The Roaring Season

Milan, Thanks for adding the "Early Pukekohe " details from Motorman .. All part of the History.

1962 was before I started buying Motorman, which was in 1964 and for the last two years at High School, I bought Motorman and " The Autocar " from the bookshop across the road from Kelston Boys High School ..
- Yes the one that Graham ' Ted ' Henry was Principal of, before he became a famous coach -I was there 1961 - 65, he was there in the 1980's., although I did meet him there when the company I worked for were helping sponsor their " Softball " Team.

RIP Pukekohe 1963 - 2023.

Did they hold an event in 1962 ?? - as mentioned in the article.
- prior to the 1963 " New Zealand International Grand Prix ". in January.
Programme from Nigel Watts archives and is # 55 .. Have another image of the Programme from Richard Bauz, who owns the "Orchid " De Joux bodied Sports Car - his is # 2031

More of the October 1965 entrants for the 3 hour Challenge Race at Pukekohe. The Daimler SP 250 certainly had much more range than Ford Mustang.




The week before on October 3rd 1965 the Australians held their long distance race, The Armstrong 500 at Bathurst. ( Some good footage in this clip before Holdens and Falcons arrived on the scene.)

[video=youtube;7Fhnt9LqWWU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Fhnt9LqWWU[/video]


(Ken H.)( Excuse me Roger for using your thread but I wanted to add some 1965 racing. This was during my last weeks of schooling, school C etc.. )

Roger Dowding wrote:
Did they hold an event in 1962 ?? - as mentioned in the article.
- prior to the 1963 " New Zealand International Grand Prix ". in January.

Not that I know about.

A newspaper clipping I have states that "Sealing work on the New Zealand Grand Prix motor racing track at Pukekohe was completed on Monday afternoon." The clipping was dated December 26 so Monday would have been December 24th. With practice for the Grand Prix getting under way on Thursday January the 3rd and a race meeting being held at Mount Maunganui on December 29, it would not have been possible to arrange an event on the new track.

Believed to be in 1968; [ or 1967 ?? ] See notes 1969 !!
Cars in the photo include Jack Nazer Escort Twincam, the Scott Wiseman E-Type Jaguar, with the high spoiler a Lotus Cortina and many others.
Mini's Imps - a couple of Sport Racing cars, and is that the Dave Silcock Jaguar XK near the E-Type ?
Names and details of other cars - please add to the thread.

Photo from Bruce Dyer archives - unsure of the exact date.
Looks like a good crowd. Is it a Grand Prix meeting !! ??.
Notes from Milan Fistonic in comment below post #444.

" car numbers match up with it being the 1969 NZ GP meeting.
"

" 47 Bruce McLean Lotus Cortina
37 Ross West Lotus 23B
25 Scott Wiseman E Type Jaguar
125 Baron Robertson Heron 1500
74 Ted Dutch Hillman Imp
63 Jack Nazer Escort Twin Cam

I think the grey car next to Jack's white Escort is Ross Skinner's Supercharged Cortina. "

I don't think that photo is the GP, not enough people on the Hill.

Oldfart wrote:I don't think that photo is the GP, not enough people on the Hill.

That was my first thought but the car numbers match up with it being the 1969 NZ GP meeting.

47 Bruce McLean Lotus Cortina
37 Ross West Lotus 23B
25 Scott Wiseman E Type Jaguar
125 Baron Robertson Heron 1500
74 Ted Dutch Hillman Imp
63 Jack Nazer Escort Twin Cam

I think the grey car next to Jack's white Escort is Ross Skinner's Supercharged Cortina.

Maybe one of the practice days? I was at the 69 one and at practice too. The hill was absolutely jam packed, as was all the way down to the hairpin, even the inside of the track looks sparse.
Is that the Riley Lotus 19B between Ross West and Scott's E type?

Oldfart wrote:Maybe one of the practice days? I was at the 69 one and at practice too. The hill was absolutely jam packed, as was all the way down to the hairpin, even the inside of the track looks sparse.
Is that the Riley Lotus 19B between Ross West and Scott's E type?

