primotipo…

Stunning shot of a group of cars charging down Conrod Straight at Mount Panorama during Bathurst’s race in October 1939…

John Snow leads in his Delahaye 135CS from the John Crouch, Alfa Romeo 8C2300 and Bob Appleton in the MacKellar Ford V8 Spl- Snow won the race from Frank Kleinig, Kleinig Hudson Spl and Bob Lea Wright.

There would be one more pre-war Bathurst meeting during the Easter of 1940 until the lights went out until 1946, that pre-war race was won by Alf Barrett’s Alfa Romeo Monza from the Snow Delahaye and Charlie Whatmore’s Ford V8 Spl.

Let’s just jump four decades from the erotic pre-war Delahaye’s curves to the hard but seventies edgy-wedgy Lola T300 Chev F5000 of Bob Muir

Lynton Hemer has captured one of my favourite cars on the run down Hume Straight towards Creek Corner at Warwick Farm. As he notes, ‘he raced T300 ‘HU4′ in four L&M Series races in the US in 1972, here he is during wet practice for the 1972 Tasman race at Warwick Farm.’

My ode to the seminal defining ‘smaller F5000’ and ‘underpinner’ of Lola profits for the better part of a decade is here; https://primotipo.com/2014/11/18/my-first-race-meeting-sandown-tasman-f5000-1972-bartlett-lola-and-raquel/ oh, yes, and ode to Bob here; https://primotipo.com/2019/12/09/bob-muir/

 

Derek Jolly, Austin 7 Special, Templetowe 1953

Tony Johns’ notes record that the photo above was taken at the Fifth Templestowe Hillclimb on 9 March 1953. The results and report in the March Australian Motor Sports record Derek with a time of 70.6 seconds in second place to Otto Stone driving Stan Jones MG Q type to 67.41 seconds, a new class record.

The shot below shows it in later form with the bodywork removed and it was then a sprint chassis, to save weight the radiator was mounted up above the gearbox- also a two piece alloy head and hydraulic brakes are fitted.

‘I ended up owning the very close ratio gearbox from the Jolly Austin and it is still in my first racing car which is now owned by peter Mathews. When Peter Holinger built our special four speeds in a three speed gearbox for the 1981 (UK) Raid cars we used the very same ratios. Max Foster was the last owner of the Jolly Austin before it was sold to the UK.’

Click here for a feature on Derek Jolly and the various cars he built and raced; https://primotipo.com/2017/11/09/dereks-deccas-and-lotus-15s/

 

Jack Brabham and Stirling Moss swap notes during their abortive 1976 Bathurst assault 

‘In 1976 the Formula One world champion again made his way to Bathurst (having won there most recently in 1960- and during Easter 1969) with English legend Stirling Moss, whipping the sleeping country town and international press into a frenzy’ wrote the Western Advocate’ of the great duo’s assault on The Great Race.

‘Most of you will recall their Holden Torana SLR5000/L34 Torana V8 being hit up the clacker on the start line (from Q10) when Jack had a jammed gearbox- Brabham was so busy trying to find a gear his arm was not out the window, not that that would necessarily have saved the day…They eventually got underway to keep faith the fans and commercial supporters but the engine cried enough with Moss at the wheel after they had completed only 37 laps. The deserving Bob Morris partnered by John Fitzpatrick won in another L34- wasn’t Ron Hodgson a wonderful long time supporter of motor racing in general and Morris in particular.

Team matching tops (up above) but different ‘sponsors’ for Jack and Stirling above, the big tall lanky blonde at right rear is longtime much respected ‘The Australian’ motoring writer Mike Kable.

 

The shot above is of Jack doing some pre-race practice and press footage at Oran Park, any idea of the date folks?

 

Lovely colour photograph of a group of cars at Mount Druitt, perhaps Jack Carter in the lead coming out Tyresoles Corner

This one dates back to a ‘The Nostalgia Forum’ post in May 2017- so can we crack the nut- who is it, what car and what date are the questions folks. See this piece on Mount Druitt here; https://primotipo.com/2017/01/01/mount-druitt-1955-brabham-gardner-and-others/

 

Little known circuits department

A Jaguar XK150 (?) and Allard (?) at Wangaratta Airfield in the mid-fifties- drivers and a date anyone?

More often than not I’ve stayed in Wangaratta when I have raced at Winton, I’ve been there many times over the years but didn’t realise Wang Airfield was a shortlived race venue until tripping over the photograph above by accident.

 

A rather famous Australian racing car- the ex-JAS Jones/Ted Gray Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato

Or 8C really, fitted as it was with a flathead Ford V8 engine by previous owner Ted Gray.

The shot is of Ian Virgo ahead of Tom Stevens MG during the period when Rob Jervies owned the Alfa, which makes it circa , oh Port Wakefield, South Australia by the way.

