The Roaring Season

[quote="Kiwiboss"]For their Easter 1971 event, Bay Park shipped Tasmanian racer Robin Pare across in his Don Elliott owned Mustang.


The Elliot / Pare K Code Mustang is restored and still owned in Tasmania...

When owned by Robin Bessant of Launceston...


Restored back to Elliot days....

Great to hear this Mustang survived Ellis, not many did!!! or they usually had a very checker'd history!!! Im at EC muscle Car Masters next month, you going? Dale

Too far for me Dale.

The Elliot K Code Mustang was purchased new by Don Elliot and put straight onto the race track. It wasnt until the 3rd owner that the car seen the world as road going car and that was only for a short period of its life. Its currently got restricted rego so can be driven on road if owner so desires. It was at the Longford Revival Festival in Mar this year and guest driven by Wayne Mahnken an ex Taswegian from Melbourne who arranged the mechanicals and body resto for the current owner.

It was driven on the timed Flying Mile and displayed along with 2 replicas of Don Elliot past cars......




Pics courtesy of G Saunderson Qld

The pic taken on the grid with the Monaro flanked by two Falcons is from the Dec 30 1973 meeting, Castrol GTX Production Car Series. According to programme It's Robbie Francevic in the Gills Go Gear Falcon, Neville Crichton in the Monaro and Jim Richards in the McMillan Ford GT. There are Chargers and Pacers further back which are likely to be Bryan Innes, Rod Coppins, Wayne Wilkinson and Graeme Addis.

I'm wondering if the Grace Bros Porsche is Jim McKeown? Pretty sure he raced at a Baypark October meet, maybe `74 or `75.

He did, but his Porsche had the Chesterfield livery. Plus I'd lay money that's Pete Geoghegan's boof head in the Grace Bros 911 pictured.

coldrive wrote:The pic taken on the grid with the Monaro flanked by two Falcons is from the Dec 30 1973 meeting, Castrol GTX Production Car Series. According to programme It's Robbie Francevic in the Gills Go Gear Falcon, Neville Crichton in the Monaro and Jim Richards in the McMillan Ford GT. There are Chargers and Pacers further back which are likely to be Bryan Innes, Rod Coppins, Wayne Wilkinson and Graeme Addis.

Thanks for that info.

Ellis wrote:Too far for me Dale.

The Elliot K Code Mustang was purchased new by Don Elliot and put straight onto the race track. It wasnt until the 3rd owner that the car seen the world as road going car and that was only for a short period of its life. Its currently got restricted rego so can be driven on road if owner so desires. It was at the Longford Revival Festival in Mar this year and guest driven by Wayne Mahnken an ex Taswegian from Melbourne who arranged the mechanicals and body resto for the current owner.

It was driven on the timed Flying Mile and displayed along with 2 replicas of Don Elliot past cars......




Pics courtesy of G Saunderson Qld

Thanks for posting those images Ellis, along with the update on the Pare Mustang. Good to know it survived. This is one of the few surviving Improved Production cars which raced in the ATCC up until 1972, so is a special car.

"It is I said the fly." Howard Collier owned the car and I did the season in it although there were not many races for the "stock" class that season. We got a bit anoyed with the Leo Leonard car blowing us off all the time with (probably) about 50 more horsepower. I remember beating him off the line at Bay Park (might have been this race in the photo), in fact he spun it up and came about 5th in the first lap. I kept it tight and straight and fast for a few laps then he came up behind me with about 20 m.p.h. in hand so I took my foot off the gas to make it look like he had a lot more power than me and he nearly ran into me. Later we were asked to pull the heads off to see if any of the Chargers had oversize inlet valves. The cars were on TDC ready for reassembly and ours had the pistons level with the top of the block. Guess what, a certain yellow Charger from down 'south' had the pistons sticking up about 50mm, but the scrutineers said "just checking inlet valves today". Ah well, our team wanted to keep it 'legal' so thats how it stayed. It was a great victory one day later in the season when I did beat him though. An even bigger celebration when we beat the Falcon GTHO's too.
We used to run Goodyear tyres that were half worn because these were the only ones that did not go 'off' half way through a race. The others were like chewing gum after every race. So we were constantly asking people in the street if they wanted to swap a nice new set of Goodyear tyres for their old half worn ones. Cheers Guys.

