famous Stanton Brothers, Charlie was the thinker and the engineer, Morrie was the courage and the driving skills as well as also an engineer.
Charlie let Morrie do all of the public racing driving, he was content to create, to contemplate and take the proverbial back seat.
Together they ran a garage in Sydenham in Christchurch.
In the mid-sixties, Charlie went overseas and spent 1967 working for Jack Brabham on his Formula One team, building the engines for Denis Hulme to win the F1 title with.
Charlie served in the Middle East in WW2 fighting mainly in Italy, returned home in peacetime and bought a 1927 Speed Bentley.
The Christchurch-based brothers were early on the motor racing scene when they took a three wheel BSA sports car, gave it two wheels at the rear and then went racing.
That was followed by the legendary “Cropduster” with its rear-engined Gypsy Major aero engine and crudely styled body.
It had an impact on motor racing circuits, but they fitted a more aerodynamic modified Mistral body to set a NZ Land Speed record for cars at circa 174mph.
Importantly for Stanton tradition — it was chain driven.
Their next car was a mistake. It was the first Stanton Corvette — a front engined, V8 powered single seater that looked like an enlarged speedway midget or modified Indycar. It was a design that was outdated even before they began building it.
They realised it, scrapped it and built a chain driven, rear engined car with extraordinarily homely looks.
But it was fast and Morrie drove it bravely while Charlie continued to stand in the background watching.
In the mid sixties the Stanton Corvette was reconfigured as a sports car. The chassis had outriggers and a widened body and the centre steering was offset by chain drive to the new driving position.
At first it had a huge open maw of a mouth, but then it was given a streamlined nose.
Morrie had a serious accident at Waimate and retired from driving, his role being taken over by Geoff Mardon who was fantastically sucessful in the car — still called “the Stanton Corvette”.
The Stantons retired, the “Corvette” was sold to Jim Boyd, then John Monehan and it’s been in the ownership of Russell Greer for many years.
Charlie Stanton switched direction, designed, built and flew a glider which is in the wonderful Ashburton Aircraft Museum.
Morrie died several years back but Charlie lived in a retirement village in Nelson, for many years.
He has a street named after him in Christchurch. "

Saw the Stanton Corvette raced many times in the 1960's into the 1970's and Stanton Special - Cropduster at Dunedin in 1984.

My own photos of the two famous cars, built by the Stanton Brothers.
Borrowed this image - " Chaindrive " Tony Lucas " small tributes " to the Stanton Brothers.

khyndart in CA wrote:Spinner stated that the Lola he drove at Matamata was one that he got from Johnny Riley in a deal for a boat !
The car a (Lola Mk2 / Ford) was first brought into the country by John Histed so it could be ready for the 1962 NZGP at Ardmore meet.
The car was then sold to Ken Smith and then onto John Riley before reaching Spinner.

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Ken Smith about 1963 in the Lola that S. Black drove at Matamata in 1965.



(Ken H)

Just had another look at the Photo from Ken H.

behind the Lola is an Austin Healey 100S and hard left looks like the Graeme McRae special the Maserarri.
now to find out whose AH and which chassis number number plate the 1961 -64 series and looks like " 75.602 ".

My thoughts on the photo posted by Ken H
The way the cars are lined up looks like the Dummy Grid at Levin.

In the list of entrants at the January 1964 Levin meeting Ken Smith is listed as driving the Lola number 20. His father Morrie is also listed as driving the car with the number 120.

Strangely neither Ken or Morrie are listed in any of the races in the programme but there is a race with the Massarari (H. Crawford), an MGA number 31 (R.Grace) and an Austin Healey 2400 (G. [Grady] Thomson) which could fit in with the photo.

Milan Fistonic wrote:Strangely neither Ken or Morrie are listed in any of the races in the programme...

Having acted as entries secretary several times, Kenny Smith often wouldn't appear in the programme, as he rarely put an entry in on time. Maybe a trait he inherited?

