The Roaring Season

Warwick Brown, crossing the grates in the T332:

Kevin Bartlett, cranking on some opposite lock in the T400. KB is best remembered by many race fans for his three years in the Channel 9 Camaro from 1980 - 82, but he was born to drive an F5000, and man-handled these cars like few others could. Open wheeler racing was always his first-love.

This is the PDL Falcon raced by Clyde Collins during the 1970 and 71 seasons. Note the differences in the car from its first season (first two photos), with taller ride height, steel wheels, and that of the second season, with the Minilites, flares guards etc. This was a good car, not quite at the level of the very quickest saloons, but not far off. The PDL team then bought the Paul Fahey Boss Mustang and the Falcon was retired. I believe it was converted back to a road car and later written off.

Not a real Ford fan, but that car was always a favourite.

That car was a falcon 500 yeah?? Did it run a 302W, 351W, or 351C engine?

Yep Pauly, just a Falcon 500. Probably didn't make any sense to spend the extra cash on buying a GT or GTHO, when most of the running gear would get replaced. The Falcon ran a 351, I'm guessing probably a Windsor, based on the timeline, but I could be wrong. Its possible more than one motor was used over the two seasons. Interestingly, the car didn't really fit any particular regulations. The NZ Saloon Car Championship rules had in place a 5.5 litre maximum engine limit, the Collins Falcon was 5.8. But at some events, such as those run by Bay Park and Pukekohe that weren't NZSSC events, where international teams were imported, the Falcon was eligible. It was also eligible to race the Mercury $1000 series in the South Island. It seems to have appeared in some NZSSC races, but I can only assume wasn't eligible for points.

After many years competing at the very pointy end of NZ saloon car racing competition, from the time it arrived in NZ in 1970, right through to its big Pukekohe crash in 1976 while batlting Jack Nazer for a race win, the PDL Mustang was finally superseded by a magnificent new IMSA style machine, the PDL II. But rather than being scrapped, the PDL Mustang was repaired, and repainted to match the new PDL II. Its alloy block motor was removed and put into PDL II, and an iron block Ford V8 went in the engine bay, and the PDL Mustang began a new chapter with the Open Saloon Car Association (OSCA).

Initially the car was raced by Dave Baker in the 1977 season, then, later, Graham Baker ran it briefly in the 1981 season, before replacing it with the Brent Bullivant built V8 Capri.

The Mustang is shown here negotiating the hairpin at Bay Park in what would have been one of the last times it raced in the North Island. Also in the picture are the V8 Capri's of Bill Leckie and Brent Bullivant.

Magnificent shot taken just moments after the start of the Levin international, in January 1969. This would be a dramatic race, with lots of changing of positions, and eventually won by Amon in the Ferrari, from Courage in the Brabham, and Gardner in the pretty Mildren-Alfa.

In this race Jochen Rindt had a nasty shunt when he spun and clipped an earth bank, flipped, and landed upside down, with fuel pouring over him as he lay trapped inside. Fortunately, Dick Sellens was nearby, and dragged Rindt from the car before any further harm could be done.

This was the last season these magnificent machines, driven by the worlds best drivers would be seen in NZ. Its easy to understand Terrys initial lack of enthusiasm when F5000 was first introduced as New Zealands premier category. How can anything compare to scenes like this?

I was there watching all this as a young boy! A different era for sure.

Steve Holmes wrote:Magnificent shot taken just moments after the start of the Levin international, in January 1969. This would be a dramatic race, with lots of changing of positions, and eventually won by Amon in the Ferrari, from Courage in the Brabham, and Gardner in the pretty Mildren-Alfa.

In this race Jochen Rindt had a nasty shunt when he spun and clipped an earth bank, flipped, and landed upside down, with fuel pouring over him as he lay trapped inside. Fortunately, Dick Sellens was nearby, and dragged Rindt from the car before any further harm could be done.

This was the last season these magnificent machines, driven by the worlds best drivers would be seen in NZ. Its easy to understand Terrys initial lack of enthusiasm when F5000 was first introduced as New Zealands premier category. How can anything compare to scenes like this?

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I reckon that would have been pretty influential stuff for a young fellah.

Time to bump this thread back to the top. At the end of the 1977 season, Motorsport NZ chose to place a 2 litre maximum engine capacity on the NZ Saloon Car Championship, in an effort to revive the fields. Car numbers had slumped, and the cars themselves had become too expensive to build. ShellSport had been sponsoring the NZ Saloon Car Championship during the 1976 and '77 seasons, and they retained their support for the new 2 litre series, which simply became known and recognised as the ShellSport series.

However, with several large capacity cars having sat around redundant, plans were put in to place to create an Open Saloon series, in January 1979, in which there were essentially no rules. The series was held at Bay Park, Pukekohe, and Manfeild, with each circuit having two races, each of which was a handicap start based on qualifying times. Aussie racer John Briggs put up a strong performance in the opening round at Bay Park in the ex-Red Dawson Chevy Monza, and took the fight to Jim Richards in his Falcon XC hardtop. But from there onwards, there were really only two cars in the running, Richards' Falcon and Leo Leonards PDL Mustang II. the PDL II struck problems at Bay Park, but really took the fight to Richards at Pukekohe, although the Falcon was slightly more stable on the bumps. But by Manfeild, Leonard was the fastest, if only just, and these two destroyed all existing saloon car lap records.

Here are Leonard and Richards charging hard at Pukekohe. Note the size of the crowd in the background!

Leonard again at Puke.

At Bay Park, Richards and Leonard loom up behind Graeme Addis in his Charger.

Here is John Briggs at Bay Park

Briggs and Leonard

Richards in the long, sleek Falcon at Bay Park

Here they are at Manfeild

With Nico Rosberg winning at Monaco on the weekend, Terry dusted off this stunner, of Keke doing what he did best, at Bay Park, 1978.

Steve Holmes wrote:With Nico Rosberg winning at Monaco on the weekend, Terry dusted off this stunner, of Keke doing what he did best, at Bay Park, 1978.

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Rosberg was quality, he changed the approach to driving these cars.
Think it was year after that Steve Millen did the same, he had a good record against overseas stars at Bay Park espsecially.