The Roaring Season

Hi all, I'm a long time historic touring car racer and I have to thank Steve for directing me to this site. It's great to see that there are so many knowledgable people out there with the kind of information that you can not find in books. I am desperately trying to find information on the Beechy Nova and in particular when it was raced in South Australia by John Kay and Tony Bowden.
Ross Muller

I posted a photo of it when it was yellow at Bay Park, its in the Bay Park thread.

Don't wish to be a nark, but I don't recall Norm racing it at Bay Park in yellow, or wearing #3.
Yes, Norm's Nova was lhd, but when was racing Bridgestone were making motorcycles, not tyres. I think it's likely the yellow livery dates to the car's time in Sth Aust.

GD66 wrote:Don't wish to be a nark, but I don't recall Norm racing it at Bay Park in yellow, or wearing #3.
Yes, Norm's Nova was lhd, but when was racing Bridgestone were making motorcycles, not tyres. I think it's likely the yellow livery dates to the car's time in Sth Aust.

Norms car was not yellow out here. That light blue/green and then dark blue. I think that photo may be a ex speedway boy from Mount who raced one in Pre65 at start of series years ago. Or as GD66 say,s later on in Aus.

The yellow car is an earlier model Nova to the one Norm Beechy had, and is a more recent 'historic type' race car.

Rod Grimwood wrote:Norms car was not yellow out here. That light blue/green and then dark blue. I think that photo may be a ex speedway boy from Mount who raced one in Pre65 at start of series years ago. Or as GD66 say,s later on in Aus.

Ya dead right
Dave Sutton from only around 10 years ago from memory

Rog, was he older or younger brother of "Butch" (Pollock Cranes on cars) good guy, had some fun back then. (about twenty/thirty years ago)

You are all correct, I didn't read the tag properly,it mentioned Norm Beechey but the photo is of a pre 65 car.

Took this at Calder 8/66 with broken front stub....

Rod Grimwood wrote:Rog, was he older or younger brother of "Butch" (Pollock Cranes on cars) good guy, had some fun back then. (about twenty/thirty years ago)

Dave and Butch are the same guy. By the way, Rod, if you worked for Firestone way back then, do you know Peter Broom ?

GD66 wrote:Dave and Butch are the same guy. By the way, Rod, if you worked for Firestone way back then, do you know Peter Broom ?

Yes, but that was very long time ago. I was being smart with name (butch), knew him quite well back then also.

I'm amazed so little has come to light about the Beechey Nova after it was sold to Kay. It was still a pretty high profile car, and you'd think would have been a top gun at Kay's local track. It did get a photo in Graham Howards "Australian Touring Car Championship" book when Kay raced it at Mallala in 1969, but thats the only photo I've seen of it in Kays hands.

Hi Steve, I've managed to contact Tony Bowden who was the partner of the late John Kay and we have come up with some interesting findings which I will post at a later date

Thanks Ross, that is great! Good work. I'll look forward to hearing your findings.

Steve Holmes wrote:Thanks Ross, that is great! Good work. I'll look forward to hearing your findings.

Beechey Nova
I have some photos I took at Bay Park in 1968, i think.The car was a light blue from memory and it was #4. didn't he race there twice?

Thats right Steve, Beechey actually raced the Nova in NZ on at least two occasions, once when it was black, in late 1967, then in its ''68 colour scheme, as seen here.

This is a great pic of BayPark. I was at the exact same place at the start/Just look at the crowd and cars in the background

Hey Steve, looking at the time that you posted this, do you do this site24/7?

John McKechnie wrote:This is a great pic of BayPark. I was at the exact same place at the start/Just look at the crowd and cars in the background

Surprising how often that bloody Laughing Pipi Citroen appears in the Bay Park pics...