It's not only very frustrating for race organisers who, in pre computer times, had to not only arrange for the programme to be printed, be that a stapled properly produced item or a photo-copied sheet, but also issue specific entry list check sheets for the scrutineer, time keepers and so on, but it also frustrates photographers and historians.

NZ is very bad for people not entering on time, be that race meetings, sports meetings, industry meetings, conferences awards dinners etc. If we'd canned race meetings where at the closing date, there were insufficient entries to make the meeting viable, we'd have cancelled over half - but we'd still be up for paying circuit hire fees.

Milan Fistonic wrote:My thoughts on the photo posted by Ken H

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The way the cars are lined up looks like the Dummy Grid at Levin.

In the list of entrants at the January 1964 Levin meeting Ken Smith is listed as driving the Lola number 20. His father Morrie is also listed as driving the car with the number 120.

Strangely neither Ken or Morrie are listed in any of the races in the programme but there is a race with the Massarari (H. Crawford), an MGA number 31 (R.Grace) and an Austin Healey 2400 (G. [Grady] Thomson) which could fit in with the photo.

Milan,

Thanks for the details and yes Grady Thomson did run a 100S at one time - not sure which car, probably AHS3601, that was originally Black and as the recreation AHS 3601R is again.
Need to check my notes and the AH thread.

Strangely neither Ken or Morrie are listed in any of the races in the programme

But in this case they were included in the list of entrants at the meeting published in the programme.

I totally agree with your comments about late entries. Another gripe is result sheets that only give the driver's name and the time and/or placing without listing the type of car.

The second running of the NZ CRR at Dunedin in 1954,
1951 and 1952 was at Mairehau, near Christchurch. then in 1953 it went to Dunedin.

Notes on the Competitors Are in the programme, which Bruce Dyer sent to me many years ago, but these images are from Graham Woods

Cover from Bruce's copy
The Notes;
Godfrey Paape in the Austin A90 " Atlantic " was also the chairman of the Organising Committee and an ANZCC member [ the President ] as well as a senior member [ the President ] of the organising Club the Otago Sports Car Club.
Page 2 and 3 of the programme with the list of Officials. A very Motor racing oriented guy.

ANZCC - the " Association of New Zealand Car Clubs " was started in 1947, the forerunner of Motorsport New Zealand, previously Motorsport Association of New Zealand MANZ,

image from the Bruce Dyer copy of the programme

Roger Dowding wrote:Bruce, I thought the Vagabond was an EI series Vauxhall Convertible 53-57 [ two door ] Holden also did a LI series 47 - 52 ?? Ragtop too !!

a 1953 Vagabond - P.S. - Vauxhall EI series was also built in Switzerland !! as a Van ..??

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The comment re the LI series - think they may have been coachbuilt - not by Holden ??
Could be the start of some other thoughts -
Not a Vagabond but the Australia only Vauxhall Caleche ..

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John Mck - could just imagine drifting an EI Ute .. a mate had an LIP, he was in Northern Sports car club, had wide rear wheels under grafted on Escort Mk 1 round flares, an inline Hurst shifter for the Vauxhall gearbox - took the tree of the column.. had twin carbs - went well in a straight line and sounded good 2262 cc of sheer power ..

April 2024 - Photos of the LIP of Dave Hotham, with the Escort Flares, and other mods, under the bonnet bigger carbs and a Hurst inline shifter on the gearbox.

John McKechnie wrote:Ken, he will be at Taupo, will make sure you two catch up again....we can ask him then. Sounds good ???

The above Written by John Mckecknie on the 11th January 2018 [ 01-11-2018 in US speak ].
Never got see Ken then or even at later events, but we did meet last year when Ken H was back in NZ, for his brothers funeral, sadly.
Interestingly my next door neighbour John Mitchinson [ not on TRS ] was in the same class as Ken's brother, also John, at Kiwitahi School around 1960.

A South Island Racer, a couple of photos from 1963.

Practice at Renwick 1963, with Andy Buchanan in the Brabham and Dennis Marwood Humber [ probably posted before ]
The Renwick Saloon Car race Entry List.
Teretonga - also believed to be 1963 - same 1961 - 64 plate " 683,012 " on the Chev, here with an Anglia.
archive Graham Woods who stated " not my picture ".