Click here for a detailed feature on this car; https://primotipo.com/2018/02/15/mrs-jas-jones-alfa-6c-1750-ss-zagato/

and here for stories about a car with an amazing continuous racing history since its birth; https://primotipo.com/2020/05/04/ted-gray-alfa-romeo-ford-v8-wangaratta-to-melbourne-record/

 

Into the Templestowe shadows…

‘My beautiful picture’ as Denis Lupton wrote, as indeed it is- Walton-Cooper JAP.

The mighty shirt-sleeved Bruce Walton at Melbourne’s Templestowe Hillclimb in the late fifties- there is a bit about the multiple Australian Hillclimb Championship here; https://primotipo.com/2018/06/28/hamiltons-porsche-550-spyder/

And a club ‘Gunter-Wagen’ at the same venue below- these wonderful ‘PBR Brake-Drum components’ which formed the startline were eventually moved from Templestowe just up the road 15km or so to the Christmas Hills matching the sad occasion of the final demise of Templestowe with the happy occasion of the reopening of Rob Roy.

 

Aussies Abroad

Bruce Allison’s mighty Chevron B37 Chev F5000 ahead of Brian McGuire’s McGuire BM1 Ford aka Williams FW04 Ford F1 car at Brands Hatch during the 26 June 1977 Shellsport International season.

Bruce had a fantastic season, his performances resulted in him being awarded the top Grovewood Award at the seasons end although he didn’t have a great weekend at Brands- his pole position was followed by a loose wheel-nut induced DNF come raceday.

Poor Brian, close friend of Alan Jones- they made money together buying and selling camper-vans and running F3 cars together, died at the wheel of this car at Brands during the 29 August weekend having fallen short in qualifying for the British GP at Silverstone in July.

 

Ooopsie bigtime

Wayne Negus/Bob Forbes Holden Torana SLR5000 L34 resting neatly in one of Sandown Parks dams on the evening after the September 1975 Sandown 250 Manchamps enduro.

Ron Simmonds recalls ‘I was first on the scene, Wayne was in the dam soaking wet. When the Torana went through the railing it opened up like a piece of tin, he hit it so hard, arriving at the corner with no brakes, the Toranas were having trouble with their brakes at this meeting. It made page 2 in The Age the next day, with photos and the story’. Negus jumped into the water to wash off battery acid he thought had spilled on him.

The mishap occurred on lap 69 of the 130 lap race won by Peter Brock in a Holden Dealer L34- the first seven cars were L34s!

 

Formula Ford grid butt-shot at Sandown in 1977

The shot is interesting and different in its own right but is chosen to show the drivers eye view Wayne Negus had as he charged towards Torana Corner in third (of four) gear in his high powered but brakeless and rather weighty L34 Holden.

Peters or Torana corner has never changed, but of course the approach now is slower and therefore safer.

I well recall Formula Ford racer Stephen Finn, who I knew a bit, ploughing his just rebuilt and updated by Garrie Cooper Elfin 620B Formula Ford into the fence there and badly breaking both his legs in a career ending prang- the cause was a big hole in the bottom of his right foot racing boot- which became stuck on the slender throttle at a most critical moment.

Worse was much loved and respected Melbourne Alfista Bob Gardiner’s fatal accident when the brakes of his Alfa Romeo 1600GTV failed in, I think the early eighties. For some years the MSCA promoted Victorian State Round was named the Bob Gardiner Memorial meeting in his honour.

Simple corner in some ways but it required respect given the lack of runoff.

 

Brabham’s Phillip Island win, 1960, Cooper T51 Climax.

Look at the narrow track and modest ‘Control Tower’, reading Phil Irving’s autobiography at the moment reinforced just how much a hands-on club-member maintained circuit the Island was- Phillip Island Auto Racing Club the club of course.

Jack’s weekend is covered in this short piece; https://primotipo.com/2018/08/12/jacks-donut/

Brian Simpson’s shot captures Jack on the same day, the Cooper has just exited MG and is on the short rise, and short shift into third before the succeeding left hander.

Lovely shot taken in 1976 showing the circuit as it then was and still is albeit Repco/Honda is a tad shorter than now.

 

‘No worries, a turret and a ‘couple of spot’ around the body and she’ll be jake matey’…

Was probably the response Gold Star winner Len Lukey got from his panel beater after this high speed Ford Customline rollover at Phillip Island in late 1957- a lucky escape, I wonder if he goofed or something broke? It is a one photograph justification for the need for roll bars, mind you it was still some wee-while until they were mandated.

I’ve written about Len at length before, here; https://primotipo.com/2019/12/26/len-lukey-australian-gold-star-champion/

Many of you know he was the Knight In Shining Armour who bought the track in its hour of need. He simultaneously farmed there and allowed PIARC to continue racing saving one of Australia’s best ever race tracks in the process.

