The Roaring Season

Originally posted by Terry
Ray I agree that many people helped write sections of the book.

The page at the back titled Credits show eight people involved. I think the photos are a little mixed, and beside Ray Bell's name they have someone smiling........

In future perhaps I should refer to as "Graham Howard et al".

On a lighter note, why was the very first AGP, the 1927 race, not included in this official book?

The photographs are in fact reversed...

In the makeup of the plate for this page the type was on one film and the photos on another, these were put down back to front, so not only are the pics beside the wrong name in each case, but they are back to front.

The smiling face next to my name is Des White's while the smiling face next to Des White's name is mine.

As for the 1927 Australian Grand Prix, this was almost unknown. It seems that Bugatti people in Melbourne had knowledge over the decades but NSW people had all forgotten it. Barry Lake was the one who first mentioned it to me, he was asking me if I knew anything about it as if he knew very little (Barry was very cunning like this), I'd never heard of it before.

But all of that was revealed fifteen or more years after the Chevron AGP book appeared. I don't know if there is reference to this race in the update of the Chevron book done a few years ago. I also don't know if they corrected some of the glaring anomolies in the result panels.

Ray,
This site had some interesting reading about the 1927 event. Thanks to you and Terry for bringing this early racing to our attention.

https://primotipo.com/tag/1927-australian-grand-prix/


Geoff Meredith aboard his Bugatti T30 at Goulburn during his victorious AGP meeting in 1927


(Ken Hyndman )

Steve Holmes wrote:[ATTACH=CONFIG]42890[/ATTACH]

Just realised in post #15 there is a strange "thing" in front of Graham with tape around it.

Anyone know what it is?

Maybe padding to help him fit into the car securely?

It would seem to be practice day, possibly the Friday. Did he first drive that car that day?

Ray Bell wrote:Maybe padding to help him fit into the car securely?

It would seem to be practice day, possibly the Friday. Did he first drive that car that day?

I thought about padding initially, but Graham loooks very settled in his seat. Also the two pieces are strapped together, so an odd shape for padding.

Any other ideas?

Perhaps as the Lotus 48 was a prototype and Graham was quite tall by driver's standards at that time, those two foam pads were for protection of the elbows or knees etc. until a proper sized fitting could be made for him.



(Ken H )

Ray Bell wrote: I don't know if there is reference to this race in the update of the Chevron book done a few years ago. I also don't know if they corrected some of the glaring anomolies in the result panels.

I only have the first version, which was released in 1986.

I see from the cover on a web site that the later version released in February 2015 is titled "Australian Grand Prix 80races, 1927 to 2014"

So it now covers the first 1927 AGP, although both versions are called the "Official history".

Essentially, Terry, the 1927 race was not known about in the broader community until ten or fifteen years ago.

And those who did know about it weren't concerned about whether it was counted in the 'official list', or didn't feel that its 'three four lap heats and a final' format really counted as a genuine Grand Prix.

Some, it seems, had a vested interest in avoiding knowledge of the race too. It's said that Victorian Bugatti people, being closer to the Phillip Island origins, kept very quiet about Goulburn.

It's intriguing that both editions are boldly titled the "OFFICIAL HISTORY".

Who gives them the right to carry such a title?

Is there a process, or do the publishers just take the title themselves?

POTUS will tell you what is Official and what is Fake

Originally posted by Terry S
It's intriguing that both editions are boldly titled the "OFFICIAL HISTORY".

Who gives them the right to carry such a title?

Is there a process, or do the publishers just take the title themselves?

They probably asked the CAMS if it was okay...

Steve Holmes wrote:[ATTACH=CONFIG]45438[/ATTACH]

The late Ken Miles in the Cobra 427

Looks like he is driving down into the Hyndman Quarry !
Where would this photo have been taken ?


( Ken H)

khyndart in CA wrote:Looks like he is driving down into the Hyndman Quarry !
Where would this photo have been taken ?
( Ken H)

Ken, I think it is at Lakeside, as that was his only Australian appearance.

On the starting grid.

Terry S wrote:Ken, I think it is at Lakeside, as that was his only Australian appearance.

On the starting grid.

Thats right Terry. Here are some of the other photos Bruce snapped at that event, which I posted in an earlier thread of his collection.

Steve Holmes wrote:Thats right Terry. Here are some of the other photos Bruce snapped at that event, which I posted in an earlier thread of his collection.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]45439[/ATTACH]



[ATTACH=CONFIG]45443[/ATTACH]

The Cobra looked so monstrous compared to the two Lotus 23's

Such a shame the Mildren Maserati blew up in the first lap of its heat...

It would have eaten that race.

Mind you, Matich's crash a few months earlier put paid to the quickest car in the country.

Ray Bell wrote:Such a shame the Mildren Maserati blew up in the first lap of its heat...

It would have eaten that race.

Mind you, Matich's crash a few months earlier put paid to the quickest car in the country.

It was actually a slightly depleted field by the time of the race start because Ron Thorpe was also entered to race his small block Cobra, but I think from memory was ousted by officials. The car did practice, as Bruce grabbed this shot of it.

Steve Holmes wrote:It was actually a slightly depleted field by the time of the race start because Ron Thorpe was also entered to race his small block Cobra, but I think from memory was ousted by officials. The car did practice, as Bruce grabbed this shot of it.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]45445[/ATTACH]

Steve there is no mention at all of Ron Thorp in the RCN report on this meeting.