Dan Gurney’s winged Lotus 19B Ford V8 during the 1964 Times Grand Prix aka Riverside 200 on 20 October…
Ok, it’s only a little one but Dan is still testing a front wing on the nose of his Lotus 19B. Remember the year folks, 1964, the year the Chaparral lads were getting serious about spoilers but not a wing like this, even if it’s of poverty pack dimensions.
I wonder that he thought of it? He raced it so it can’t have been all bad? I am intrigued to know what contemporary reports made of the experiment.
This one of a kind Lotus 19 variant, the very last made, chassis number 966, was designed by Len Terry for Dan to accept the ubiquitous Ford 289cid pushrod V8 via the relationship created between the two men through the Lotus/Ford Indy program. It culminated in a win for Lotus, Ford, Colin Chapman, Len Terry and not least Jim Clark. Len joined Dan’s All American Racers after the historic 1965 victory.
Colin Chapman and Dan Gurney at Indy in 1963966, Riverside paddock in 1964Dan, and Roger Penske’s Chaparral @A Chev at Nassau in 1963
966 was delivered from Cheshunt to Dan’s new Costa Mesa, California workshop as a rolling chassis and built up by his team before its first race at Nassau in late 1963 (above).
966 is still extant, racing at elite level as late as 1969 in two Can-Am events at Riverside and Texas as the ‘BVC Mk1’- the poor little spaceframe must have been groaning under the strain of a 5.7-litre ‘hevvy Chevvy’.
Dan’s car was hardly the first of the Anglo-American V8 lightweights but it was a mighty quick car in its day, a better car than Chapman’s backbone chassis Lotus 30 and ‘ten more mistakes’ Lotus 40 successor.
Fast but unreliable is a fair description of it. In December 1963, it was 16th in the Nassau Classic and DNF in the blue riband Nassau Trophy, which AJ Foyt won in a Scarab Mk4 Chev.
The Weber fed 4.7-litre Cobra engine produced circa 360bhp @ 6500rpm in period, the gearbox was a ZF. It evolved continuously of course, below in its original guise.
Laguna Seca, Ed La Mantia’s Genie Mk 5 Corvair, DNQ, about to be passed by Gurney during practice. Look at the practice crowd, FFS!Penske, Chaparral 2A Chev and Gurney, Lotus 19 Ford, Laguna Seca 200 Miles October 1964
Parnelli Jones won the 1964 LA Times GP in a more developed and robust Cooper King Cobra from Roger Penske in Jim Hall’s Chaparral 2A Chev and Jim Clark’s works Lotus 30 Ford. The following weekend Dan was second to Penske in the 200 mile Monterey GP at Laguna Seca.
Gurney shared the All American Racers entered car at Daytona and Sebring in 1965. He led at Daytona for 211 laps before retiring at two-thirds distance with engine problems. At a very soggy Sebring he again ran up the front for a bit until the oil pump ended a valiant run. The car, by then entered as a Lotus 19J Ford, raced in Shelby American colours as below.
966 Lotus 19J Ford at Sebring in 1965 (L Galanos)
Louis Galanos wrote of Sebring (this group of photographs), ‘Gurney had an arrangement with Carroll Shelby to be ‘the rabbit’ and get the Chaparrals and Ferraris to chase him and hopefully retire early. This would leave the door open for either Shelby’s Cobra Daytona Coupes to win or one of the GT40s taking home the trophy for the overall win. Unfortunately it was Gurney who retired early with a broken oil pump chain drive. Gurney’s co-driver Jerry Grant never got the chance to drive. Jim Hall’s Chaparral won the race.’
Gurney negotiates Sebring’s Webster Turns – be interesting to know who built the body, Shelbys I guess? – whoever it was didn’t rate the little front wing…
Etcetera…
In the beginning…
The delicate little flower as it arrived from Cheshunt, here (above) at Daytona in February 1964 still fitted with skinny Lotus wobbly-web magnesium alloy wheels. Dan took the view that 360 odd bee-aitch-pee needed more rubber on the road so a call to Halibrand was made.
The car was quick, on pole for the SCCA American Challenge Cup, he led the 15 February 400km race for 12 laps before stalling during a pitstop and was then disqualified for a push-start from his crew, a breach of the rules. Clearly Gurney had concerns about the cars endurance as he chose to contest this shorter race rather than the Daytona 2000km, as it then was, the following day.
Laguna Seca 1964. Gurney’s Lotus with Bruce McLaren, McLaren Mk1 Elva Olds at left, #8 is Jerry Grant’s Lotus 19 Chev and the white helmeted driver is probably Parnelli Jones’ Cooper King Cobra.
Penske won from Gurney and Bob Bondurant then Ronnie Bucknum- here dicing with Gurney in the photograph below the week before at Riverside.
Ronnie Bucknum, Shelby prepped Cooper King Cobra Ford, DNF, from Gurney’s Lotus 19 – 19G – in some texts, Riverside 1964
Dan and Mickey Thompson take shelter from the Laguna Seca, California, heat under Gurney’s beach umbrella. I wonder what plan they are hatching?
That roll bar is braced (removed in this shot) but is still a bit limp. Note the Lotus chassis and Weber fed 289 Ford V8, these little, light Windsors were and are gems of things, at 302cid they were the last ‘real production’ engines to win Le Mans outright in 1968 and 1969 in the back of JW Ford GT40s??
Between session changes at Laguna Seca. Note the Lotus 18 parts bin front suspension, and vestigial roll-over bar. Car #81 is Allen Grant’s Cheetah Chev, 14th.
Riverside again, at a glance the pretty car looks like a beefy Lotus 23. Team plagued with multiple mechanical issues over the weekend so did not finish.
Driver Bruce Campbell with his Ecurie Vickie Racing Team BVC Mk1 Chev 5.7 at Riverside in October 1969.
The car was given this name as a ruse to try and ensure race organisers didn’t know the derivation and age of the car. He qualified twentieth of 35 starters 14 seconds off the pace of Denny Hulme’s McLaren M8B Chev pole time and finished fifteenth 14 laps down. After his impressive qualifying time, race winner Denny spoke to Bruce and suggested a more modern car for the coming season!
At Texas International, Houston, the following weekend Bruce was 20 seconds off Denny’s pole and DNF. Hulme won aboard his M8B with Bruce winning the ’68 Can-Am Drivers championship and McLaren the Constructors of course.
Credits…
Getty Images, The Enthusiast Network, Louis Galanos, Bob D’Olivo, Pat Brollier, Vickie Callouette, Bill Stowe. Sorry about most of the photo credits, folks, I drafted this years ago and have long since lost those notes
Tailpiece: 1964 LA Times GP, Riverside…
Sadly for Dan it’s just the end of qualifying not the end of the 200 mile race the following day! Lotus 19B Ford.
I’m not sure of the date of Dan’s last drive in the car, but it seems Joe Leonard crashed it whilst tyre testing. It then passed through the hands of Steve Dulio, Dick Callouette, Wayne Linden, Gordon and Nancy Gimbel, then back to Steve Dulio, who is the last name I can see online. The car is still historic raced in the US, which is wonderful.
Mike Hailwood had a fantastic season with Matchbox Team Surtees in 1972, winning the European F2 Championship in a pair of Surtees TS10 Ford BDAs.
The lovely lady above is shown with an almost visually identical – but quite different under the skin – 1973 TS15 during the International Racing Car Show held at London Olympia on January 1, 1973.
Hailwood commenced the year in Australasia in the Tasman Series, then returned to Europe for F1 and F2 campaigns in early March.
In the European F2 Championship he bagged maximum points in five of the 14 rounds – Rouen-les-Essarts, the Österreichring, Mantorp Park, the Salzburgring and the Hockenheim finale – to win the title with 55 points from Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, Brabham BT38 Ford 37, and Patrick Depailler, March 722 Ford on 27. The impact of Graded Drivers on the results will be shown below.
(Y Hirano)
Mike Hailwood arrived in New Zealand for the Tasman in sparkling form. He did two late-season ’71 Grands Prix for Surtees at Monza and Watkins Glen, and then a full South African series of sportscar races before arriving in Auckland to race the Surtees TS8/9 Chev #TS8-002 that John Surtees raced in the November 21, 1971 Australian Grand Prix at Warwick Farm, DNF.
He started the Tasman with a bang: second behind Frank Gardner’s works-Lola T300 Chev in the NZ GP at Pukekohe, second again in the Lady Wigram Trophy, then third at Levin. Then the momentum he had was lost when the car was badly damaged at Teretonga, the final NZ round.
A TS11 monocoque #TS11-03 was shipped to Australia. The team had the car ready for the fifth round at Surfers Paradise, but the win that had seemed likely didn’t happen; his best in the four Australian rounds was second in the final round at Adelaide International.
