New Zealand Tourist Trophy and other NZ Motorcycle Races

[Roger Dowding]

The New Zealand Tourist Trophy Race - for Motorcycles was first run in June 1931 on Waiheke Island.
The roads used were a 6 and 3/4 mile circuit starting in Ostend and running through Onetangi back over the hills above Palm Beach and down to Ostend.
Roads used were Ostend Road - the start, to Onetangi Road, hard left turn into Sea View Road and up over the hills between Onetangi and Palm Beach back to Ostend Road

Waiheke was used from 1931 to 1950 [ a break from 1941 until 1946 because of the War ] and after 1950 went onto the Mainland, at Seagrove, a circuit at Mangere and later Pukekohe.

This is a collection of images from the Newspapers of the day " Auckland Star " and " New Zealand Herald ".

Other images are from a website called " Barnstormers " and also from Graeme Staples " jellywrestler " archives.

Map of the proposed Track of 7 and 1/2 miles - Auckland Star archives - May 1931.

Map of the Track as used 3 June 1931 - 6 and 3/4 miles - remove the loop around Belgium St, Wharf Road and back up Ostend Road to Sea View Road intersection where the start line was.
[ Graeme Staples archives ].

A couple of photos - with notes from the 1st Events. N Z Herald archives. As found by John Dowding - my cousin and who incidentally now owns our Grandmothers house at Waiheke, which has a view of a small part of the track " Devils Bend ".

3rd June 1931

The event moved to summer and was held in January 1932.

More to come, and this is the thread for any NZ Motorcycle racing images.

Cheers

Roger

[jellywrestler]

When I wrote my book -----Spydas Guide to New Zealand Motorcycle Road Racing Circuits---- I measureed each and every circuit and this came out at 5 1/4 8.5kms, not the 6 3/4 as was on the map.
Roger sent me the 'other' circuit diagram today, which i had not seen, the map as used is one i always thought was used, and was used but of course now i need to double check whether in fact this actually was used early on. I have the History of the Auckland Motorcycle Club here now to start that research.

[jellywrestler]

Thanks Roger for starting this thread, I'm sure we'll enjoy some stuff coming out of the woodwork....

[jellywrestler]

Sid Moses pictured in the first thread was in charge of metrication of nz's money,Winning at the Waiheke Island TT gave him an entry to the Isle of Man TT that was the reward dangled in front of them. Sid was the first kiwi to finish a IOMTT in 1933 from memory, I visited him in the late 90's he showed me the scar on his arm 60 years since he'd hurt himself in practice.
He still raced and completed a race in that condition. You could imagine the injury must have been a beauty to have that still visible after 60 odd years.
The waiheke Island event was essentially NZ's first road race, certainly first actual street race and it was on an island in the middle of the sea in winter, not fun. It was to imitate the IOMTT which was run at the same time, Queens/Kings birthday here. Teo things, the IOM is at the start of their summer that time of the year and the winner wouldn't be there to defend their title if the race had continued at that date, seomthing they may not have considered.....

[Milan Fistonic]

Some info from the programme for the 25th NZTT held at Mangere on February 21, 1959.

[Roger Dowding]

Milan, thanks for those images with the results.

Also interesting in reading the Len Perry article is the mention of " Billings Store " at Devils Bend.

Used to shop there for my grandmother in the late 1950's, and then on to Crocker where we would get a packet of cigarettes and put them on Grandma;s account there. Only manged to do it a couple of times,though .

Waiheke Island businesses put out a Fun Map in 1948 - a very stylised version of the Island.
Devils Bend is where " Patterson's " Truck is on the map, at the corner of Onetangi Road and Sea View Road.

Photo of the winner Sid Moses at the NZ TT in 1931 - from the Central Supply Co archives.

The T - shirt that started the NZ TT search.

After reading the articles should have bought the " Velocette " logo one

[Roger Dowding]

More from the NZ Herald archives and the " Barnstormers " website post.

S Moses - winner in 1934, 3rd win in four years.