Thanks for that info Roger, I had a idea Howard had something to do with the Charger, as I remember him and it down at Lyalls a couple of times.

I was just on Google and found this post; the white GTHO of Richard Brocklehurst is still very much alive! It's my Dads car and he has owned it since 1990. It lives in Nelson and is back to the original Jewel Green. A few years ago Richard came down and viewed the car, he said it smelt just like it did in 72 and has some great stories to tell about the GTX series and going to the Broadmeadows factory at the same time the XYGT were being built.

Steve Holmes wrote:OK, these aren't in any sort of order sorry. Can anyone ID the GTHO Phase II (or Phase I?)in the first shot? I should know who is driving the Phase III and Charger in the last shot, but names escape me right now. Will plug them in as soon as my memory returns! Unless someone beats me to it.

The Porsche is that of Pete Geoghegan which was owned by Laurie O'Niel. This is the car Pete raced after the Super Falcon, but before the Craven Mild Monaro, which was also owned by O'Niel. The white GTHO Phase III is that of Richard Brocklehurst. Where is this car now? The Capri is obviously Paul Faheys, which Roaring Season member Roger Townshend now owns.

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Hi there Adam, yes I'd heard that Phase III was in a museum or something at one time in Nelson? Did Brocklehurst paint it white when it was still brand-spanking new?

Kiwiboss wrote:I can just remember the old Tappendens on 4th ave and Cameron Rd, and went there a few times in my teenage years when it was JD ford, needed parts for my Anglia, Zephyr, Fairlane, etc. I was at the Boys College until 75 and the section Nigel mentions was next to the school and empty for years then suddenly JD Ford had a brand new premise's, was huge lot for a car yard in its day!! i remember the building inside been as in the Pare Mustang picture so can almost presume thats where it was taken, been a Ford(Mustang) JD probably was happy for it to be in the show room!! My memorys of John Dyke himself in the early 90's when i had my own car yard was that he was a very pleasant person!! last of the old school dealers before the Jap Import Car Shark days!!

Dale Mathers

Hi All, This talk about Dykes yards have stirred up a few childhood memories so I thought I'd put my 2 cents in to clear a few points. My father Max Killingback started up Alabama Autos back in '76 and we lived on the yard right next door to Dykes on the corner of 12th & Cameron rds,(both these yards are now a BNZ bank after being a Georgie Pie for a few years)Now, at this time Dykes next door was the "used car" yard with Peter in charge. The "new car" yard & workshop was the one down at 4th Ave which is where the Mustang photo would have been taken. This building is still there.
At this time there was a large paddock across the road from us with a semi-abandoned fruit factory at the back of it where my brother & I used to ride our motorbikes.(Next to the Church). Then in the early 80's Hannaford Caravans set up on the paddock for a couple of years before the whole lot was built into Dykes big new single dealership. Then as we now know in the 90's they packed up and went to the current site at Hewletts rd, Mt Maunganui.(Now Ultimate Motor Group.)
I look back now & think of all the motorsport names within a stones throw!
Peter(who we could sometimes hear next door telling someone to F*** Off!) had Tony Kilworth and Bob Friend under his wing, straight across the road next to the paddock was Peter Devicich's yard which then changed to Gary Sprague's, then Grant Sprague's, then finally Roly Levis'! Next to Roly was John Gillard's who I think will be in one of the previous photo's driving one of the VH Valiant Pacers.
Hope this corrects a few memories, I was only in my Primary school years but remember those days clearer than what I did last week!
Reece Killingback

And Feo Stanton's Mercedes dealership was a couple of blocks away also.

