Where’s ’me helmet Sheppo?
Why not start an article about Warwick Farm with a couple of pics of Leo Geoghegan at Oran Park aboard his Lotus 39 Repco circa-1968? Who is Leo speaking to in the shot below?
The bulk of this batch of shots, published by Sydney photographer, Bryan Henderson, on Bob Williamson’s Australian Motor Racing Photographs Facebook page, were taken during the 1968 and 1969 Warwick Farm 100 Tasman rounds I’ve well ventilated before. But why not go again?
Frank Gardner aboard Alec Mildren’s Mildren Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 2.5 V8 – aka The Yellow Submarine – during practice for the 1969 Warwick Farm 100, won in shocking wet conditions by Jochen Rindt’s works Lotus 49B Ford DFW, the Austrian demonstrating his mesmeric wet-weather skills throughout. Rindt, ’69 Tasman:https://primotipo.com/2018/01/19/rindt-tasman-random/
FG was third behind Rindt and Derek Bell, Ferrari Dino 246T, and sixth in the series won by Chris Amon’s 246T. DNF’s at Pukekohe, Wigram and Lakeside cost Gardner while the car was unwinged/under-winged for half the series, which cost him a bit, arguably, in ultimate pace.
Bob Jane and FG chew the fat during practice. I guess Bob ran his Shelby-built Mustang Trans-Am in the touring car supports.
On Tasman point, John Harvey returned to racing after his huge ’68 Easter Bathurst accident at Sandown the following week. Harves ran Jane’s Brabham BT23E Repco 830, the same machine he crashed after the breakage of a rear upright at Mount Panorama. More on the BT23E here:https://primotipo.com/2015/12/22/jack-brabham-brabham-bt23e-oran-park-1968/
Graeme Lawrence, McLaren M4A-14 Ford FVA, eighth at the Farm and equal ninth in the series with Niel Allen, McLaren M10B Chev.
While the FVAs lacked the mumbo to be competitive in dry ’69 Tasman Cup 2.5 events, Graeme won the 1969 Singapore and Selangor Grands Prix in this car while knitting together a Big Deal.
The Lawrence family, with great support from Shell, bought Amon’s Tasman-winning Dino 246T/69-0008 from Ferrari and splendidly won the 1970 Tasman series from some very quick F5000 and 2-litre machines. More on the Dino here:https://primotipo.com/2022/02/01/ferrari-dino-166-246t-take-4/
Graham Hill during dry practice on the Friday or Saturday, Lotus 49B Ford Cosworth. Graham and the ’69 Tasman here:https://primotipo.com/2022/02/26/lotus-49b-ford-chassis-r8/
The talented Roly Levis, Brabham BT23 Ford FVA 1.6 was at Warwick Farm and in the Tasman Cup
Kiwi Gold Star Champion in 1969, ‘69 was the only year in which Levis did the whole Tasman tour; it was a seven-race, two-month commitment that year, a biggie for a privateer; he was 12th in BT23C-7, the ex-Frank Williams car raced by Piers Courage in the 1968 Euro F2 Championship.
The last few shots were taken during the February 18, 1968, Warwick Farm 100 race day.
Bib Stillwell and a mechanic roll Jack Brabham’s Brabham BT23E Repco-Brabham 740 2.5 V8 onto the grid – the car Bob Jane bought for John Harvey at the end of its ’68 Tasman campaign.
Jack was seventh in the race won by Jim Clark’s Lotus 49 Ford DFW.
Stirling Moss getting the lay of the land from just minted 1967 World F1 Champion Denny Hulme, Brabham BT23 Ford FVA, he was fifth. More on the ’68 WF100 here:https://primotipo.com/2018/08/01/warwick-farm-100-1968-take-three/
Warwick Farm chief Geoff Sykes, Moss and race winner Jim Clark during the 1968 WF100 prize giving.
Credits…
Bryan Henderson
Finito…
primotipo... 