Images from1949

Senior TT

Junior TT

[Roger Dowding]

NZ TT 1950..2nd January 1950. New Year public holiday, New Zealand they had the 1st and the day after off, and still do. Not so across the Ditch ..

Camping out at Onetangi for those that couldn't stay in a Bach,or wanted to be in a group - all part of the event

The Programme Cover [ one of the ones as shown on another thread - they belong here ].

[jellywrestler]

The GP Triumph in post number 8 is an interesting beast. Normal triumphs have splayed out exhaust pipes, these ones go out the front parrallel. Up until then they had iron head and barrells but these are alloy. During the war triumph made an engine for the lancaster bombers to run the generator for the electrics, the put alloy head and barrells on it, straightened the exhausts to narrow it up and all. On the side of these barrells there's a cast in alloy block half way up, some are drilled some not on bikes. The genuine GP triumphs are not drilled but if they were generators on the planes they were drilled and an air directing plate attached for cooling. There are plenty of replicas around as the generator sets were not uncommon and ripping bits of them was an upgrade for your bike. NZ's Dene Hollier, of car racing fame, got fifth in the 1949 IOMTT on a GP, the factory gave him the bike.
He then put another engine, a 350 AJS from memory, into it as he wanted the same chassis for the 500 and 350cc class. This pissed off both AJS and Triumph at the time although to be fair triumph didn't have a didn't 350 race bike then

[Roger Dowding]

Spanning a few decades.

the 1934 Programme Cover;
as mentioned on another thread a scan of a copy of a copy !!

The NZ TT Organisers - the Club and later the Auto - Cycle Union, had based the Race on the Isle of Man TT and a rider or riders were invited to the event on the other side of the world - held in the Northern Summer - June.

[jellywrestler]

The NZTT is still an active trophy, Uusally at the Auckland Motorcycle club annual meeting, but not always. This year classes outside of the NZSBK, new zealand superbike championships, will be competed for at the Cemetery Circuit on boxing day. The NZSBK didn't happen in 2022 so there was no chance of it running. for those classes.

[Roger Dowding]

S Moses was very successful in 4 years 1931 to 1934, 3 wins and a second as noted in this brief newspaper cutting

Having difficulty with extracting the images from the National Library archives as they are in " Gif " format
- not Jpg or JPEG. Could be the old system I use- Windows Vista, or the lack of skills by the operator !!
- Just thinking.

[Roger Dowding]

These reports appeared in an article - with credit to the New Zealand Motorcyclist - from Graeme " Spyda " Staples archives.
Have edited them in to 2 or 3 years to scan here

1931 - 32

1933 - 34

1935 part 1936.

1936 part and 1937.

To follow 1938 1939 1940 1941 then the war years no events 1942 - 1945 and after 1946 - 1950

[Roger Dowding]

1938 - 1939 - 1940.

1941, 1946 - 1947.

The last events

1948 - 1950.
Before the event went to Seagrove for 1951 and later to Mangere in the 1950's 1952 on.

The Heading of the article with the Map of the Track.

[bry3500]

Off the web

[Allan]

Inflation was alive and well between 1951 and 1954 I see.

[jellywrestler]

Off the web

just picked up 69 of these mags in CHCH on monday, some cool reading.

[Roger Dowding]

As has been posted on another thread, by " jellywrestler " the last " Classic " Motorcycle meeting has been held at Pukekohe - and probably the last Motorcycle event, ever ..

Back in November 1963 a " Clubmans Day " Motorcycle Event was held at the " new " track.
I was recently given some Programme's from Pukekohe by Auckland Car Club and Northern Sports Car Club and in the middle of a Car Programme was this..

Have taken copies and the " original " with all the handwritten notes is going to " Jw " soon.

[jellywrestler]

yip final competitive motorcycle event at pukekohe park.

[jellywrestler]

This man raced at an incredible 26 circuits in new zealand and won many an NZTT and NZGP as well as NZ Championships, approx ten of them. racing career starts at 59 minutes https://www.youtube.com/live/2RQu8U1d4K ... 7NvX430lAU