A busy start - all 6 cylinder cars, Waimate 1964. Event 8 at 4;00 pm - photo Euan Sarginson. [ from Allan Dick -Terry Marshall archives ].
** The start of Heat Two the over two litre cars Race. - note from Milan Fistonic next post.
Heat one was " The Publicans Race " - for the under 2 litre cars.
Ron Sylvester Chev Coupe, J K Laney FJ Holden, Ernie Sprague Mk3 Zephyr, #5 Mk2 Zephyr John Armstrong, Ray Archibald and Ian Dow 4th - 1st in over 2000cc class Jaguar Mk2's, Mk2 Zephyr Norman Masters from Balclutha, Chev Coupe at back Doug Algie #41 Chev Coupe is P Gillum
The Entry list.
Details to be checked.
Did the under 2 litre class start a few seconds later. two separate heats ** notes Milan Fistonic,

Another photo - same race 1964 Heat Two - originally thought 1963 but the same cars as top photo. Chevs Holden Jags and Zephyrs.
* A better version of this photo has emerged - the full view with all the Zephyr visible.
Will attach it in a new post.
This is the Race in which Ernie Sprague had the big off and finished behind the Haybales - photo posted before; Mk2 Zephyr John Armstrong Chev Coupe either Sylvester or Gillum - both two tone white over Q.. what colour, think Sylvester later used Red and Silver.

.

The Saloon Races at the 1964 Waimate meeting were run as two heats and a final. Heat 1 was the Waimate Publicans event for cars up to and including 2000cc while Heat 2 was the D.R. Filter race for cars 2001cc and over.

The first photo in post no 385 is the start of Heat 2. Ian Dow was the winner of that race followed by Norm Masters, Gillum and Armstrong.
Heat 1 was won by Kerry Grant from Paul Fahey, Jim Mullins and Arthur Moffatt
The result of the final shown above differs from other reports that have Moffatt fourth and Dow fifth followed by Lawrence, Brian Millett (Austin Cooper), Silvester and Armstrong.

Milan, Thanks for that, and also the note about the Fleetwood Mustang and the " One Lap ".
Your archives are great - have added the above images to my Waimate archive.

I have the " Waimate 50 " Book too - that Bruce Dyer " Spgeti " sent me when still living in Australia.
Need to read up again.

Makes more sense being two races. I did wonder about not seeing the smaller capacity cars.
Have noted on my post - and have changed details on the photo's in the / my archive.
Graham Woods has great stuff but sometimes details need to clarified/checked.

Cheers
Roger

Notes by Allan Dick - of AutoNews and Classic Autonews
" Front engined days. Start of the Renwick 50 and 62/63 season opener. Amon is waiting on his Scuderia Veloce Cooper to arrive, so he gives the 250F Maserati a run. Amon is just ahead of Eade in the ex Moss, Jensen, Mansel 250 and behind is the Lola FJ (with 1.5 Ford engine) of JCN (John) Histed. Race was won by Angus Hyslop in his 2.5 Cooper Climax and Amon was second. A bit of an opportunity here to see the differences between the two 250Fs — Amon's being the "BRM" modified car. "
A newspaper photo of the same event. The same Race Barry Cottle Lola and the Stanton as well as another Racing car ahead of the Amon Maserati 250 Angus Hyslop in the Cooper Climax - Notes in the caption of the drivers.
The entry list which shows Amon but not in the Maserati - as explained by Allan Dick.

The " Renwick 50 " - Renwick Road Races ..
The " BRM modified car " - it was at Ardmore 1989 - the Reunion Meeting. my own photos.

John Windelburn took his Lotus South for the series of races in the South Island.
He was entered in the " Motor Racing Cup " - for Sports and Racing Cars and the " Sports Car Race ".
- Both events over 20 Laps - 42 Miles
Photo and details from Milan Fistonic.

