Old Speedway Photos

[John McKechnie]

When he drove the shortened Camaro here, it left everything for dead. Straight line speed was unbelievable, but the corners were something else.
I remember being told it was shortened, did not know till now, that it was a body on a racing chassis- no one over here was doing that then for the saloons.

[Rod Grimwood]

Steve, Think he may have taken it over, built by The Banner brothers Paul and Ron, right humerous toe rags and continue down that path today, they are major share holders in 'Lion Breweries'. Paul said when they first built it he turned rack upside down for left drive and when he turned left it went right etc and took a bit of modifying. Not sure if he is sure which way is which still.

[fullnoise68]

Is Gene Welch still us these days? if so he'd be getting on now!! Dale M

Dale I was talking to Warren Black earlier today, and when Gene Welch raced the Chev Vega here in 1975 he was 58 years old. Warren went to his house in Sacramento in the late `80s for a bbq, but over time lost contact with him. The maths don`t look good.......

[Kiwiboss]

Dale I was talking to Warren Black earlier today, and when Gene Welch raced the Chev Vega here in 1975 he was 58 years old. Warren went to his house in Sacramento in the late `80s for a bbq, but over time lost contact with him. The maths don`t look good.......

Yeah figured as much, forget as we age ourselves those guys fall of the edge!! we're next buggar.

Dale M

[Steve Holmes]

Dale, this is one of your mates isn't it? I can't recall his name, but I think this was a brand new Holden Torana that he built up into a speedway car.

[fullnoise68]

Ray Wright, the bodyshell was brand new, the story at the time was that he`d bought a brand new LH Torana off the showroom floor. Not the case. Ray and his dad Ambrose played a major part in when the club took over the track from Cowan and Black Promotions.

[Steve Holmes]

Ahhh, thanks Steve.

[Oldfart]

Ray was round for years. The Golden Kiwi was pretty kind to him too I think

[Kiwiboss]

Dale I was talking to Warren Black earlier today, and when Gene Welch raced the Chev Vega here in 1975 he was 58 years old. Warren went to his house in Sacramento in the late `80s for a bbq, but over time lost contact with him. The maths don`t look good.......

I quick Google Steve and Gene Welch would be 97 today but couldn't find whether he's still with us or not!! I found he has a son Mark that features at Stockton 99 speedway and a grandson Shane!!

Dale M

[Frosty5]

Dale, this is one of your mates isn't it? I can't recall his name, but I think this was a brand new Holden Torana that he built up into a speedway car.

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This photo was taken at his brothers (Joel) place in Luke St,Otahuhu. The tannery is in the left background. My first introduction to diffs. Welded up the spider gears of a 52 Vanguard diff for my stock car at 17 yrs old. Joel was watching and making sure I didn't catch the crown wheel. Great times.
Dave Graham

[fullnoise68]

Not quite Dave. This photo was taken in the pits at Waikaraka Park. The building behind the Torana is the old hall that used to be against the stone wall on Neilson Street. It was built by the US serviceman that were based at Waikaraka Park during WW2, as was the grandstand. Ray is related to Joel but they aren`t brothers.

[Frosty5]

Not quite Dave. This photo was taken in the pits at Waikaraka Park. The building behind the Torana is the old hall that used to be against the stone wall on Neilson Street. It was built by the US serviceman that were based at Waikaraka Park during WW2, as was the grandstand. Ray is related to Joel but they aren`t brothers.

Well buggar me. It's the dead ringer of Joel's garage and the roof of the building in the left background is very similar to the tannery building. Ray seemed to regard him as his brother and I guess that's what we picked up on. Must be an age thing!!!!!

[TonyG]

Awesome stuff guys. Lots of great memories here. Thanks for the Peter Howarth name on my photo Dave. Brought back lots of good memories.
I wonder what happened to the Ex Bruce Taylor Torana (Ex Hamilton then Waikaraka based). I know Chris Butler had it at one stage after Bruce gave it away but not where it went then.

[GeebeeNZ]

We really miss Pall Mall on this site. Gavin was the guru on all this sort of stuff. His photos and other pictures from Waikaraka Park regularly appeared in NZ Hot Rod mag. There is so much happening in the Hot Rod scene nowadays that they don't feature that sort of thing any more. Luckily I still have a number of those old mags and although I was not a regular attender at Waikaraka Park I still have access to some of that history.
Graeme

[John McKechnie]

Was Wrecker Wrights Torana-#70, a normal floored car, or was it a space frame? I remember he did better in this than the 65 Mustang that he got after Kendall drove it.
I know Evan Watsons Monaro was space frame, but was made to put a normal floor.
Also with his Commodore-was that normal floor or a proper space frame?
When the V8s saloons really started, Kingswood/Belmonts were the usual- Evan Watson, John Scott, Terry Costello, loved those battles.

[fullnoise68]

It was a floor pan car John, the Commodore was his first space frame car built by Gary Harris - who also raced it for a while. Going through some of the original programmes and photos the other night - that I`m getting scanned to post on here - made me think how many of the guys I was reading about are no longer with us. Byron Shreeve also raced that Mustang too.

[John McKechnie]

Steve- thanks for that.
I basically never missed a Saturday night there from 1970- 1974,great time to be a teenager, always involved with a team, always a party in the pits afterward
Byron Shreeve lived a few doors up the road from me in Waimate St, Otara in 71, remember he was a truck driver , had the red 105E which he later put a supercharger on. Then got Peter Haworths EH, and progressed, as you said, to the Mustang.
Used to work with Cyril McConnachie at Motor Specialties and he loved talking about his boys, the grasstrack, Waikaraka,hot rodding, he even drove the Pop to work once. He had a nice electric blue MK 1 Zephyr. I thought he looked a deadringer for the Charger driver in Bullit.

Out of all the stock car racing , I think the best was the NZ champs the year Lou Wymer driving Bob Clarksons 105E Yankee Clipper won.
Dayne Plummer-Mustang power, Laurie Hines, Graham Mitchell, Phil Joyce( Kimba)and so many others
There were some real heavy hitters out there that night-has anyone got any pics of that?
Wymers car had stars and stripes on it.

[fullnoise68]

Its funny you mention the Dodge Charger driver in the movie `Bullit' John, I was reading an article about the making of that movie a while ago and the actual driver of the Charger during the filming was Ron Grable........

[John McKechnie]

Steve- I read in Motorman that it also was Ron Grable,
Bruce 302, who knows Ron Grable well, will say 100% was not him.

[fullnoise68]

According to Wikipedia the Dodge driver was a stuntman by the name of Bill Hickman. Warren Black told me a funny story yesterday about a NZ v Aus v USA stockcar race at Forest Lake years ago. They had no USA driver so they invented `LeRoy Jones' to drive a locally owned car. The guy was actually Graham Jones, a sharemilker from Morrinsville who had never driven a stockcar, nobody knew him at the track, and he didn`t talk much........!!