Reeceracer wrote:Hi All, This talk about Dykes yards have stirred up a few childhood memories so I thought I'd put my 2 cents in to clear a few points. My father Max Killingback started up Alabama Autos back in '76 and we lived on the yard right next door to Dykes on the corner of 12th & Cameron rds,(both these yards are now a BNZ bank after being a Georgie Pie for a few years)Now, at this time Dykes next door was the "used car" yard with Peter in charge. The "new car" yard & workshop was the one down at 4th Ave which is where the Mustang photo would have been taken. This building is still there.
At this time there was a large paddock across the road from us with a semi-abandoned fruit factory at the back of it where my brother & I used to ride our motorbikes.(Next to the Church). Then in the early 80's Hannaford Caravans set up on the paddock for a couple of years before the whole lot was built into Dykes big new single dealership. Then as we now know in the 90's they packed up and went to the current site at Hewletts rd, Mt Maunganui.(Now Ultimate Motor Group.)
I look back now & think of all the motorsport names within a stones throw!
Peter(who we could sometimes hear next door telling someone to F*** Off!) had Tony Kilworth and Bob Friend under his wing, straight across the road next to the paddock was Peter Devicich's yard which then changed to Gary Sprague's, then Grant Sprague's, then finally Roly Levis'! Next to Roly was John Gillard's who I think will be in one of the previous photo's driving one of the VH Valiant Pacers.
Hope this corrects a few memories, I was only in my Primary school years but remember those days clearer than what I did last week!
Reece Killingback

Steve Holmes wrote:
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Great to see a couple of VH pacers on the starting grid!

Yep, cnr of 6th Ave and Cameron Road, and usually with Mercs and Porsches in the showroom, plus various Rorstan race cars behind the screens...

Amazing how things get twisted over time , a bit like motor racing & the 100th monkey........... I had only just moved up from Timaru [after spending some yrs in london ..big OE] The car yard in question here 618 Cameron Road was purchased by Gary from Pete Devicich, Gary sold the yard to Roly , Gary then moved to Aussie, Roly re invented the yar card made it look like $$$$$$$ & that was about it , Roly sold the yard to a chemist , then it was combined into a larger bit of dirt now called count down ..

Grant Sprague wrote: The car yard in question here 618 Cameron Road was purchased by Gary from Pete Devicich, Gary sold the yard to Roly , Gary then moved to Aussie, Roly re invented the yar card made it look like $$$$$$$ & that was about it , Roly sold the yard to a chemist , then it was combined into a larger bit of dirt now called count down ..

Also, before Peter Devcich owned it Hank Verryt was there, he then moved over the other side of Cameron Road next to Robbie Dean's bike shop. And before Hank Verryt the yard was first run by Laurie Phillips, an avuncular sort of bloke with a pleasant demeanour but an appalling hairpiece...

GD66 wrote:Also, before Peter Devcich owned it Hank Verryt was there, he then moved over the other side of Cameron Road next to Robbie Dean's bike shop. And before Hank Verryt the yard was first run by Laurie Phillips, an avuncular sort of bloke with a pleasant demeanour but an appalling hairpiece...

Sorry Grant, I had a feeling you were there after Gary - obviously not!
In between Robbie Deans and Hanks was Murray Reynolds. Is this the same Murray Reynolds that was Starter at Taupo Race Track?

Rodger Anderson wrote:"It is I said the fly." Howard Collier owned the car and I did the season in it although there were not many races for the "stock" class that season. We got a bit anoyed with the Leo Leonard car blowing us off all the time with (probably) about 50 more horsepower. I remember beating him off the line at Bay Park (might have been this race in the photo), in fact he spun it up and came about 5th in the first lap. I kept it tight and straight and fast for a few laps then he came up behind me with about 20 m.p.h. in hand so I took my foot off the gas to make it look like he had a lot more power than me and he nearly ran into me. Later we were asked to pull the heads off to see if any of the Chargers had oversize inlet valves. The cars were on TDC ready for reassembly and ours had the pistons level with the top of the block. Guess what, a certain yellow Charger from down 'south' had the pistons sticking up about 50mm, but the scrutineers said "just checking inlet valves today". Ah well, our team wanted to keep it 'legal' so thats how it stayed. It was a great victory one day later in the season when I did beat him though. An even bigger celebration when we beat the Falcon GTHO's too.
We used to run Goodyear tyres that were half worn because these were the only ones that did not go 'off' half way through a race. The others were like chewing gum after every race. So we were constantly asking people in the street if they wanted to swap a nice new set of Goodyear tyres for their old half worn ones. Cheers Guys.

[color="#FF0000"]50mm out the top, should be a decimal point there surely me-thinks the man doth exagerate...[/color]