Hailwood in the Sandown dummy grid over the AGP weekend. TS11-03 is fitted with the TS8/9 nose of the damaged car rather than the sportscar type usual TS11 nose Warwick Farm 100, February 13, 1972. Hailwood, Surtees TS11 Chev from David Hobbs’ McLaren M22 Chev, Teddy Pilette’s McLaren M10B Chev, Tony Stewart, Mildren Waggott 2-litre TC-4V and Warwick Brown, McLaren M10B Chev (R MacKenzie)
I attended my first car race at Sandown for the Australian Grand Prix, Hailwood was on my list of four to watch all weekend: Hailwood, Gardner, Matich and Bartlett. Mike had an aura to 15 year old me for sure and seemed a good bloke. You know, the way you can tell when you watch the way someone interacts with those around them, the familiar and the fans?
So I followed his fortunes in F1 and F2 that year, rejoicing in his successes in both categories that cemented his place in Grand Prix racing.
When Mike flew out of Adelaide on February 27, it was to South Africa where the Grand Prix at Kyalami was held the following weekend. His year of F1 intent started with Q4 and challenging Jackie Stewart’s Tyrrell 003 Ford for the lead before a rear suspension breakage on the TS9B Ford after 28 laps.
Hailwood, Surtees TS9B Ford, Italian Grand Prix, Monza 1972. A great second behind Emerson Fittipaldi’s Lotus 72D Ford (unattributed)
Surtees TS10 Design and Construction…
John Surtees seized a commercial opportunity in 1972, that season F2 changed from 1.6 to 2-litres, potentially throwing the paradigm up into the air. Surtees had reasonable success with both his F1 works designs and F5000 cars.
In addition to those programs, the team designed and built a neat, conventional aluminium monocoque racer with a Tyrrell/sportscar type nose section powered by Brian Hart prepared, fuel-injected Ford Cosworth BDA engines quoted as 1850/1860cc. An F1 spec Hewland FG400 five-speed gearbox was used, stronger but heavier than the FT200 used by many.
Surtees poses for the cameras in his Edenbridge factory in early 1972, Surtees TS10 (Popperfoto)Carlos Ruesch’s TS10-05 in the Hochenheim paddock over the October 1 weekend. Brian Hart built 1790cc BDA, DNF engine which gave circa 265bhp. Simple slab sided aluminium monocoque chassis, the engine was mounted to the rear bulkhead and supported by an A-frame which is visible. Suspension single top link, inverted lower wishbones, two radius rods, mag-alloy uprights and Koni/coil springs. Inboard brakes, Hewland FG400 5-speed transaxle (unattributed)Upper and lower wishbones, coils/Konis, mag-alloy uprights, adjustable roll bar and outboard brakes. Hailwood’s car behind Ruesch’s (unattributed)
The engine de jour in ’72 was the BDA in various capacities, generally those who ran engines of 1860cc did better than those of over 1.9-litres as the good-old cast iron Ford 711M block simply couldn’t be bored out that far within the pistons coming awfully close to one another and water passages.
Cosworth’s BDE was 1790cc and gave a quoted 245bhp @ 9000rpm with a bore of 85.6mm. Their 1972 1927cc BDF used an 88.9mm bore that was achieved by brazing liners into the standard block, which gave 270bhp @ 9250rpm.
Hart’s alloy 1975cc 275bhp @ 9250rpm BDG solved all those problems when it was homologated later in the year, then in 1973, March Engineering did their exclusive deal with BMW Motorsport for the supply of the BMW M12/7 2-litre F2 engine and the poor old BDG then never got the works-team attention it really deserved.
Surtees and Hailwood aboard TS10-01 at Mallory Park over the March 12, 1972 weekend; first round of the Euro F2 Championship, fifth (unattributed)Variety is the spice in chassis at least!…Carlos Reutemann, Brabham BT38, Ronnie Peterson, March 722, Jody Scheckter, McLaren M21 – then race winner David Morgan, Brabham BT35, and ? Mallory Park, Euro F2 Champ round 1 March 12, 1972 (P Amoudru)
1972 European F2 Championship…
The array of talent that contested the series in whole or part that year was typically deep. Graded Drivers – drivers who participated but were not be awarded championship points, see definition at the end of this piece – included Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Francois Cevert, Emerson Fittipaldi, Graham Hill, Ronnie Peterson, Tim Schenken, John Surtees and Reine Wisell.
Future World Champions in the ’72 mix comprised James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, while the GP winner roll call included Vittorio Brambilla, Peter Gethin, Patrick Depailler, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Jochen Mass, Carlos Pace, Carlos Reutemann and John Watson, not to forget Le Mans victors Derek Bell, Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, Henri Pescarolo, Vern Schuppan and Bob Wollek.
It’s an interesting pub fact – perhaps – that no winner of the old European F2 Championship 1967-84, or modern FIA Formula 2 Championship 2017-present, has ever won the F1 World Championship. Oscar Piastri, the 2021 victor, has a chance, therefore, of making history this year, depending on how things go over the next couple of months!
By the time Hailwood got his bum into TS10-01 Surtees had the car nicely sorted, with Mike taking fifth place overall from the two heats of the opening round of the European F2 Championship at Mallory Park on March 12.
Privateer, Dave Morgan sensationally won the round in a year-old spacframe Brabham BT35 BDA 1860cc from Niki Lauda’s works-March 722 BDA 1825cc, Carlos Reutemann, Brabham BT38 BDF 1927cc, Jody Scheckter’s one-off McLaren M21 BDF 1927cc, then Hailwood using a BDA prepared by RES (Race Engine Services) of 1825cc.
That variety of cars set the pattern of lots of different car-driver winning combinations for the season. The subtext, for F2 anoraks, were the BDA battles between the various engine builders/preparers.
Ronnie Peterson’s works-March 722 BDF-1927cc won at Thruxton, then Jean-Pierre Jaussaud’s Brabham BT38 BDA-1850cc at Hockenheim in mid-April, before Hailwood collected fifth place points in the Pau GP on May 5-6 using one of Brian Hart’s 1850cc BDAs; Peter Gethin’s Chevron B20 BDA took the champers that weekend.
John Surtees raced TS10-02 at Oulton Park and Thruxton then took that chassis to Japan to contest the Japan Auto Federation Grand Prix of Japan at daunting Fuji Speedway on May 3. He splendidly won the race using new a Hart-prepped 1930cc alloy block BDG. Japanese drivers Hiromu Tanaka and Hiroshi Fushida were second and third aboard a March 722 and Brabham BT38, both powered by 2-litre Mitsubishi Colt R39B engines.
John Surtees on the way to winning the 1972 JAF Japanese GP at Fuji in TS10-02 from Hiromu Tanaka, March 722 Mitsubishi R39B 2-litre (Y Komura)Hailwood from Jody Scheckter, McLaren M21 Ford BDF, Crystal Palace 1972
Back home in London, Hailwood and Scheckter thrilled the crowds at Crystal Palace on May 29. Reutemann’s Rondel Racing – Ron Dennis and Neil Trundle – Brabham BT38 won the first heat, Hailwood the second and then Scheckter, works-McLaren M21 Ford BDF 1927cc the final in a thriller-diller dice with Carlos third. Mike’s best lap of 48.4 seconds set in the second heat of the Greater London International Trophy is the all-time lap record of a venue then in its final season.
By mid-season, there was no lack of Surtees TS15s in circulation, but they were all works-run cars; no customers stumped up to buy one. Argentinian Carlos Ruesch raced TS10-03, Andrea De Adamich, TS10-04 and later in the season Carlos Pace, TS10-07.
Andrea De Adamich, Surtees TS10-04 Ford BDE-Novamotor 1790cc Imola 1972, fourth (Autosprint)Emerson Fittipaldi, works-Lotus 69 Ford BDF, Hockenheim October 1972. DNF engine – BDF – after eight laps (P Amoudru)
Emerson Fittipaldi, in amongst winning his first F1 World Championship for Lotus (72? Ford DFV) made a number of successful F2 raids in a modified Lotus 69 fitted with 1927cc Cosworth BDFs. He won at Hochenheim on June 11 and Rouen Les Essarts on June 25. Hailwood got the points for the latter win as Emerson was a Graded Driver.
The same pair did the one-two at the Osterreichring on July 9, this time Mike was 36 seconds adrift of Emmo on the road, but again got the nine championship points. Carlos Ruesch was seventh in a good weekend for Matchbox Team Surtees.