I thought it was Baron Robertson's Heron as the number looks like 25. He did use that number at earlier meetings, but with 25 on Wiseman's Jaguar, he took the number 125 at the GP. The fact that the number on the car hasn't been changed could indicate, as you say, that it's a practice day.

Milan Fistonic wrote:I thought it was Baron Robertson's Heron as the number looks like 25. He did use that number at earlier meetings, but with 25 on Wiseman's Jaguar, he took the number 125 at the GP. The fact that the number on the car hasn't been changed could indicate, as you say, that it's a practice day.

I couldn't read the number, I was just looking at the colour. For me the heron was always at it's best when blue with Peter Ackroyd

Before Pukekohe 1963 - 2023, there was Ardmore 1953 - 1962.
The New Zealand Grand Prix Meeting were held there in January each year and both Auckland and Northern Sports - Car Clubs ran " Little Ardmore " event after the GP meeting.

In 1958, because of the nonavailability of Ohakea - Information from Milan Fistonic - an Event was held on the 1st March 1958 - with the main Race the Ardmore " FIFTY ".

Entry Lists from the event - there were no Programmes as such and even this paper has a space for " Late Entries ".

Thanks to Don Tilsley for this information - the piece of paper is rather " Tatty " but complete.
A big entry list with some famous names - Bruce Mclaren, Dennis Hulme, George Lawton who became Internationals and lots of others Ross Jensen, Merv Neil among them - including a couple of Guys who were at the NSCC Reunion - Allan Woolf in his Ford " 8 " 980, and John Windelburn in his Austin A35 among the small saloons.

I hope there are some Results out there.

The Main Race
- there is the list of Entrants in two Heats to qualify, to be in the final of 24 cars for the Ardmore " FIFTY ".

The event was organised by the NZ International Grand Prix Association as a " National " meeting, when Ohakea got cancelled - as mentioned by Milan.

The results from the March 1, 1958 meeting at Ardmore.

Thanks Milan for the results. More information about an event that I did not know much about.

There is mention of the event in Ron Roycroft Diary about races in the 4 and 1/2 litre Blue Ferrari. Ron came 2nd.

Interesting is the comment about being the First " National " event organised, as the Grand Prix is an " International " event.

Extract from Ron Roycroft records - as published in a Special Edition of New Zealand Classic Driver in 2012.
Photo re-added !!

A rather late reply to Ken H..
" Excuse me Roger for using your thread but I wanted to add some 1965 racing. This was during my last weeks of schooling, school C etc.. "

You are excused - With the closing of Pukekohe next year, and not wanting to create another thread - this will be the " North Island " story of now closed tracks and others that are in use - with the Dunedin thread for the South Island events.

I have come across a series of photos from the 1965 " Gold Leaf 3 Hour Challenge Race " and the " Wills Six Hour Saloon car Race ",
by John [ Larry ] Lawton - who has provided photos from NSCC events Trials and Races, now on that thread.
He was also at the track and from where the photos are taken we all must have been close but did not know each other.

I also was in my last weeks of schooling - having to sit UE Exams but only getting a higher leaving certificate for attending the 6th form -was good at playing cards and eating my lunch,a big disappointment to my father.

A John Larry Lawton photo from 9th October 1965 .. Austin 1800 - that retired from the Wills Six Hour Race Car #25.

Roger and Ray Bell,
Why were Holdens and Falcons not competing in these events in 1965 ?

I repeat this Australian race once again which was one week before the Pukekohe event.
[video=youtube_share;7Fhnt9LqWWU]https://youtu.be/7Fhnt9LqWWU[/video]


(Ken H)

khyndart in CA wrote:Roger and Ray Bell,
Why were Holdens and Falcons not competing in these events in 1965 ?

(Ken H)

.

Ken H,
you probably know the answer but here are my theories ..

