Frank Matich with a smidge of the opposites, guides his Lotus 19B Climax through Mount Maunganui, Tauranga in New Zealand’s North Island on December 28, 1963.
This short-lived 2.9km road circuit hosted two Bay of Plenty Premier Road Race meetings in 1962-63.
Matich led the ’63 feature in his new Brabham BT7A Climax (below) before throttle problems intervened, but he had more luck in the sportscar support, winning from Barry Porter’s Lotus 15 Climax.
FM’s Lotus 19 and 19B were important aspects of his rise and rise as a driver. Both cars were extensively developed by he and his small Sydney based team, so too the Brabham BT7A which still served it up to the visiting internationals in their latest cars 12 months later. The saga of the Matich Lotuses is here: https://primotipo.com/2017/09/08/bay-of-plenty-road-race-and-the-frank-matich-lotus-19s/
Who said Denny Hulme was the only Kiwi who lived in bare-feet!?
The Matich Brabham in its Total colours in the Pukekohe paddock during the 1964 New Zealand Grand Prix weekend, a fortnight after the Mount Maunganui meeting.
During 15 championship (Gold Star and Tasman) outings in BT7A IC-1-63 between December 1963 and July 1965 Matich was always a front runner but rarely a finisher. Frank’s best placings were second in the 1965 Sandown Gold Star round, and thirds in the 1964 South Pacific Trophy at Longford, and the 1965 Warwick Farm 100.
That latter race is indicative of Matich’s place in the order of things at the time. He started from pole in front of Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Bruce McLaren, Jack Brabham and Frank Gardner in the year old car.
The all-Brabham front row before the South Pacific Trophy at Longford on March 2, 1964.
Jack Brabham on pole in BT7A with the similarly equipped Matich on the outside, sandwiching Graham Hill’s BT4. Hill won from Bruce McLaren’s Cooper T70 and Matich all Climax FPF powered. Jack suffered differential failure on lap 22, while McLaren won the first, 1964 Tasman Cup.
Kiwi racer Red Dawson was the next owner of IC-1-63 and raced the BT7A from December 1965 to January 1969. His best with it was a win in the 1966 Waimate 50 and second placings in the Gold Star round that year at Renwick and at the ‘69 Pukekohe Gold Star round. The car was rebuilt as a sportscar in 1970, perhaps one of the Kiwis can tell us about that. See here for Allen Browns summary of the two BT7As: https://www.oldracingcars.com/brabham/bt7a/
Credits…
Alan Boyle, Brian Ferrabee, Milan Fistonic, Lionel Walker, Ken Buckley, oldracingcars.com
Tailpiece…
The race debut of BT7A #IC-1-63. Frank Matich during practice for the Hordern Trophy Gold Star round at Warwick Farm in December 1963. Signalling his intent, he started from pole but retired after a collision with reigning Gold Star Champion, Bib Stillwell’s Brabham BT4.
It was well and truly game on between the relatively old bull (36) and relatively young thruster (27)…see here: https://primotipo.com/2018/07/20/matich-stillwell-brabhams-warwick-farm-sydney-december-1963/
Finito…
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