Vic Elford, works-Chevron B20 BDA and Richard Scott, Brabham BT38 BDE on the inside at Crystal Palace 0n May 29; fourth and DNF valves. David Purley in the March 722 behind? (unattributed) A shit shot, but it’s the only one I can find of John Surtees TS10-07, taking his last in-period race win, the Imola Euro F2 round on July 23, 1972 (unattributed)
At Imola the boss showed his fellow motor-cycling ace how to do it! Surtees was fourth in the first 28 lap heat, was third in the second and won on aggregate with Bob Wollek, Brabham BT38 BDA and Niki Lauda, March 722 Ford BDA third. Wollek won a heat, and Peter Gethin, Chevron B20 the other…there was no shortage of race winners that year as I wrote earlier! Mike was second in the first heat but failed to finish the second after his fuel pump failed.
Hailwood bounced back at Mantorp Park, Sweden, a fortnight later, he was second in the first heat behind Gethin, won the second from Jean Pierre-Jabouille (March 722 Ford BDA) and the round overall. It was a timely win at the business end of the season, capped by Ruesch’s sixth place.
Hailwood had his tail up at Enna on August 20, winning the first heat from Henri Pescarolo but bombing out of the second with transmission failure. Patrick Depailler won that one, Alpine A367 Ford BDA, but veteran-Pesca was again second and won the round on aggregate. Carlos Ruesch got his best result for the year in TS10-05, third place, having placed third in both heats.
Mike Hailwood and Peter Gethin in the Brands Hatch Race of Champions paddock on March 19, 1972. Hailwood was second in his Surtees TS9B Ford DFV, and Gethin fourth in a BRM P160B. The race was won by Emerson Fittipaldi’s Lotus 72D Ford. Straight from Carnaby Street by the look of itCarlos Pace, GP del Mediterraneo Enna-Pergusa 1972, TS10-07 NC (A De Brito)
On the fast Salzburgring, Hailwood again showed his class, winning on aggregate after beating Carlos Pace in the second heat and placing second behind David Morgan’s Brabham BT38 BDA in the first. Pace was second overall aboard TS10-07, and Ruesch TS10-05 tenth, giving Matchbox Team Surtees its best result for the year, and perhaps securing Pace’s place in Team Surtees F1 for 1973.
Jean-Pierre Jaussaud won the penultimate round, the Albi Grand Prix in his Brabham BT38 BDA from Depailler’s March 722 and Bob Wollek’s BT38 in a French one-three. Reusch was sixth and Hailwood 14th; disappointing as Mike won the second heat but isn’t listed in my results of the first. What was the problem, folks?
Tim Schenken won the final round of the European F2 Championship at Hockenheim on October 1 from his Surtees F1 teammate Hailwood: Rondel Brabham BT38 BDF and Surtees TS10 BDA. Ronnie Peterson, March 722 BDA, was third.
Ronnie Peterson in his works-March 722 Ford BDF at Thruxton in April 1972. Winner of the Jochen Rindt Memorial Trophy (LAT)Hailwood TS10-01, or TS10-07, third in the final October round of the Euro F2 Championship at Hockenheim (R Schlegelmilch)
Mike won the championship with 55 points from Jean-Pierre Jaussaud – the Le Mans winner, sometimes a forgotten Frenchie? – Brabham BT38 on 37 points, and Patrick Depailler March 722 third on 27 points.
With adequate funding, John Surtees ran a strong program: chassis, engines and driver, Matchbox Team Surtees delivered the goods.
As to the best-chassis of 1972? The Brabham BT38 won four European F2 Championship rounds – Jean-Pierre Jaussaud won at Hochenheim-Jim Clark Memorial Trophy and Albi, Tim Schenken Hochenheim-Preis von Baden-Wurttemberg, Henri Pescarolo, Enna – not to forget David Morgan’s BT35 victory at Mallory. The Surtees TS10 won three rounds – Hailwood at Mantorp Park and Salzburgring, and Surtees at Imola. Emerson Fittipaldi took three in his works-Lotus 69 at Hochenheim-Rhein-Pokalrennen, Rouen and the Osterreichring with single round wins to the March 722, Peterson at Thruxton, the Chevron B20, Gethin at Pau and finally Jody Scheckter won at Crystal Palace in his McLaren M21.
Jody Scheckter on the way to winning the London Trophy at Crystal Palace in May 1972, McLaren M21 Ford BDF 1927cc (T Legate)Carlos Reutemann, Brabham BT38 Ford BDF, Mallory Park, March 1972, third (D Btiot)
So, drum-roll, the Champion F2 Constructor for 1972 – was there such a title – would have been Brabham, who, after years of ‘F2 Dominance’, got their come-uppance the year before with March. I’ve always thought the ultimate test of a customer racing car is the number of different drivers to have been victorious behind its steering wheel.
While Ron Tauranac was rightly famous for his spaceframe Brabhams, there was nothing wrong with the BT38, Brabham’s first production monocoque design, the work of Geoff Ferris. New owner Ecclestone would soon get rid of all this production racing car rubbish, of course…
Etcetera…
(T Legate)
Mike Hailwood enroute to setting the all-time lap record at Crystal Palace on May 29, 1972, aboard TS10-01, such an attractive car, doesn’t it look the goods!
(LAT)
John Surtees aboard TS10-07 at Oulton Park over the September 16, 1972 weekend, DNF with electrical problems without completing a lap of the final round of the British F2 Championship. The race was won by Ronnie Peterson from Niki Lauda and James Hunt; works March 722 by two, and Hesketh Racing March 712M BDA.
The British championship was won by Lauda – a flicker of light in a pretty grim March year for him – from Peterson and David Morgan.
The Matchbox Team Surtees transporter in the Oulton Park paddock on that same weekend below.
(R Kalatayud)
Imola 1972 is a kaleidoscope of Formula 2 colour and variety that would over-stimulate the poor punters of today who are swamped in dull, shit-boring one make drossful classes.
Foreground car folks? Mike is facing us, shielding his eyes from the sun, with Surtees #3 behind. #14 Hiroshi Kazato March 722, #11 is Carlos Reuttemann, Brabham BT38, #27 Adrian Wilkins March 722, #25, Jose Dolhem March 722, #6 Peter Getin, Chevron B20. All BDAs of one sort or another…
Mike Hailwood, John Surtees and Helmut Marko in the Monza paddock during the 1972 Italian Grand Prix weekend on September 5.
(H Fohr)
Carlos Ruesch, Surtees TS10 BDA, NC, and Claudio Francisci, Brabham BT38 Cosworth BDE, ninth, at Hockenheim during the Jim Clark Memorial meeting in April.
(Getty)
Niki Lauda, March 722 BDA-RES 1927cc, Rouen, June 25, 1972, DNF with a popped engine. Fittipaldi’s Lotus 69 won and Mike bagged the nine points, placing second behind the Graded Driver.
Niki was fifth in the Euro F2 points standings.
(J Regami)
Hailwood’s TS10 in the paddock during the Pau Grand Prix weekend. You can see the top wishbone, front suspension was conventional upper and lower wishbones, coil spring/Koni dampers, adjustable roll bar and mag-alloy uprights. Perhaps Mike wiped a nosecone off in practice?
(F Kraling)
Graham Hill’s Brabham BT38 Ford BDA-RES 1927cc has aero modifications neatly exercised by KayDon Racing. David Kaylor and John Donnelly, being ex-MRD employees who ran the car for owner Graham Hill with Jäegermeister sponsorship. This shot is at Hockenheim on October 1, fifth.
Hill won the non-championship Gran Premio della Lotteria at Monza with BT38-1 in June.
(J Regami)
At Pau Emerson Fittipaldi’s Lotus 69 Ford BDF – apart from its Moonraker Yachts livery – didn’t look much different to the 69s of 1970-71 but the adoption of a sportscar type nose brought the old, very fast jigger up to snuff aerodynamically. Lotus 69 bias declared herein!
World Champion drivers of the previous five years.
Drivers who, in one and the same year, have been classified at least twice among the first six in a race of the World Championship for Drivers, while taking into account the Championship of the two previous years.
The winner of the Indianapolis 500 Miles of the previous year.
The winner of the Can-Am Series of the previous year.
The winner of the European Championship for Formula 2 drivers of the previous year on condition, however, that he has won at least three first places in the Class B drivers’ classification (ie non-graded) of an event qualifying for the said Championship.
Drivers who, in the same year, won at the same time one classification among the first six in an event counting for the World Championship of Drivers, and one classification among the first three in the general results of an event counting for the Makes’ Championship. Only the Championships of the two previous years shall be taken into consideration.
2. Long Distance Graded drivers
Drivers who, in one and the same year, havew been classified at least twice among the first three in an event of the Makes’ World Championship, while taking into account the two previous years. However, only those teams of not more than two drivers, and that for the whole duration of the event, will be retained for inclusion on the list of graded drivers.
The text for 1975 is identical, except that it omits the winner of the Can-Am title.