I see that Fred Losee in his Austin Healey 100S and E [ Joss ] Tims in his AH 100 were competing too !.

The Lotus
The Entry Lists
The Motor Racing Club Trophy Race - Scratch Race
The Sports Car Race
The Times Fastest Lap Times and Results.
John was 2nd Overall and 1st in Class in the Motor Racing Club Trophy Race
The event was for open cars not competing in the Main Race - the Lady Wigram Trophy.
- He was also 7th Overall and 2nd in Class in the Sports Car Race.

I have been having a look at the fastest lap times, it makes interesting reading. eg Johnnie Windelburn's time in the Sports Car race would have been fastest of all in the Championship race by1.8 seconds. For the entire race he would have been on the podium based on overall time. Seems a bit odd to me.

Oldfart wrote:I have been having a look at the fastest lap times, it makes interesting reading. eg Johnnie Windelburn's time in the Sports Car race would have been fastest of all in the Championship race by1.8 seconds. For the entire race he would have been on the podium based on overall time. Seems a bit odd to me.

In the MRC Championship race Windelburn started from the rear of the grid after problems in practice and still finished second. Judging by the photo maybe the weather had something to do with difference in times.

Timaru.
An article about Southern Motorsport by E S Young a Timaru lad - from Peter Preston archives
- Peter ran a Buckler for some years early 1960's., at Teretonga, Wigram and Waimate.
Peter Preston at Teretonga
The GMC powered Dragster of Gerald Hoare - from Jim Bennett archives, Jim was also GMC powered at one stage with a Wolseley 6/80 - with a lot more than 80 bhp, was it a 6 / 276 [ the Cubic Capacity in inches or what ? ]

The Dragster - it is still around and with John Paton's family in 2024.
The GMC Wolseley 6/80 - make that a 6 / ???
Good value for money at $700 - For Sale back in the 1960's
- [ 1967 onwards Decimal Currency - exact date not sure - Jim Bennett archives both images ]
Must check back on Jim's archives.
Looking for more details on the GMC and images.

Post #385 and the Saloon Cars in the 1964 Waimate Races - a better quality photo - the photo is by Euan Sarginson.
Obviously before Ernie Sprague had the big Off..... !!.
On another topic - another track in another time;
Ryal Bush, described as ; The " Rheims of the South " by Allan Dick of Autonews and NZ Classic Driver Magazines.
In the latest NZ CD Issue #115 September - October 2024, is an article about Ryal Bush of some 8 pages.
The Track was only used for two Events - in 1956 and 1957, by the Southland Car Club, prior to the establishemnt of Teretonga, which is still going.

Well worth a read, just got my copy today in Katikati, several of my local " Tauranga " bookshops did not have it.
A Mystery as to why.
Programme covers from " jellywrestler " aka " Spyda " Graeme Staples, vast archive.

The New Circuit at Teretonga held its first meeting on 30th November 1957

The most Westerly Race Circuit in North Island New Zealand, however most circuits in the South Island even Nelson [ Beach Races ] are further West, as would Ninety Mile Beach have been.
I digress.
John [ Larry ] Lawton has collected photos from his good friend the late Terry [ Steelo ] Baker, given to him by the family to share with the NZ Motorsport fraternity.

Here from Paritutu in 1966 * a series of images. - in colour. [ not 1965 - now corrected ]

Lance Elliott in the Mini. M E Carter in the A40 Farina.


Looking at the mess of hay bales and the bent signpost, think there must have been an Off there already ?.

The Peter Bennett chopped Austin A40 Farina - this car is now in the USA - would be a really unique vehicle in their Historic Racing.
Fastback Anglia's of Jack Nazer and Gary Huxford.
an Anglia that didn't make the angled corners
" Wild Bill " McPherson in his FJ Holden - have seen other photos of this car at Paritutu
- John Larry Lawton's own photos.
That is all the Saloons ** - there is a selection of Sports and Racing Cars to follow.
** just found another one - and also a Photo on the start line with Kevin Greene Chev Coupe and a Ford Anglia Van raced by Malcolm Bouzaid .. more to come.