Is there an eligibilty criteria in the Programme that you have for the Gold Leaf and Wills Event -
Was there a local assembly criteria or did the Big Guys GM and Ford decide that only their British Car brands could enter .. Ford with " Cortina " and " Zephyr " and GM " Vauxhall ".
I think the next year there were even more Vauxhalls and the new Mark 4 Zephyr V6 in 1967 definitely so..

Vauxhall PC Velox / Cresta and Zephyr Mark 4 V6, front of the field.
The Australian Ford Falcon wasn't big in the NZ market until around 1967 - 68,from memory.
Trentham Ford plant was building CKD British Fords, not sure about GM.

Copy of the Wills Six Hour Race - Entry List - Ken H and Milan Fistonic archives - not sure whose copy it is..
A lone Vauxhall in the list, but lots of Fords, and a selection of Europeans too Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Renault Citroen, Peugeot and Simca, plus a lone Datsun ..
The Gold Leaf 3 Hour Challenge Race had different criteria

The Entry List.
The results of both Events - from Graham Woods archives, probably from Motorman Magazine.
The photos on the 1965 Gold Leaf and Wills Event 9th October 1965 are coming - just checking my notes..

Gold Leaf 3 Hour Challenge Race - John Larry Lawton Photos.

The Oxton Daimler - White Nose and Stripe - Car #19 and a Lotus Cortina The Segedin " Fleetwood Motors " Mustang The Stanton Palmer Honda S600 - did Matich actually compete ?? - The Roger Smith Daimler SP250 - Car #18 .. Registration BV449. with White triple stripe Big guns in the Wills Six Hour Race - were the Jaguar Mk 11, 3781 cc Saloons.

Archibald - Sprague and Ward - Coppins on the opening lap. Ward Coppins Jaguar - the Winners.

Between the two events Gold Leaf 3 Hour in the morning and the Wills Six Hour - there was " Minispinning ".
Actually a Mini and an MG Midget, with Paddy Hopkirk and Timo Makinen demonstrating, Paddy in the MG and Timo in the Mini
Here at " Rothmans Hill - they also did spins in the grid part of the staright and in front of the Main stand.
Then there was the Main race -
This occurred too - a Parade Lap - presume before the event, as some cars were not available after the race.

The " All Female " Crew in one of two of the smallest cars in the Field Fiat 500 Bambina.
Evelyn Hadfield and Margaret Hough. From the smallest to a car in the large - Over 3000cc Class - the lone Vauxhall Velox of M E Reynolds and A G Washer Tall heads and a couple of the smaller cars an 1100 [ BMC ] and an 850 [ Fiat ] - Renault 1100 just tucked in behind. The lone Peugeot - the Lucas brothers Murray and Graham.. More to come - the last set - from John Larry Lawton ..

The last of the John Larry Lawton photos -

English and European Cars ..

Simon Taylor and John Manby Rover 2000 - the Class winner More Hadfield's - Don and S Hadfield - the sole Datsun Bluebird 1300 The Ray Thackwell R I Moore Alfa Romeo [R I Moore - was that Ronnie Moore the speedway motorcycle guy ?? - Answer in the results in a previous post #453 - Ronnie Moore More Europeans the Paul Fahey Barry Cottle Fiat 1500 " Crusader " and one of the Mini's

But wait, there's more - well one more from John Larry Lawton.
The Austin 1800 of Peter Ellis and Roger Staniforth was a non- finisher - retired with mechanical issues.
A long way back in this thread are some of my photos.
Shown again here .. taken from outside the track - I think my father was trying to get me to go home but still had a couple of shots left.
Renault 1100 and the sole Simca Zephyr 6 - just like the car I went in, and one of the Alfa Romeo plus others around the loop.
To finish - the beginning - Front Cover of the Programme that Ken H posted on here a number of years ago. in Post #82..

Roger Dowding wrote:
To finish - the beginning - Front Cover of the Programme that Ken H posted on here a number of years ago.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]73211[/ATTACH]

That's the programme for the 1965 event.