Credits…
Team Surtees and Formula 2 Facebook pages, Yoshiaki Hirano, Popperfoto, Michael Lee, Yoshinori Komura, Alejandro De Brito, Patrick Amoudru, Walter Harbers, Rafael Kalatayud, Denis Btiot, LAT, Rainer Schlegelmilch, Joe Regami, Caz Caswell, Hans Fohr, Trevor Legate, F2 Index-Fastlane, oldracingcars.com, Joe Regami, Ferdi Kraling
The Referee Sydney, June 16, 1938(L Sims Collection)
Peter Whitehead sans helmet on the way to an Australian Hillclimb Championship win aboard his ERA B-Type #R10B, then 1.5-litres supercharged, on Monday, June 13, 1938, at Rob Roy, 40 km east of Melbourne.
He came, saw, and conquered Australia in 1938, winning the Australian Grand Prix and Hillclimb Championship and attended to the needs of the family wool processing and spinning business too.
What follows are Whitehead’s observations about Rob Roy and related adventures, as told to his Australian friend, Kenneth Maxwell, and published in The Car, the official organ of the Light Car Club of Australia, the organiser and promoter of Rob Roy.
(T Johns Collection)(L Sims Collection)
She’ll be comin’ down the (Rob Roy) mountain as she comes…
Etcetera…
Surfs-Up albeit not that much! Whitehead and entourage keep a close eye on the 90 Mile Beach’s rising tide during a spot of land speed record breaking in Victoria
Greg Smith wrote that ‘A young bloke from Orbost rode his pushbike to 90 Mile Beach to watch this car on the sand in the speed trials and it was his inspiration to get involved in motorsport. That bloke was (Oz driving and engineering legend) Harry Firth.’
Peter didn’t run the ERA in Rob Roy’s November 20, 1938 meeting but LCCA stalwart, Jim Leech gave him a run in his Frazer Nash, he did an amazing 34.77-sec run. Car now owned by the Davey-Milne brothers.
(Cummins Collection)
Peter returned to Australia a number of times, the visit I tend to forget is when he entered his Jaguar C-Type in the Mount Druitt 24-Hour in January 31-February 1, 1954.
Paul Cummins tells the story, ‘Whitehead’s Jaguar ‘C’ Type XKCO39 was co-driven by Tony Gaze and Alf Barrett. The race started at 2 pm on January 31st, with a Le Mans Start. Organised by Belfred Jones and his company Speed Promotions and run under the ARDC for unmodified production cars, it was the first 24-hour race in Australia and attracted 22 cars.’
It all looks good other than the dates! (B Williamson Collection)The Mount Druitt 24-Hour winning Jag XK120 FHC crewed by Geordie Anderson, Bill Pitt and Charlie Swinburne (B Caldersmith-AMHF)
‘There was no crowd control and the road surface gradually disintegrated making it a rough going and forcing the ‘C’, which was leading, to pull out with rear suspension problems. Peter Whitehead started the race and by the third lap had already started overtaking slower cars. By the end of the first hour he overtook the Geordie Anderson XK120 FHC that was in second.
By the eight hour mark the ‘C’ had completed 217 laps and was 23 laps ahead of the second placed Holden of Shaw. Hitting a pothole at midnight put an end to the ‘C’ Type’s race. All 22 cars finished as the ‘retirements’ rejoined at the end. The car race wasn’t repeated but amazingly in October the world’s first 24 hour bike race was run there.’
Peter is shown above manoeuvring his Ferrari 555 Super Squalo 3.4-litre in the paddock. He was third in the race, behind Moss and Behra, in his final competition appearance in Australia. I wonder if he continued to travel to Melbourne on business in the period between then and his untimely death during the September 1958 Tour de France.
Credits…
The Referee Sydney June 16, 1938, Leon Sims Collection, Bob King Collection, Ian & Paul Cummins Collection, Ken Wheeler via David Zeunert Collection, Bob Williamson Collection, AMHF Archive
Peter Macrow gives a row of poplars a fright as he runs wide at Newry during the March 1968 Longford Tasman Cup weekend, Argo Chev V8.
The Argo is a special built from the bones of an uncompetitive Cooper T53 by Ray Gibbs, a Melbourne racer/mechanic who had a stint at Cooper in his CV, for grazier/racer/car owner Tony Osborne.
With a long gestation period, it was first raced by Ian Cook in 1967. When Ian bagged an Elfin 400 drive with Bob Jane Racing, another Melbourne up and coming single seater pilot, Peter Macrow got the ride.
Look how those trees have grown! They were saplings when Jack Brabham and Bib Stillwell raced each other on the same stretch of road out of Newry, in the Longford Trophy eight years before.
The freshly minted World Champion won there in 1960 aboard a Cooper T51 Climax 2.5 FPF, from the similar chassis of Alec Milden and Stillwell: Alec’s car was powered by a Maserati 250S four, Bib’s by a 2.2-litre Climax FPF.
Macrow eases Argo into the viaduct at Longford, on wet race day. The aluminium body was built – very slowly – by Murray Carter in Moorabbin, a legendary racer of all manner of things, mostly touring cars.
I wrote a feature on the Argo Chev, now owned by my good friend, Peter Brennan, a while ago. Have a read of it, it’s an intriguing tale of twists and turns: https://autoaction.com.au/2023/11/05/argo-chev-v8
Etcetera…
(G Fluke)
Chris Amon tips his ex-works/Scuderia Veloce Ferrari P4/350 Can Am into the uphill apex of Newry during the 1968 weekend, Chris won the sportscar races. He is about 50 metres behind the spot where the Argo is in the first shot.
(G Fluke)
Pedro gives us another look at the Newry poplars and his 2.5-litre BRM P126 V12 during the very soggy ’68 South Pacific Trophy race. He nicked second from Frank Gardner’s Brabham BT23D Alfa Romeo in the event’s final stages. The race was won in ballsy fashion by Piers Courage’s McLaren M4A Ford FVA F2 car.
Credits…
Osborne Family Collection via oldracephotos.com, Lin Gigney, Guy Fluke
Tailpiece…
(L Gigney)
Tony Osborne, Cooper T53 Climax leads Graham Hill, Brabham BT4 Climax – race winner – off Long Bridge during the March 2, 1964 South Pacific Trophy weekend.
This car, T53 #F2-17-60, ex-Brabham/Lex Davison provided some of the parts to build Argo. Both Argo and the Cooper exist and are occasionally raced in historic events.
Not that it’s about racing at all. These pages from the Christmas 1964 issue of Repco Record, Repco Ltd’s in-house staff magazine, make it crystal clear exactly when Repco commenced their European operations in London on August 1, 1957.
Mind you, that might not be correct. The History of Repco records that Rob Paddon first hung up a shingle at 59 James Street in the West End in 1954. ‘That started with the bold move of joining the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders that year. Membership enabled Repco to exhibit at the earls Court Motor Show from 1957.’
(1957)
I’d always thought Repco’s arrival in the UK was ‘hand in glove’ at about the time the Repco-Brabham branding of Motor Racing Developments Ltd’s racing cars occurred circa-1963. Not so, Repco popped a stake in the ground much earlier.
The global expansion dealt with on the published pages indicates the good marketing sense of the tie-up with Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac given the international nature of motor racing and therefore the brand-building available to Repco by hitching themselves to Brabham’s coat-tails.
A little later still, Repco’s engineering skills were laid bare – revealing that they weren’t just a sponsor’s name on the nose of Brabham racing cars – for all to see when Repco’s family of 2.5-5-litre racing V8s took to the circuits from January 1966.
So, this stuff is contextual, not racing as such, and is popped up here to be on the public record.
Vern Schuppan had plenty of excitement towards the end of his victorious run at Le Mans in 1983. With two hours to go he sped down the Mulsanne in Porsche 956 #003) – shared with Al Holbert and Hurley Haywood – when the left-hand door flew off.
He kept circulating while a replacement door was readied, but the engine began to overheat as air was no longer being forced into the radiator on that side by the duct built into the door.
(T Walker)
After four laps a non-opening door was fitted. After rejoining, the car was ordered to return to the pits to have an operational door fitted on safety grounds. This meant the second-placed Bell/Ickx (005) above was able to make up its three-lap deficit with the cars on the same lap as the final circuit began.
Holbert’s overheated engine was now smoking, and Bell was closing rapidly – having been twelve seconds quicker in practice – but despite gaining on the lead car, the order remained the same at the finish.
(T Walker)
As usual, I found these photos by accident, researching something else, and up popped the ‘Porsche Pictures Past’ website porschepicturespast.com, which is fantastic, do have a look.
(T Walker)
That’s the 934 shared by John Goss (#9306700153) with car owner, Belgian ‘Jean Beurlys’ (Jean Blaton) and Nick Faure in 1976.
