There was a Big Bang...

Shano · Post by **Shano** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 3:52 am

Dick Johnson giving Wayne Wilkinson a big hurry-up, Nissan 500 race, Pukekohe, 1985.

Next time round, a catastrophic failure...a big bang

Shano · Post by **Shano** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 3:57 am

Turn the clock back two decades, there had been a lot of rain and the drain opposite the hill stand (where the pits now stand) was nearly full. The grass was wet. A mini driver called Shack Manon got it all wrong, onto the grass and slid to the ditch - with the Mini digging in right on the edge and inverting into the water.

The splash landed somewhere in Manurewa. Never saw anyone else crash like that, ever.

RogerH · Post by **RogerH** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 6:38 am

Jim Boyd had a go at this as well :

stubuchanan · Post by **stubuchanan** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 10:11 am

Hey, I remember those 'dives'. Shack Manon was a quite quick Mini Cooper man in the 60's. The ditch sure was full that day! Shack made the front page of Monday evening's "Star" after that effort. He used to run a mobile fruit/vegetable business around Takapuna when I was young. His son Bruce races a RS2000 Escort in quite spectacular style these days, regularly hanging the tail out over the hill at Pukekohe on a fairly wet track while winning at last year's NZFMR Meeting.

Also I have a fragment of 8mm movie of the Jim Boyd Valour 'off'' at the same spot. That wasn't the only time Jim went off in the Valour, was it Jim or the car?

RogerH · Post by **RogerH** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 10:35 am

Here is another Jim Boyd "off" in the Valour. Evidently the steering wheel came off and Jim went into the hay bales (note he is flung forward as there were no seat belts). Jim held the errant steering wheel up so all could see what was to blame but he dropped it and it rolled across the track and Jim jumped out of the car to chase it.

Rod Grimwood · Post by **Rod Grimwood** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 2:17 am

Steve Millen parked the ex Dave Silcock (Metropolitan Cranes) Jaguar in there on practice day for national meeting. A lot of work that night and lots of tape had him on grid for race. pretty sure he had a race long battle with Jim Richards in the Escort and Halliday in his, think there was only about a car lenght between them at finish.

Post by **Steve Holmes** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:50 am

Shano wrote:Dick Johnson giving Wayne Wilkinson a big hurry-up, Nissan 500 race, Pukekohe, 1985.

Next time round, a catastrophic failure...a big bang

Those are neat photos Shano. That Pinepac XE Falcon was a quick car, but didn't finish too many races. I actually wrote an article on that car for Australian Muscle Car mag many years ago. Unfortunately the car was stolen and never recovered. A real shame, as the XE never raced in Group A in Australia, so it was a rare beast.

beowulf · Post by **beowulf** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 8:56 am

I seem to remember Bruce McLaren ended up in that drain in a Tasman Cooper.

David McKinney · Post by **David McKinney** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 11:46 am

I think he went off before the hill, rather than after it

stubuchanan · Post by **stubuchanan** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:35 am

David McKinney wrote:I think he went off before the hill, rather than after it

Yes. Probably at the Esses left-hander. Prior to that, Bryan Thomas had gone off in his Lotus 27, possibly on somebody's oil, and hit a parked car on the other side of the ditch( on the outside of the track). McLaren may have hit the same oil a lap or two later, clipped the ambulance which was there after Thomas's incident, and ended up in the ditch as well. It looked fairly scary from the Hill Stand, until the drivers reappeared. McLaren took over Phil Hill's Cooper for the GP, but retired about one-third distance. Must have been in the GP Preliminary Race.

bob homewood · Post by **bob homewood** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 11:05 am

stubuchanan wrote:Yes. Probably at the Esses left-hander. Prior to that, Bryan Thomas had gone off in his Lotus 27, possibly on somebody's oil, and hit a parked car on the other side of the ditch( on the outside of the track). McLaren may have hit the same oil a lap or two later, clipped the ambulance which was there after Thomas's incident, and ended up in the ditch as well. It looked fairly scary from the Hill Stand, until the drivers reappeared. McLaren took over Phil Hill's Cooper for the GP, but retired about one-third distance. Must have been in the GP Preliminary Race.

Stu I don't know the history of this photo or anything about ,is it the start of that accident ? its in the right area sorry its not a good photo

stubuchanan · Post by **stubuchanan** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 11:41 am

Gee, that puts me on the spot! We were a bit further along to left of your photo, not such an elevated viewpoint, and I recall the cars disappearing out of sight down the slope to the ditch. If Thomas got involved with a spectator car it must have been at far end of the ditch where it is closer to the track. I might have to look up old newspaper clippings, "Motorman" mags, or ask D. McKinney!
Might even have a lap chart with a few notes on it.

David McKinney · Post by **David McKinney** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:07 am

Hard to tell, but that might be a different (and harmless?) incident

stubuchanan · Post by **stubuchanan** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:18 am

stubuchanan wrote:Gee, that puts me on the spot! We were a bit further along to left of your photo, not such an elevated viewpoint, and I recall the cars disappearing out of sight down the slope to the ditch. If Thomas got involved with a spectator car it must have been at far end of the ditch where it is closer to the track. I might have to look up old newspaper clippings, "Motorman" mags, or ask D. McKinney!
Might even have a lap chart with a few notes on it.

All I found was the report in Motorman. Donn Anderson says Thomas hit the oil at the start of the esses, hit a bank, overturned, landed on a spectator's car and then ended up in the ditch. Rest is how I remembered it. Bryan Thomas and 3 spectators had minor injuries, no damage to Bruce McLaren. Both cars somewhat bent. This was in Heat 1 of 2.

stubuchanan · Post by **stubuchanan** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:45 am

[img]http://[img]http://s2.postimage.org/tikrknog0/Silcock_Beached_Jaguar.jpg[/img][/IMG]I don't want to appear to be a ghoul or an ambulance-chaser, but when it happens right in front of you, you have to take a photo! Dave Silcock managed to beach the Jaguar up the 2 or 3 foot bank opposite the pit entrance at BayPark December 1969. Note the typical Mt Maunganui eye-candy in the foreground.

stubuchanan · Post by **stubuchanan** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:54 am

I don't want to appear to be a ghoul or an ambulance-chaser, but when it happens right in front of you, you have to take a photo! Dave Silcock managed to beach the Jaguar up the 2 or 3 foot bank opposite the pit entrance at BayPark December 1969. Note the typical Mt Maunganui eye-candy in the foreground.

[img]http://[img]http://s2.postimage.org/tikrknog0/Silcock_Beached_Jaguar.jpg[/img][/IMG]

stubuchanan · Post by **stubuchanan** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:06 am

I tried to post this photo yesterday and due to a mental block re downsizing photos tried to use PostImage which works on an other forum, but didn't work here. Rediscovered the "Paint" method, so here goes. Happened right in front of me, just had to stand up and click the shutter. No mean feat by Dave Silcock, beaching the Jag on top of the bank.

Being so close to the beach and at a holiday resort, the eye-candy was always very
pleasant at Mt Maunganui.