 

 

 

Love this sequence of shots of Leo Geoghegan’s Lotus 39 Climax sans wheel on Hume Straight towards the Creek Corner braking area

Its the first official practice session for the February 1967 Warwick Farm 100 Tasman round, it was the first time the great Sydneysider had this errant wheel problem with this Lotus but it wasn’t the last, he lost a wheel in practice at Longford a couple of years later.

Leo had a great weekend though, no harm was done to the car, he qualified fourth and finished fifth- first resident Australian home in the race won by Jackie Stewart in a BRM P261 from Clark’s Lotus 33 Climax V8 and Gardner’s Brabham BT16 Climax FPF.

 

Catalina Park, at Katoomba in New South Wales’ Blue Mountains June 1961

How close was Catalina to downtown Katoomba!?

#111 is John Martin’s Lotus 11 BMC, Austin Healey of Messrs Holland or Miller, Buchanan MG, G Dummer, MG TC of Lance Hill and to the far right the Swallow Doretti of Lorraine Hill- competitor IDs thanks to Bob Williamson and Chris Cole.

 

Two other Catalina pit scenes, happy to take advice on whom is whom and what is what in the one immediately above whilst the one above shows a very youthful Norm Beechey sits atop the bonnet of his Humpy Holden- date folks?

 

Geoff Brabham, Elfin 620 Formula Ford at Warwick Farm in 1973

I recall him testing the Jack Brabham Ford Bowin P4X FF before very successfully racing John Leffler’s 1973 Driver To Europe winning Bowin P6F in the 1974 TAA Australian FF ‘Driver to Europe Series’ but I don’t recall his stint in the Elfin at all.

Which chassis and how’d he do folks? This series of cars-620 and 620B were successful little jiggers winning lots of races and two Australian Formula Ford Championships (Driver to Europe Series) for Terry Perkins in 1973 and Geoff Summers in 1982, way after the 620Bs build date mind you, it was a mighty fine effort for a driver who got quicker as he got older and he was no youth when he started in FF!

This piece is not a bad summary of Geoff’s career; https://primotipo.com/2015/03/31/geoff-and-jack-brabham-monza-1966/

 

Parramatta Park action, I wonder it it all ended in tears, what year folks!?

It’s Bill MacLachlan in the MacKellar Bugatti Ford V8 from the ex-Saywell Alfa Romeo P3 Alvis driven by Bill Murray rounding Rotunda Hairpin-see here for Parramatta Park; https://primotipo.com/2018/02/27/parramatta-park-circuit/

Me mate Bob King’s book tells me the MacKellar started life as an ex-Bill Thompson Bugatti T37A, the equally aristocratic ex- Jack Saywell Alfa Romeo Tipo B/P3 was restored and sadly left our shores forever ago- when i get home i will cycle back and pop in some chassis numbers, no access to books right now.

 

Sir Gawaine Baillie, Ford Galaxie, Warwick Farm pitlane in early 1965

Dennis Williams related that ‘He used to stay in a hotel opposite the Warwick Farm circuit. After the meeting he drove onto the Hume Highway with the car in race trim. He got busted by the cops for being unregistered and uninsured.’

Naughty British nobleman. Racing these things really would have been like trying to race yer lounge-room, they are such large lumps of real estate in relative and absolute terms.

There is a connection between this big lump and the L34 Torana which ended up in one of Sandown’s dams ten or so shots ago.

The Galaxie first came to Australia in 1964 to contest the first Sandown enduro, the 1964 Six Hour at the behest of Lex Davison who organised the entry and financial aspects and co-drovethe car with Baillie.

During the race Lex, having run at the front and smitten the armco one almighty but non-fatal blow with the Galaxie’s more than ample hind-quarters already, had brake failure and he punched a big hole in Sandown’s Peters orner armco although he didn’t ‘dive as deep’ as Wayne Negus- no scuba gear was required although Lex, very much a gentleman of the old school, uttered the lines which have become immortal ‘The big bitch tried to kill me’.

The big Ford was repaired and then raced by Baillie (and John Raeburn later) in the 1965 Australian Tasman rounds touring car support races, doubtless he was sorry he made that trip given the Ecurie Australie deaths of Davo and Rocky Tresise in successive weekends at Sandown and Longford.

I’ve a feature on the Australian Galaxies, i must do the final 5% and pop it up.

 

Didn’t David Mckay create the dream and live it!

Look at all them SV cars- Cooper T51, Lola Mk1 and 2, Ferrari 250GT, Fiat 1800 not to forget he Morgan, Ford Zephyr or Consul and the Rice Trailer which these days is probably worth more than one or two of the cars- gotta be 1961 or 1962 on Warwick Farm’s Pit Straight.