They started 27th and were still running at the finish but were too far behind the winner (181 laps completed) to be classified.
The story goes that the car was delivered to Blaton just before the race in Belgian racing yellow, but a last-minute sponsorship deal with Citizen Australia and Harley Davidson resulted in the car being hurriedly repainted into the colour scheme seen here, apparently with aerosol cans!
#69 was a Swiss entry for Claude Haldi/Christian Vetsch, DNF engine on lap 219 of 350, while car #17 was the Joest 908/3 (#008) driven by Ernst Kraus/Gunter Steckkonig; the 1970 Targa Florio-winning chassis was seventh on its Le Mans debut from grid 23.
(T Walker)
Tim Schenken shared this Georg Loos-GELO Racing 934 (#9306700175) with Toine Hezemans (driving) in 1976; they looked set for a GT category win until a transmission problem intervened.
After this setback, they were 16th outright and second in class after starting 15th. Tim competed at Le Mans five times, this was his sole finish.
Tim first raced for Gelo in 1974 and did full seasons in Georg Loos Porsches in 1975-76 with his best results as follows: 1975 – first in the Euro GT round in a 911 Carrera, and in the ETCC round at Zandvoort and 200 Km Jarama, while his wins in a fearsome Porsche 917/10 in the Zandvoort, Nurburgring Supersprint and Hockenheim Interserie round puts him am an elite group of drivers who won a race in these challengine cars.
And in 1976 aboard 934s, first in the DRM Hockemheim Preis der Nationen and the DRM Nurburgring Supersprint, while he shared the victory in the Monza 6-Hours with Toine Hezemans and Klaus Ludwig.
(T Walker)
The marshal pauses as the Charles Ivey Porsche 956 (#110) races past during 1984.
Crewed by Chris Craft/Alain de Cadanet and Allan Grice, the ex-John Fitzpatrick Racing machine had a DNF engine only two hours from the end when in 13th place.
Gricey returned to Le Mans in a works-Nissan R88C, finishing 14th, sharing with Win Percy and Mike Wilds.
(fotoracing.co.uk)
Larry Perkins had a crack at Le Mans in a Charles Ivey-entered car too. His 911 Carrera RSR (#9114609064) was having its second of two attempts at Le Mans in 1978.
After retirement the year before, it finished 14th from grid 47 in the hands of Perkins/John Rulon-Miller/Gordon Spice and was second in its class. Above, the winning Alpine-Renault A442B of Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud prepares to pass the Porsche again, eventually finishing 91 laps ahead.
(T Walker)
There was no shortage of Australian drivers in the 1984 race including the Peter Brock/Larry Perkins Team Australia (John Fitzpatrick Racing) 956 #102.
The car was running 28th from Q18 when Larry ran off the road in a ‘he zigged when I zagged’ high speed passing move, ended its race after 145 laps.
(T Walker)
And yes, I know some other Australians also raced Porsches at Le Mans.
George Bonser’s Terraplane Special during the 1938 Australian Grand Prix at Bathurst.
He was tenth in the 3.5-litre straight-six powered machine in the race won convincingly by Peter Whitehead’s ERA B-Type on April 18.
This car was raced pre-War at venues such as Wirlinga, where the duo placed second in the 1938 Interstate GP behind Jack Phillip’s Ford V8 Special, and at Penrith, where Bonser won the All Powers Car Championship of Australia on Anzac Day that same year.
Bonser’s Terraplane finishes the Interstate Grand Prix at Wirlinga in 1938, second behind the Jack Phillips/Ted Parsons Ford V8 Special (J Dallinger)Bonser aboard a Midget pre-war (B Darby Collection)
Bonser commenced racing midgets in 1940, served in the RAAF during WW2 then announced his return to Midget racing in 1945 and soon became one of the sports’ stars.
By May 1946 he was regarded as the fastest speedcar driver in Brisbane after winning two races in the third Test between New Zealand and Australian drivers at the Exhibition track. He also raced his Alta Ford on the circuits, at Strathpine in August 1946 for example.
He retired in 1950 then returned in ‘52 and was still competitive in 1953 in an Edelbrock V8 powered car having won the NSW Speedcar Championship at the Speedway Royale Sydney in February. In May the following year, he looked to have won the Australian title in Brisbane until piston failure in his Ford V8 ’60’ intervened.
During the lead-up to the ’54 AGP at Southport, Bonser and Clive Gibson worked with Frank Kleinig on the final, slim, monoposto variant of the Kleinig Hudson Special (DNS electrical short) but what became of George Bonser after this folks?
George Bonser (right), winner of the All Powers Championship of Australia on Anzac Day, Penrith in 1938 in his Terraplane Spl. It’s Frank Kleinig aboard his Kleinig Hudson Spl alongside (The Western Weekender)Australian GP, Bathurst October 6, 1947. #13 Bill McLachlan, MG TA Spl, #5 Lex Davison’s Mercedes Benz SSK and #4 Ron Ewing’s Buick Spl (D Flett)
Bonser’s Terraplane beast survived into the post-war era but gave up its life – its chassis and wheels at least – to form the basis of the (Ron M) Ewing Buick Special, which was famously built by Ewing, an ambulance worker, in the backyard of the Summer Hill, Sydney ambulance station!
Other ingredients of the car included an ‘aircraft-type cooling system’, Lancia gearbox, ‘some parts collected in Malaya where Mr Ewing was a war prisoner, including dashboard instruments from a crashed Japanese plane’, while Bugatti bits comprised the steering wheel, box, and column.
An MG and the Ewing Buick Special at Marsden Park, date unknown
With its Buick 40 straight-eight engine, the ‘League of Nations Special’, as one wag christened it, was considered a strong contender for line honours in the October 1946 New South Wales GP at Mount Panorama, but the car blew its clutch.
He set FTD at the Mona Vale hillclimb in April 1947 and returned to Bathurst for the AGP that October but again failed to finish. By March 1948, Ewing entered the New South Wales Hundred at Bathurst in the Spike Special, where he was again unsuccessful, completing only 13 of the 25 laps won by John Barraclough’s MG NE Magnette.
Ewing sold the car in late 1949 or early 1950 and planned to build another ‘over 200 horsepower’ Buick-powered special with a tubular chassis and independent front suspension. Did he realise that aspiration folks?
Ewing Buick Spl, NSW GP, Bathurst, October 1946 (ACP-SLNSW)
Etcetera…
Midget car drivers and owners have done their bit for the fighting forces and when afternoon racing is commenced shortly, there will be a number of familiar faces missing from the ranks of the sport. Johnnny Barraclough, Fred Scully, Snowy Rogers and George Bonser are all in the R.A.A.F, as is the case with Jimmy Painton and Bob Preston. Tommy Trudgeon, veteran driver, and Jack Ferguson are members of the A.I.F. On the other hand, Clem Scott, Bill Reynolds. Ned Kelly and Wally Reid are all engaged in vital war productions.
This article by Les Vowles in The Telegraph, Brisbane, was published on October 11, 1947.
To young and old speedway enthusiasts, George Bonser is a bonser driver. No one took his racing more seriously than Bonser: last season, he had more than his share of misfortune, but this season he has taken up quarters in his garage, so that, in the pursuit of still more power and speed, he will always be on the spot to carry out any improvement to his car that may come to mind.
Its not unusual for a driver-mechanic to stay up all night working on his car in preparation for Saturday night’s racing, and then it’s a decided advantage to have one’s sleeping quarters adjacent to one’s work
No other driver admired the American cars more than Bonser when Niday and Grimm were here earlier this year. Their cars were parked with Bonser’s, and he made a careful study of them. Since then, Bonser has incorporated many parts he obtained from the visitors and also altered the design of parts of his car.
One of these necessitated the abandonment of a starting clutch, which is considered obsolete in America but which is a necessity if a driver is to get away smartly in our clutch start handicaps. However Bonser’s car now is so fast that he partly makes up for the necessity to use a push start.
George Bonser #2 alongside British comedian Tommy Trinder after a handicap match race at Brisbane Exhibition Speedway in 1947 (SLQ)
Bonser came into the car racing game via motorcycles. He and another motorcyclist figured in a remarkable pair of accidents that put one out of the racing game but Bonser kept going and is today ranked in the first flight of Australian drivers.
It was at a motorcycle road racing circuit that Bonser and a rider named James were having a duel for supremacy. Lap after lap they tore around and as the finish approached, the crowd encroached on the course. Dashing down to the line, Bonser’s bike got into a wobble and became uncontrollable. It crashed into the crowd with fatal results for one spectator.
After that race, Bonser decided to take to car racing. It was at Penrith, a wide dirt track, that the remarkable sequel to the original accident occurred.
