The Roaring Season

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Part 1 of the Bill Pottinger Collection was a huge hit! Bill's stunning photos of New Zealand motor racing during the late 1960s and early '70s are absolutely world-class, and its a privilege to be able to share them here.

Bill initially sent me a cd containing 48 images, and the plan was to split these into two separate chapters, each containing a tidy 24 images each. However, Bill has since sent me regular emails, containing more images, and I was able to include several of these into Part 1. I'm really pleased to say that the current number now far exceeds 48 images, and should also exceed the original planned 2 chapters.

Other than receiving his emails and enjoying the photos he has sent me, I've also enjoyed getting to know Bill himself, and was impressed to learn that he actually got an invite to head overseas, and become an international motorsport photographer, when he was just 16 years old. But, being so young, he turned down the offer, as he couldn't imagine leaving New Zealand at the time.

So, anyway, this is Part 2 of the Bill Pottinger Collection. Enjoy!

I wanted to kick things off with this stunning image, of Ulf Norinder, giving it heaps at Wigram in 1970, with two wheels clear off the deck. Quite how Bill managed to capture this image at this very moment, I don't know. The wheels would have bounced off the ground only just very briefly, and photographic technology back then wasn't what it is now. But the drama of the moment has been caught forever.

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Right from the outset this young bloke displayed he was a star of the future, even though his budget didn't match his talent. Jim Richards slides his first race car, the little Ford Anglia, sideways past the battle-scarred perimeter tyres at Teretonga. This is from the 1968 season.

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Piers Courage came to Teretonga in the works BRM P261 V8 in 1967 but spun away his chances at Castrol Bend. He re-appeared in 1968 driving the Saccones Gin liveried McLaren M4A impressing the hell out of all of us*but it was this crazy bi-winged Tom Wheatcroft Brabham BT24 that allowed him to star in 1969 winningh the main event easily from Graham Hill's works Lotus 49T, Chris Amon's 246T Ferrari Dino and Frank Gardner's Mildren-Alfa V8.
Check out the car attitude exiting the famous high speed Teretonga Loop.

Steve Holmes wrote:[ATTACH]20186[/ATTACH]

Part 1 of the Bill Pottinger Collection was a huge hit! Bill's stunning photos of New Zealand motor racing during the late 1960s and early '70s are absolutely world-class, and its a privilege to be able to share them here.

Bill initially sent me a cd containing 48 images, and the plan was to split these into two separate chapters, each containing a tidy 24 images each. However, Bill has since sent me regular emails, containing more images, and I was able to include several of these into Part 1. I'm really pleased to say that the current number now far exceeds 48 images, and should also exceed the original planned 2 chapters.

Other than receiving his emails and enjoying the photos he has sent me, I've also enjoyed getting to know Bill himself, and was impressed to learn that he actually got an invite to head overseas, and become an international motorsport photographer, when he was just 16 years old. But, being so young, he turned down the offer, as he couldn't imagine leaving New Zealand at the time.

So, anyway, this is Part 2 of the Bill Pottinger Collection. Enjoy!

Did I say Tom Wheatcroft????? Of course it should have been Frank Williams!

DJMcD wrote:Piers Courage came to Teretonga in the works BRM P261 V8 in 1967 but spun away his chances at Castrol Bend. He re-appeared in 1968 driving the Saccones Gin liveried McLaren M4A impressing the hell out of all of us*but it was this crazy bi-winged Tom Wheatcroft Brabham BT24 that allowed him to star in 1969 winningh the main event easily from Graham Hill's works Lotus 49T, Chris Amon's 246T Ferrari Dino and Frank Gardner's Mildren-Alfa V8.
Check out the car attitude exiting the famous high speed Teretonga Loop.

Great description there! And yes, those wings looks completely mad, and totally flimsy.

Steve Holmes wrote:Great description there! And yes, those wings looks completely mad, and totally flimsy.

I remember now, it was 1970 with Derek Bell and it was Tom Wheatcroft as the entrant but the car was a*BT26, the Cosworth blew up, so DNF for Derek.

DJMcD wrote:I remember now, it was 1970 with Derek Bell and it was Tom Wheatcroft as the entrant but the car was a*BT26, the Cosworth blew up, so DNF for Derek.

Did Chris Amon try to sort the BT26 on the Friday and the engine went pop so that Derek Bell was DNS. No mention in the stats. for 1970 in your book!!!

Ooh yeah ! A brand new Cosworth, as well. Ugly...

http://www.sergent.com.au/motor/tas70t.html

I think was his first experience of a DFV (well DFW) as well...

Here Jim Clark and Bruce McLaren chat with each other at Teretonga in 1968. I've seen several photos of these two guys chatting and generally looking comfortable around each other. I've also seen podium photos where each looks genuinely happy if the other guy won. I've never given it much thought before but I assume these two were quite close?

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And as you mentioned the Wheatcroft owned, Derek Bell driven, Max Rutherford prepared Brabham, here is Derek, barrelling through Bombay at Wigram. And yes, Bill did live to tell the tale, and he still has ten toes!

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Bill must have been a disciple of the Terry Marshall "Whites of Their Eyes" school of motorsport photography.

Steve Holmes wrote:Here Jim Clark and Bruce McLaren chat with each other at Teretonga in 1968. I've seen several photos of these two guys chatting and generally looking comfortable around each other. I've also seen podium photos where each looks genuinely happy if the other guy won. I've never given it much thought before but I assume these two were quite close?

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I always like to think they were all good friends in that era. Certainly the Tasman Series saw the current F1 drivers*at their most relaxed enjoying the four weeks in NZ and Australia. The Amon home cricket matches, the midweek frivolity I am sure is a part of that series which was so attractive for them away from the northern hemisphere winter. Don't see much of that in today's processed robots.

A lot of detail was probably missed in the book but CAA tried to get thing to work better. Dave McKinney would not have missed things!

Steve Holmes wrote:And as you mentioned the Wheatcroft owned, Derek Bell driven, Max Rutherford prepared Brabham, here is Derek, barrelling through Bombay at Wigram. And yes, Bill did live to tell the tale, and he still has ten toes!

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WOOOW magic pik brave man ........a weeee hint of understeer ??

Yes you're right Grant, a touch of understeer, but still going very very quick!!!!!! I'd never be allowed to stand that close these days!!
Cheers, Bill P.

DJMcD wrote:A lot of detail was probably missed in the book but CAA tried to get thing to work better. Dave McKinney would not have missed things!

Thanks for the kind words, Donald

I'm trying to remember who I covered the 1970 Tasman series for, but whoever it was, I don't think I knew about Amon and the engine till later

Steve Holmes wrote:Right from the outset this young bloke displayed he was a star of the future, even though his budget didn't match his talent. Jim Richards slides his first race car, the little Ford Anglia, sideways past the battle-scarred perimeter tyres at Teretonga. This is from the 1968 season.

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DJ you have gone around that corner a few times and I just can't work out how that would be faster than the normal 1340cc way of down the right getting some brake and washing through to get into the straight as fast as possible!
Love the Turnbill Homes broadcast hut!!
Going to show this to Jim and ask him what was going on!
Never the less that is another great photo by Bill P.

Beautiful shot here of Clyde Collins leading Robert Stewart in the PDL team Mini Coopers. This was the first season for the newly formed PDL Racing Team, and both drivers fared well in their respective classes. Collins competed in the 0-1,000cc class, finishing 3rd in the championship, while Stewart competed in the 1,001-1,300cc class, finishing the season in 2nd.

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