Motor Racing pics - my early years, 1964-71 ; Pukekohe Racetrack ;by - Roger Dowdingl

[John McKechnie]

Both cars have registration and WOFs with licence plates....nostalgia !!!!!!!!!!!

[Kevin Hirst]

Both cars have registration and WOFs with licence plates....nostalgia !!!!!!!!!!!

Imagine trying to do that with the Morari today

[928]

farm tractors come in all shapes and sizes. from low single seaters with flat treaded tyres to huge 4wd monsters

[Roger Dowding]

Imagine trying to do that with the Morari today

A replica is being built - by Greg Stokes - unsure how far it has got - not using an old Ferrari chassis though too expensive !!

[Allan]

I seem to remember that all race cars back in the 60s and maybe 50s had to have a registration plate attached somewhere. Someone whose memory is better than mine may like to correct me if i'm wrong.

[928]

had to be on the car when it went for scrutineering, but the reg did not say attached. wof had to be attached though.

[Allan]

Ardmore 1957

[928]

normac special?

[Allan]

Roycroft Ferarri 375 showing no plate painted on nose.

[928]

got that wrong then

[John McKechnie]

Ye, all hand painted, no stick on number plates like now

[Roger Dowding]

I seem to remember that all race cars back in the 60s and maybe 50s had to have a registration plate attached somewhere. Someone whose memory is better than mine may like to correct me if i'm wrong.

Allan - Correct - often they were bolted to the floor in saloons, and if not a Road Registration vehicle were to have a
" Daytime Warrant " - not requiring lights or indicators.
928 comments -" had to be on the car when it went for scrutineering, but the reg did not say attached. wof had to be attached though. "

Life is too complicated these days - Registration Papers only have the current owner on them - unlike this where you have a history of a car.

Cars displayed a Registration Sticker and a Warrant Sticker and of course in Mid 1979 through to some time in 1980 a Carless Day sticker all stuck on the inside of the windscreen - no little stick-on pockets like today for the Rego ..

Carless Days stickers;

Rego stickers 1970's on became much smaller by the 1990's

My Carless Day sticker for the Triumph TR4A - put it in " clingwrap " and attached to the windscreen here with two paid for but never affixed Rego stickers from the Austin Healey 100 - was hardly driven 1991 - 1995

WoF stickers have changed over the years but still a similar size and now have those punched out numbers.
Here an old one .. that graced a certain Healey in the 1980's BQ538 -

Old Number Plates to complete the picture.

Some items are mine some collected from Richard Armstrong and others..

[Roger Dowding]

Entry List for the 1963 Sports Car Trophy Race - which was previously held at Ardmore some years a Trophy Race other years there appears to be a Handicap Race at Ardmore, maybe both. Sports Cars were also able to enter the Main GP race if they qualified fast enough.

1963

In the field the McLoughlin Healey Ruddspeed 3000 driven by P McLoughlin
[ Pat or Peter - some clarification of the name as had entered as P A T McLoughlin at the December 1964 ACC meeting with the car now running the Austin 4 litre motor ]
Brother Roger McLoughlin entered in an AH Sprite.

More on the Leathers /McLoughlin /Hick Austin Healey Ruddspeed 3000 - Austin 4000 is being posted on the Austin Healey thread once i have some details confirmed.

The Ruddspeed with the Mcloughlins Healey 100 Six - this around the time that Russell Leathers and McLoughlins swapped cars and some cash Leathers took the 100/6 as part trade.
This photo would be late 1961 as has the new Black Yellow plates 420.664
- before becoming BN2253 with the permanent plates introduction in 1964
- was 603.043 in white on deep red plates of the 1956 - 61 issue - car registered in NZ in 1960 or 1961.
Car is a 1959 3000 BT7 - so an early 3000 one of the first produced according Myles Hicks.

[Roger Dowding]

A couple of Duncan Laird photos - presume at the same meeting which according to the Driver of the Anglia Dave Simpson would be December 1965 - the Auckland Car Clubs meeting.

The Fleetwood Mustang chasing Ron Brown in his Mini .. part of the Brown / Boyle Mini Team - with the Yellow Shield on the front Guards ..