The motorcyclist with whom Bonser had been racing when the earlier fatal accident occurred, also had graduated to motorcar racing and was a competitor at Penrith in the same race as Bonser.
Many parties picnicked at the all-day meetings at Penrith (Monday June 13, 1938) before the war. At the top of the track was a shallow drain to prevent seepage onto the track, and then came the safety fence. Spectators had strict instructions to remain outside the fence, but on this occasion, a family party, unobserved by the officials, settled at the edge of the drain while a race was on.
Frank Kleinig, (Kleinig Hudson Spl, one of the outstanding pre-war and immediate post-War Australian drivers on any surface), who raced at Strathpine last year, was having a tussle with (Wally) James (MacKellar Ford Spl aka the ex-Bill Thompson Bugatti T37A Ford V8 Spl s/c chassis 37358) and Bonser when James’ car spun, skidded off the track into ‘no man’s land’ and crashed into the family party with fatal results for three persons.
James went out of the racing game but Bonser went on with it, though these days he has been racing the small speedcars.
Brisbane Exhibition Speedway in 1946. From left, Max Hughes and Jack Malcolm NZ, Ken Wylie Vic, Doug McDonald Qld, Fred Barker, Belf Jones, Jimmy Read, Jimmy Cross, Bob Playfair NSW, George Bonser, Ray Revell NSW (B Darby Collection)
George now has a plan to race a big car (a road racing car) again, and when I stepped through a collection of vegetables and fruit which George was packing fpr the weekend I saw a partly finished ‘three-quarter’ car. This car had a full-size V8 engine. The chassis was a modified Bugatti. The whole car looked resplendent with chrome plating. This car is to be used at Strathpine, Penrith and Bathurst.
One of Bonser’s narrowest of escapes occurred in an Alpine reliability trial from Sydney to Kosciusko, returning via Canberra. One of his team bet Bonser four bottles of beer that he could not get to Kosciusko first – he started near the end of a field of 22.
In the mountains the windscreen iced up and the road became extrememy slippery with the result that the car left the road at a bend, rolled over several times and came to rest upside down with Bonser and his party trapped in the car.
Petrol, oil and acid leaked on them before they were able to attract help by flashing the lights on and off. No one was injured, and the car sustained only a bent gear lever. And he did not even win his beer, complained George.
Bitzers Keep The Crowd on Tiptoe, by Neville Davidson in The Courier Mail, Brisbane on May 23, 1947.
I found this piece on the state of the Australian speedcar art in 1947 interesting in its economics and summary of car specifications.
Spare bits and pieces of old cars, a lot of ingenuity, top-line mechanical skill, and nerves of steel have put speedcar racing in Brisbane in the top bracket of sporting popularity.
In the last year more than a million people paid £63,000 to see speedcar racing ot the Brisbane Exhibition track.
But the little streamlined cars which provide all the thrills and noise are not mass-produced factory models, but home-made, hand-built jobs with most of the parts rescued from scrap-heaps.
And the men who made them and drive them have shot into the news. Ray Revell, now an Australian champion, got his present car from New Zealand, where its original owner had largely copied the design from an American who had been driving there.
Ray Strong’s Midget probably at Brookfield Showground circa-1947, as is the shot of Australian Champion, Ray Revell, Ford-A Midget Speedcar below (SLQ)(SLQ)
Most engines available in Australia are obsolete and have to be rebuilt. Local driver Ron Strong bought his engine in a junk yard for £5 but has spent nearly £200 on it since. George Bonser blew his original motor last year. He eventually got another of the same type and converted it into a racing engine. He found it on a dairy farm where it was being used to generate electricity.
Not any engine can be used in a speedcar. The weight of the engine and transmission must not be more than 350 lb (really!?). That has to be fitted into a frame of 45 inches maximum width. From tip to tip, the car must not be longer than 110 inches. The wheelbase maximum length is 78in. The maximum wheel diameter is 12in, including the tyre.
Other specifications for budding Henry Fords are: a wall of fireproof material between the cockpit and engine. No fuel lines through the cockpit. No car to race without a bonnet, which must be strapped down with leather. A safety belt is compulsory. Four-wheel or front drive is banned; the front wheels would climb like a tractor if they hit another car.
But to the man with the right car there is good money to be picked up. There was £5500 taken at the gates for the World Championship meeting here last month. Of that £2500 went to the drivers and speedway riders. Ray Revell, when he was driving from 160 yards, and winning the handicap and scratch double, frequently made up to ?£ (sorry folks can’t fuggin read the number) on an average night.
One legged American Ace, Cal Niday in his Edelbrock Ford V8 60 powered Speedcar during practice at the Brisbane Exhibition Speedway in 1947 (SLQ) American Perry Grimm aboard the state of the art Kurtis Kraft Edelbrock-Ford V8 60 at the ‘Brisbane Ekka’ in 1947 (SLQ)
But £2 or £3 a night is all the front markers get when they cannot finish near the front of the field. And Frank Arthur, the manager here, says that Brisbane has just had the greatest motor racing track season ever in Australia both in attendance and money takings.
Apart from cricket and football (rugby) tests, Brisbane had never tasted anything of world championship flavour till the car derby. Many people still shrug and do not believe that the race was a world championship. They say the field was two Americans and the rest Australians.
But Perry Grimm and Cal Niday, the Americans, were officially sent by the United Racing Association of America. Grimm was the leading stakewinner in the States last year with $US25,000. There is scarcely any speedcar racing in England. European road racing is done by big cars and comes under a different heading.
Who is who in Australian speedway in 1946, Brisbane Speedway. Back L-R Ray Revell, unknown, Fred Allen, Bob Playfair, Max Hughes NZ. Front, George Bonser, Lew Murphy, Jack Malcolm NZ, Ken Wylie, unknown (SLQ)
Penrith Speedway Tragedy, Monday June 13, 1938…
This report was published in The Referee, Sydney on June 16, 1938
‘The final of the 10-mile All Powers Car Championship had a line-up of five of Australia’s fastest cars and finest drivers. Frank Kleinig (Kleinig Hudson Spl), Fred Foss (Ford V8 Spl), Hope Bartlett (Bugatti Brescia), Wally James (MacKellar Ford V8 Spl s/c, and George Bonser (Terraplane Spl). They got away to a perfect start, and for practically a lap kept together.
Almost simultaneously, Kleinig and James roared out of the straight doing the fastest time of the day. Practically neck and neck, they hurtled up the track, when, suddenly, to the horror of the thousands packed around the track, James’ car got out of control. It swerved off the track straight at a group of onlookers sitting outside the protection of the safety fence. They had no chance of escaping. The car cannoned into the safety fence and bounced back.
AMBULANCE MEN’S WORK
Those on the other side of the safety fence, moved instinctively back, and then came forward when the car, after hitting the wire strands, stopped four feet from the fence. The fence had done its job, and those behind it were safe. Ambulance men did heroic work.
In the re-run, Frank Kleinig won the event from George Bonser and Hope Barllett. Kleinig gave a polished display to win with an average speed of over 70 miles an hour.
Penrith Speedway panorama (Penrith Library)George Bonser and Terraplane Spl at Penrith in 1938 (Penrith Library)
Bruce Rehn (Victoria) was outstanding in the five miles Sidecar Championship of New South Wales, winning from Roy Barker by over yards at 71 m.p.h. It was a remarkable effort on the part of the Victorian, who led from go to whoa. The Australian under 1500 c.c. event went to R. Curlewis (M.G.), who negotiated the distance at an average speed of over 65 m.p.h. The farther the race went the further he went ahead, and won from J. Crouch and Hope Bartlett by over 300 yards.
On Wednesday, police made special observations of the track and the protection afforded to the public at the speedway. Their report will be tendered as evidence at the inquest. Police observed that the public usually congregates on the eastern side, which is elevated and is near the judges’ stand. The track is protected from the public enclosure by a post and wire fence, with a cable strand as the top and main supporting wire. It is easy for anybody who cares to take the risk to climb through the wires, but officials state that at every race meeting, a warning is issued through amplifiers on the ground of the dangers of doing so. Mr. A. N. Pryor, chairman of directors ot Empire Speedways Pty. Lid., said that he and the managing director Mr Frank Arthur were deeply shocked by the tragedy. It had always been through the company’s policy to safeguard riders, drivers, and the public to every possible degree, and any suggestion that had been submitted had always received careful consideration.’
(The Referee June 16, 1938)
Photo and Reference Credits…
Bill Forsyth Collection, Australian Consolidated Press-State Library of New South Wales, John Dallinger, various newspapers via Trove, State Library of Queensland, Rick Marks Collection, Brian Darby Collection, Penrith City Library
Steve Holmes’ wrote that Jim Richards’ Holden Monaro HT GTS 350 not only towed his ex-Willment Racing Group 2 Ford Escort Twin-Cam up and down New Zealand’s two islands but also doubled up at some meetings as a production racer, as above at Levin circa-1970, date folks?