See here; https://primotipo.com/2018/01/12/bert-and-davids-lola-mk1-climax/ and maybe here too; https://primotipo.com/2017/09/28/david-mckays-aston-martin-db3ss/

 

Lionel Ayers in his MRC Lotus 23 Ford from Frank Demuth (or John Harvey in Frank’s car) Lotus 23 Ford at Lakeside in July 1966

Lionel was another ‘racer to the core’ who competed all of his life and then did us all a favour before he died by restoring, beautifully the ex-Mildren Racing/Gardner/Bartlett Mildren ‘Yellow Submarine’ Waggott.

I only ever saw him race his big, lovely Rennmax Repco sportscar, which after thirty years in hibernation has just been acquired by Bruce Ayers- in time it will be a marvellous addition to the historic ranks, click here; https://primotipo.com/2017/12/21/sportscar-stalwarts/

 

Ash Marshall launches Chrysler powered ‘The Vandal’ off the line at Castlereagh in April 1966

He did a 166 mph pass during the day- 12,000 people attended the meeting during which American racer Bobby Mayer achieved 187.88 mph.

I did a piece on Bib Stillwell’s Jaguar D Type a short time back which had a bit in it about Ash, who at one time owned the D Type amongst the many cars he owned or traded- see here; https://primotipo.com/2020/04/17/stillwells-d-type/

 

Whilst Jim Clark’s Lotus 39 Climax initially caught my eye in this ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ cover- he won the February 1966 Warwick Farm 100 Tasman round the day before

My personal flashback was being a school kid, 9 years of age at the time and remembering the advertising jingle for the change of Australian currency from pounds, shillings and pence to dollars and cents- those of a certain age will remember this, it was such a big deal at the time, here is the jingle i remember! https://youtu.be/5ZTeWLA1LAs

More interestingly, here is the Clark/Geoghegan Lotus 39; https://primotipo.com/2016/02/12/jim-clark-and-leo-geoghegans-lotus-39/

 

Sticking with the mid-sixties for a bit, the local motor industry change in process was the rise and rise of Japanese cars in our local market.

Machines like the Mazda 1500, Datsun 1600 and Toyota Corolla were revelations compared with their equivalents made here or in The Old Dart.

These two photographs show the class winning Datsun 1300 at Bathurst in 1966- the car was driven by Moto Kitano and Kunimitsu Takahashi, a la further back was the Australian duo of John Roxburgh and Doug Whiteford. The cars were 22nd and 23rd outright but first and second in Class A, up front nine! Morris Cooper S’ led the field, Rauno Aaltonen and Bob Holden the victors.

The rise and rise of the Japanese Motor Industry was well underway, that is tangentially covered in this piece on the Nissan R380 sports-racer; https://primotipo.com/2017/12/08/prince-datsun-make-that-nissan-r380/

 

Despite the modern cars the photograph has a delightful period feel given the lack of signage and bucolic backdrop given by the trees- Phillip Island, September 2015

Peter Weaver’s artistry.

He commented that ‘Tim Macrow rejoined the Formula 3 field with another guest appearance and showed his class with three apparently easy wins despite driving an older car (Dallara F307 Mercedes Benz). Here he leads championship contenders Jon Collins, Dallara F311 Mercedes Benz and Ricky Capo, Dallara F311 Mugen-Honda early in Sunday morning’s race’ on the rise out of MG into the succeeding left-hander.

The championship was won that year by Collins, only a point clear of Capo after seven rounds and then Trent Shirvington  well back in third aboard a Mygale M11 Mercedes Benz.

 

Nui Dat Go-Kart Grand Prix, Vietnam, 21 August 1968

Not a race any of you are likely to have heard of unless your ‘number came up’ and you were an Australian Army Vietnam War conscript!

I got a chuckle out of seeing these photographs of young fellas a decade older than me then who were (mainly) forced into an involvement in a war we never should have been a part of- as usual if our American buddies think its a good idea we blindly follow. There is nothing an Australian Prime Minister loves more than to be a ‘Wartime PM’, so many photo ops with battle fatigues on and nice fast planes etc…

Anyway.

No doubt this was one of many activities to take the minds of the troops off the perils in the jungle, that’s Sapper Brian McMahon from Newcastle sitting aboard the 21st Engineer Support Troop’s kart- no technical specifications  of the karts ‘made from spare parts and salvaged military equipment’ to hand sadly!

Credits…

Tony Johns Collection, Peter Weaver Motorsports Photography, Peter D’Abbs, Denis Lupton, Tom Stevens Collection via Tony Parkinson, Robyn & Steve Abrahall, Viv Ireland, Brian Simpson, autopics.com.au, Terry McGrath, Dennis Williams, Brier Thomas, Geoff Bull, Nissan, Bill Errington, Sydney Morning Herald

Tailpiece…

Don Fraser’s Vincent Special about to be addressed by its crew in time honoured practical fashion…

Mallala, date folks?

Finito…