Dave Simpson Anglia ahead of the Morrari another Anglia [ Paul Fahey ? ] and others
Believe this is the January 1966 NZ GP meeting looking at the crowd, not the Dec 65 National Meeting [ Auckland Car Club ]- those fastback Anglia's had debuted at the December 1965 meeting at Pukekohe - the second round of the 1965 / 66 Championship [ after Renwick ]

Duncan has posted quite a collection of mid 1960's meetings at Pukekohe on the Facebook group ;
" Old New Zealand Motor Racing ".

[Milan Fistonic]

I've just found another variation to the Pukekohe track that was being contemplated in 1990.

[Roger Dowding]

I've just found another variation to the Pukekohe track that was being contemplated in 1990.

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Milan, have not seen [ or not remembered [ that proposal - the loop was an interesting part of the circuit.

I fell off it in 1978 at the " NSCC Motorsport Day " event -4 events in one day ; Gymkhana ay the Clubrooms - on the Football field I think !! , 2 part Trial, part one then the Sprints at the Club Circuit, Trial part two followed by a Hill Climb at Cosseys Hill ( farm ) - in the Triumph GT6 - and spun badly in 1979 at the Stables corner - hit nothing, but a very slow lap in a Sprint event - In my TR4A was was up against an E-type Jaguar .. he got away and got caught by an MGB - not all bad as later owned one - MGB GT not an E-type ....

All contributions are appreciated - and as some of you will know - I have a few oops in my post - enjoy the corrections too.

All about preserving our Motorsport History

1978 ;

[Roger Dowding]

This gem from Motorman in 1962 Donn Anderson must had a spy in the right place.

The full page article with a Race Meeting report

The article [cropped] the shape a bit different than what actually was built but mention of a " Club Circuit " even in the early stages - what a pity that it went.

Item from Graham Woods - " Old New Zealand Motor Racing " Fb page.

1962 a bit before I started to get the Magazine in 1964 - when my pocket money had built up.
My pocket money went on Autocar - the original UK one and Motorman - ordered at the bookshop across the road from School - Kelston Boys High, Archibald Road, Kelston, Auckland - was an Inmate there from 1961 to 1965
[ slow learner spent two years in the Fifth Form having failed School Cert by 4 marks and got nothing on the recount ]

[Roger Dowding]

Written by Rhys Jones - known in the Media and as a Motor Cycle racer for many years.
I have an Autographed [ Complimentary ] copy of the book published in 2008
-thanks to working with Rhys wife back in 2003 - 2009.

New images - downloaded today but had the book a while

[Roger Dowding]

Saloon car race the " Bigger Bangers " I think was usually 1600 and over class.

Two photos one seen before - of the same race - second one a few seconds or a is it a later lap field still very close
First corner by the looks of the field -
was John Hatton in this race ? in his Zephyr Mark One - if so April [ not December ] 1964 the Auckland Car Club Autumn meeting - the last of the season.
Looks like him at the back and have the Programme for the meeting - posted here before - thanks to John H

From a " 1972 " Magazine or Book by the way the Caption reads - gives you the drivers names. ** see correction next post

[Roger Dowding]

Saloon car race the " Bigger Bangers " I think was usually 1600 and over class.

Two photos one seen before - of the same race - second one a few seconds or a is it a later lap field still very close
First corner by the looks of the field -
was John Hatton in this race ? in his Zephyr Mark One - if so December 1964 the Auckland Car Club meeting.
Looks like him at the back and have the Programme for the meeting - posted here before - thanks to John H

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From a " 1972 " Magazine or Book by the way the Caption reads - gives you the drivers names.

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The Radisich Family - Chris Radisich believes the caption is partially incorrect - the Race appears to be the Autumn Meeting of Auckland car Club on 4th April 1964. Of which I have the Programme as given to me by John Hatton Car #143
The White Zephyr #144 is Frank Radisich - from around the time he moved from a V8 Coupe. Bryan Innes is not in the Race.

Here is the entry list for the Race - Race #5 the copy cut off the numbers but first car in the list is George Bunce Chevrolet in #74 the rest are in numerical order from I W ' Red ' Dawson #139 then #141 Coppins #143 John Hatton - then Frank Radisich #144 and in order from #145 to #158 [ no #157 is missing [ apologies for the bad scanning - tried to do two pages at a time.