Jim’s Escort aerobatics below at Wigram in 1972, three-wheeling out of Hangar en route to Control Tower.
(T Marshall
This wonderful history of Jim’s Escort is courtesy of the NZ Historic Muscle & Saloon Cars Facebook site, slightly paraphrased.
‘The Jim Richards twin-cam Mk I Escort famous in NZ motor sport, we are very thankful to Rayden and Irene Smith for saving the car and returning it to the track. Mike Crabtree raced the car in the UK and he and his family have helped piece together its early UK history.
Technical Specs: 1968 Escort Twin Cam racing car built by Willment Racing, England. Engine 1700 cc Lotus Twin Cam 180 bhp. Brakes: Disc front, drum rear. Gearbox: Ford 4 speed with LSD.
The car started life as one of the first Twin Cam Escorts made at Ford’s competition plant in Boreham, England. Ford’s public relations chief, Walter Hayes, gave the car to John Willment for race development. Willment’s facilities were south of London, and they campaigned various cars throughout the 1960s, including single seaters, Cortinas, Ford Galaxie, Cobras, GT40s and the Mk I Escort Twin Cams development, which resulted in quite a unique suspension and chassis setup.
Mike Crabtree worked for Willment and raced the car to win the 2-litre class of the 1969 British Saloon Car Championship, competing alongside the Alan Mann Escort X00349F of Frank Gardner, Roy Pierpoint’s WJ Shaw Falcon Sprint and the works Britax Downton Mini Cooper S of Gordon Spice.
Mike fondly remembers driving it on three wheels and maintains it was a very forgiving racer, something subsequent drivers have mentioned. Mike and his wife Joan have travelled to New Zealand to see the car and are delighted it is still being used as intended 50 years on.
Jim and Mary Carney of Whangarei purchased the car from Willment Racing in late 1969 and imported it to New Zealand for Jim Richards to race in the New Zealand Saloon Car Championship. Running with “Radio Hauraki” and “Carney Racing” liveries, Jim produced some great racing against much larger and more powerful machines in the golden era of NZ saloon racing. It was also used as the bridal car for Jim and Faye when they married in 1972.
Subsequent owners include Lin Nielsen and John Beattie, both racing in the OSCA series in the 1970s. Lin had the car repainted following a paint shop blaze in a bright “Fairmonte Motor Court” colour scheme. Power plants over the years have been Lotus-Ford Twin-Cam, Ford Pinto, Mazda 13B rotary, Ford BDA and back to a Twin-Cam in the 1990s.
Rayden and Irene Smith have been the car’s custodians for 30 years, and Rayden continues to use it competitively. As with many old original race cars, it is no concours “silk purse”. It wears a battle-scarred patina of 50 years of racing with several layers of old paint schemes beneath its Willment livery, and still has the bog and panel repairs from Mike Crabtree’s battles with Pierpoint, Spice and Gardner in England in 1969.
Great action shot of Rayden Smith thru turn 3 at Hampton Downs cocking the inside front wheel just as Mike Crabtree - and other Escort components – in the day (NZ Hist Muscle & Saloon Cars)
Credits…
Steve Holmes-The Roaring Season, Garry Simkin, Terry Marshall, NZ Historic Muscle & Saloon Car’s Facebook site
It’s the first shot of this car I ever saw. It was in Bryan Hanrahan’s ‘Motor Racing The Australian Way’, an Xmas preso to me from good ole’ Santa in 1971 or so. Now, 50 years later, I know who took it, Peter Bakalor, the wonders of Facebook!
If my memory isn’t playing tricks, I’m sure Ray Bell told me Peter covered the Tasman for Autosport, Ray got in touch the day I posted this piece.
(R Bell)
Here is Australian author/historian Ray Bell (right) with Peter Bakalor in a Seattle coffee shop in September 2024. Ray first caught up with him stateside in 2014, having not seen him circa 1967. ‘He was for a few years Autosport’s Australian reporter, I got to meet him frequently in those days, we discussed the fact that many we knew back then neither of us sees any more. Mostly for the usual reason…’
‘Peter was most recently Head of Global Technology Service Delivery and Security for a major media company, with earlier roles in product strategy, systems architecture and product marketing in technology and information companies. He was in New York for a long time but has been in Seattle for over 15 years.’
(Museums Victoria)
Rovers of different kinds!
The Duke and Duchess of York circumnavigate City Oval, Ballarat, on April 29, 1927. He was later King George VI, what model Rover is it folks? While below, Jim Smith blasts around Calder in the vice-regal Rover 3500 Sports Sedan in 1971, at this stage in pretty much ex-works UK specs.
(B Williamson Collection)(R Taylor)
Leo Geoghegan in his 1970 Australian Gold Star Championship winning Lotus 59B Waggott 2-litre TC-4V at Warwick Farm in 1971, and below getting to grips with the handling peculiarities of Bernie Haehnle’s Rennmax Mk1 Formula Vee at Catalina Park in 1968 below. More about the Lotus 59 here:https://primotipo.com/2018/09/17/leos-lotus-59b-waggott/
(L Ruting)
Peter Finlay wrote that Pete Geoghegan raced Peter Clarke’s Rennmax in this ‘stars in Vees race’ at Catalina, so too did Kevin Bartlett, in Frank Kleinig’s Mako.
John Cox wrote, ‘My father and Ted Gray were partners in a garage in Wangaratta after the end of World War 2 when Ted came out of the army. They were involved in midget cars before the war with Harry Shaw.’
Ted’s Alfa Romeo 6C1750 Ford V8 – the ex-JAS Jones machine – is shown below, after a rollover near Yarrawonga – it was in a state of repair. The photo was taken in Murphy St., Wangaratta, about 1947.’
Battle of the Lola T300 Chevs during the 1972 Warwick Farm 100 Tasman Cup round; Frank Gardner in the red works-entry, and Bob Muir’s brand new concours machine prepared by Reg Papps.
FG is at the very end of his single-seater racing career with Muir at the start of his 5-litre adventure. Gardner was third on the grid, Muir fourth, with Frank second behind Frank Matich’s victorious Matich A50 Repco-Holden; Bob was out thanks to battery failure.
The lanky chap behind Bob’s left-rear is Max Stewart, the yellow wing belongs to Max’s Elfin MR5 Repco-Holden, #60 is later Australian Touring Car Championship winner, Kiwi, Robbie Francevic’s McLaren M10A Chev.
(Stupix)(A Patterson)
Hope Bartlett was one of the stars of Australian motor racing in the Maroubra and Phillip Island Australian Grand Prix era.
His prodigious thirst for expensive and exotic racing cars and boats was funded by his bus line, two of which are shown here. I’ll take your advice as to make.
‘Bartlett is shown below at Ballarat. Leaning over the ex-Allan Tomlinson MG TA Spl s/c 1939 AGP winning car is Frank Gardner’s brother, and that’s Frank standing behind. It’s 1949. I got all that from Frank when I did a bio story,’ wrote Les Hughes. A bit more about Hope here:https://primotipo.com/2020/11/27/australian-racing-random-5/
(R Townley Collection)(D Oliver)
It’s not often you see Frank Matich engineering a car for another driver but here he is attending to Bob Muir’s needs in FM’s brand new Matich A53 Repco-Holden at Oran Park in the Summer of ‘74.
The same car – A53-007 – with John Goss at the wheel during his first race weekend with it during the August 1974 Gold Star weekend, again at Oran Park.
(oldracephotos.com)(G Ruckert)
Sticking with the Muir Theme a bit longer…Here Bob Muir is chasing Bob Beasley’s Lotus 47 at Surfers Paradise in 1969 aboard his Lotus 23B Ford, both of Graham Ruckert’s shots were taken at Repco Hill. More about Bob M here:https://primotipo.com/2019/12/09/bob-muir/
Great colourised shot of Ern Seeliger during the Victoria Trophy weekend at Ballarat Airfield in January 1947.
Ern raced Lex Denniston’s Itala Ford V8 Spl at that meeting, the car and driver are shown below at Lobethal in January 1948 during the South Australian 100 weekend during which the local geography smote the car, but not Ern, a fatal blow. See here:https://primotipo.com/2021/03/24/itala-v8-special/
The 1946 Grand Prix Ampol banner refers to the New South Wales Grand Prix won by Alf Najar’s MG TB Spl, there was no ’46 AGP.
(SAMotor)(Fairfax)
Engineer/driver Seeliger and Stan Jones after Jones victory in the 1953 Victoria Trophy at Fisherman’s Bend aboard Maybach 1, with Stan aboard that car below at Parramatta Park in 1952 ahead of David McKay‘s MG TC Spl. More on Maybach 1 here:https://primotipo.com/2024/01/15/maybach-1-technical-specifications/
(D Eagar)
Darryl Pearsall racing the one-off Cheetah Mk4E Lotus-Ford 1.6 ANF2 (chassis 42-1) at Hume Weir on December 28, 1974.
This machine lives on in wonderfully restored and prepared form in the hands of current custodian, John Ellery. More about the Cheetah Mk4 here: https://primotipo.com/2021/11/16/cheetah-mk4/
(Police Victoria Historical Society)
Studebaker V8s seem to have been popular both with Australian wallopers and racers in the 1960s
Above is First Constable Mal Waterhouse of the Ballarat Mobile Traffic Section with a 1962 Lark, and below, the Warren Weldon/Bill Slattery Lark contests the Sandown International 6 Hour Touring Car Race won by Frank Gardner/Kevin Bartlett’s Alec Mildren Racing Alfa Romeo Ti Super.
The Lark was 15th with 207 laps; the winners did 231. Were the trick alloy wheels kosher, or did CAMS do the Sergeant Schultz thing!? They were popular outright ‘Series Production’ cars with Weldon/Bert Needham winning their class at Bathurst in 1964
(I Adams)
A feel the vibe shot rather than whinge about the quality one OCDers…
Great post on Bob Williamson’s Old Motor Racing – Australia Facebook page by former Lola T330 F5000 racer, Ian Adams in 2019.
‘The late Stan Brown’s Cremorne Junction workshop in the early 1960s. In the foreground is a Sterling racer (Lotus 23 copy), Stan, wheeling a panel, and me, an apprentice working on a Daimler SP250.
Terry Hook (later too a Lola F5000 exponent), also an apprentice, is at the rear. Terry was a great mate. I got him off the beach and into the workshop. He joined my pit crew for the Lotus Super 7. I’m proud to have planned his racing career with him, starting in touring cars, then sports cars and finally F5000.
Both of us raced together in Formula 5000’s. Terry passed away, I still miss him.’
Ian Adams’ Lotus 23B Ford at Hume Weir in 1970 (T Webber)(P Mahon)
The Repco Record Holden on tour in South Australia, at Port Wakefield racetrack in the late 1950s.
The Record has been back in Repco’s ownership for quite a few years now. It was one of the star exhibits at their centenary at Jeff’s Shed in Melbourne a few years back. Since then, the Repco Hi-Power headed engine has been rebuilt and is awaiting installation. Tim Fergus is its guardian angel and fettler. See here:https://primotipo.com/2015/06/26/repco-record-car-and-repco-hi-power-head/
Jim Richards in front of Bob Wollek on the Saturday of the 1991 Monaco GP weekend, Jaguar XJR-15s (unattributed)
I had a great time a couple of months back writing a long Auto Action feature on Jim Richards’ Murray Bunn built Ford Falcon Hardtop XC 351 sports sedan. He is wonderful to work with, no doubt someone has a list of all of the cars he raced in his 60-year, or thereabouts, career.
Perhaps one of the lesser-known is his two races in a Jaguar XJR-15 6-litre V12 in the 1991 Jaguar Intercontinental Challenge.
Pitted against some of the GP stars of the day, Jim was Q3! and eighth at Monaco, then Q14 and tenth at Spa three months later; both races were F1 GP support events. Armin Hahne won at Spa and the title, while Derek Warwick was victorious at Monaco and Juan Manuel Fangio 2 at Silverstone, the other round.
Richards from Jeff Allam at Spa, Belgian GP weekend 1991 (unattributed)
Credits…
Peter Bakalor, Ray Bell, Museums Victoria, Richard Taylor, Lance Ruting, Bill Forsyth, Adrian Patterson, Richard Townley Collection, Dean Oliver, oldracephotos.com, Graham Ruckert, SA Motor, Fairfax Publications, Doug Eagar, Police Victoria Historical Society, Stephen Dalton Archive, Ian Adams, Phil Mahon, Teddy Webber, Peter Finlay-Colin Piper
Tailpiece…
‘Boys Just Want To Have Fun’ to grab and twist a Cyndi Lauper line!
Peter Finlay wrote, ‘Colin Piper, who worked with Peter Windsor at the Australian Automobile Racing Club office and at the (Warwick Farm) circuit, looked after the two club Nota Vees which were housed in the garage at the homestead at Warwick Farm.
Mary Packard asked me to supervise the lively pair for a private run in the cars on the Creek Corner section of the track. This is probably my photo with Colin’s camera, of the pair that day. Piper at left, Windsor right and Cortina Mk2 GT in the middle. Photo via Colin Piper.’
Comprehensive road tests of the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut are rather thin on the ground, so this article, written by Gordon Wilkins and published in the January 1957 issue of Motor Racing, seems like a good one to share. Gordon explains the circumstances surrounding the test in the opening paragraphs, so here it is.
Etcetera…
What I hadn’t realised until reading the spiel about these two cars on Mercedes Benz’ fantastic website, is that the first of the cars built was the very first W196S – 300 SLR – built, in November 1953.
Because Benz were running behind completion of the W196R Grand Prix car, resources being devoted to the sports car were redeployed to ensure the W196 race debut at Reims in July 1954 could be met.
Mercedes had planned to build a mix of 300 SLR coupes and spyders to driver preference, but when it became clear to Alfred Neubauer that most of the drivers preference was to race an open car – noise inside the car was the perceived issue – the build program was amended accordingly with the first of the open cars finished in June 1954.
(Mercedes Benz)(Mercedes Benz)
The 300 SLR Coupé made its first public appearance in August 1955, with Rudolf Uhlenhaut at the wheel during practice for the Swedish Grand Prix in Kristianstad.
By then 300 SLR spyders had already clinched a spectacular one-two in the Mille Miglia and in Sweden. The 300 SLR build program was completed in late summer 1954 after the successful start of the Formula 1 season.
In the 1955 World Sports Car Championship, which began for Daimler-Benz with the Mille Miglia on 30 April-1 May in Brescia, only the open-top version initially appeared.
(Mercedes Benz)Carrying #1 as the car did during practice during the Targa weekend in 1955 (Mercedes Benz)
Mercedes planned to race in the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico in November 1955 and in 1956, and therefore reactivated production of the coupé version in the summer of ’55 when two cars were completed.
For long-distance races, the aim was to give drivers the option of open or closed cars, but the two exotic machines weren’t raced after the Daimler-Benz Board withdrew from motorsport on October 11, 1955 after the Le Mans disaster.
As a consequence the 300 SLR Coupé’s motorsport outings were limited to practice and test drives at the Swedish Grand Prix, at Monza, the Tourist Trophy in Ireland and the Targa Florio.
Mercedes Benz, ‘The first completed coupé covered more than 10,000 kilometres; Rudolf Uhlenhaut was mainly at the wheel; Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips, a newcomer to the Mercedes-Benz racing team, was given the opportunity to familiarise himself with the 300 SLR on the trip to the Tourist Trophy in Ireland. With a third place, which he achieved in a team with André Simon in the open-top version, the talented young driver contributed to the Mercedes-Benz one-two-three victory in this race.’
(Mercedes Benz)(Mercedes Benz)
Uhlenhaut, a master test driver, had already demonstrated the reliability and suitability of the 300bhp racer for everyday use with his extensive journeys across Europe and thought it sensible to make the spectacular car available to the press for an extensive test.
‘In July 1956, journalists from the Swiss Automobil Revue magazine, led by its editor-in-chief Robert Braunschweig, subjected the 300 SLR Coupé to a long-distance test covering a total of 3500 kilometres. One concession to road traffic was the huge exhaust silencer on the right-hand side of the vehicle, which reduced the deafening background noise to a more bearable level. At the beginning of July and in mid-September, high-speed test drives and top speed measurements were carried out with both examples of the coupé in the presence of Rudolf Uhlenhaut.’
From the left: W196S Uhlenhaut, 300SL-W198, 300SL-W194, 300SL-W194-011. Ditto below (Mercedes Benz)(Mercedes Benz)
‘The “Uhlenhaut Coupé”, as the car has been called by car enthusiasts since the late 1980s, is considered one of the most important icons of the Mercedes-Benz brand and also the most valuable car in the world. In May 2022, one of the two vehicles built in 1955 was sold to a private bidder for 135 million euros at an auction in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. The proceeds are used to finance the “Mercedes-Benz Fund” – a global scholarship program that aims to encourage a new generation of schoolchildren and students to develop new technologies, in particular for decarbonisation and resource conservation. The second vehicle has been on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum for many years and is one of the most spectacular exhibits there.’
Credits…
Bob King Collection, Motor Racing January 1957, Mercedes Benz
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