Photo Request: Frank Radisich Photos Wanted

[Steve Holmes]

Folks, I just got this nice email today from Robyn Radisich, can anyone help? Just post what you have on here, or email me: theroaringseason@gmail.com Would be neat also to have one of Frank when he and Paul shared a Toyota in production car racing in the early 80s, when Paul was still a teenager. Anyway, as below, I know we can help:

"Hi Steve
Not good at social media---am looking for some old photos of my husband Frank Radisich. I want to do a big collage for his 75th Birthday and would be grateful if you could put my request on your site.

Thanks

Regards
Robyn Radisich"

[John McKechnie]

Steve- tell her to contact Bruce McLaren Trust, there are thousands of pics there as they have the Jack Inwood collection

[kiwi285]

http://i42.tinypic.com/eaidcg.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/4taxjr.jpg

[seaqnmac27]

Pukekohe NZGP Jan 73

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[Steve Holmes]

Great stuff guys, many thanks. Keep 'em coming! Here are a couple of pulled from the Garry Simkin Collection.

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[GD66]

Kenny Smith and Peter Moloney sharing the front row ?
And in the background, the sumptuous Bay Park commentary box.

[Rod Grimwood]

The hang out of BK (Brian Kelly) and Chudley, think they used the commentary as an excuse to get better view of the talent on terraces.

[Grant Sprague]

Yep u would be right Roddy lol , Hey great piks of Frank , a little before my time , but super cool ....

[GD66]

Keep 'em coming : anyone got any pics of the natty little HCM Frank built and raced before his M4A?

The rear-end squat on the M10 !!

[kiwi285]

I thought I remembered a photo of the HCM car

http://i42.tinypic.com/2sb4n02.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/2le5tfc.jpg

[Oldfart]

Or the Humber 80?

[David McKinney]

Or the Zephyr? For a long time I had a bent con-rod I picked up off the Matamata road circuit after the engine blew

[Oldfart]

Or the Zephyr? For a long time I had a bent con-rod I picked up off the Matamata road circuit after the engine blew

It wasn't you who was spotted picking this up, and putting it down rather quickly on account of the "warmth"?

[David McKinney]

Don't think so. From memory I picked it up after the end of the race, when it had had time to cool down

[David McKinney]

Or the Humber 80?
You mean this one?

[Steve Holmes]

Wow, thats a great photo David, who took it?

[Shano]

I've found photos of an HCM sponsored Escort - is that what you mean by HCM? I have a couple of pix of the McLaren too, both cars are in the pits.

Do I just post them up here or email them somewhere?

[Steve Holmes]

Shano, can you post them here, would be great to see.

[Shano]

McLaren at Pukekophe

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Escort at Bay Park.

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[John McKechnie]

Shano- HCM is Franks business- Henderson Central Motors

[David McKinney]

Wow, thats a great photo David, who took it?
Moi

[David McKinney]

McLaren at Pukekophe

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This is the M4A, of course, not either of his later F5000 McLarens


Escort at Bay Park.

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This would have been in one of the Glenvale 100 production-car races

[stubuchanan]

Here are a couple of photos from the mid 1960's:

This is the Humber surrounded by a trio of Anglias : David Simpson's (#177) with Jack Nazer's just poking a right headlight bump out from behind, Frank (#191) and possibly John Murphy's black car just poking its bonnet in on the right. Car numbers tally with NSCC December 1965 Puke meeting.

http://s6.postimg.org/5c6mc2yr5/Dec_65_Nazer_Simpson_Radisich_Murphy.jpg (http://postimage.org/)


Frank in the ex- Ken Smith Lotus 22 December 1967

http://s6.postimg.org/pia4ayuep/Radisich_Lotus_Puk_Dec_1967001.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

Will have a further scout through the old photos and slides and see if anything else is lurking there.

Stu B

[David McKinney]

Fahey's breadvan, not John Murphy:)

[John McKechnie]

This is the M4A, of course, not either of his later F5000 McLarens


This would have been in one of the Glenvale 100 production-car races
This may have been the Escort entered , but not allowed to run.
Jack Nazer got a FVC for his Escort in 1970 that had come out of one of Franks single seaters.

[SPman]

I seem to recall the Humber had a Jag motor crammed into it with the gear lever almost behind the seat....-

[stubuchanan]

Fahey's breadvan, not John Murphy:)

Thanks David. You fly a kite, someone's bound to shoot it down! What I thought was black turned out to be dark blue. I thought Souness Fahey etc should be at the front of the grid.

Stu

[stubuchanan]

I seem to recall the Number had a Jag motor crammed into it with the gear lever almost behind the seat....-

Engine capacity was given as 3800 cc in programme.

Stu

[Roger Dowding]

Stu, yes do remember the Humber-Jag, with a huge sheetmetal cover over the gearbox which took up a lot of the cabin area and the tiny seat that Frank sat in, don't know how anyone could fit there but he wasn't a big guy so OK it worked. Wasn't at the Dec 65' meeting as still at school, but did get to the early 66 ones, once I had a mate with his own car.

[paul lancaster]

http://i42.tinypic.com/eaidcg.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/4taxjr.jpg

Did frank race the katipo?

[Shano]

This thread is excellent, very interesting to see all the different cars FR raced.

The photo of the Escort was taken at Bay Park at one of the Glenvale production races, but I don't recall whether it raced or not.

[John McKechnie]

In Autonews vol3 no6 page30 there is a pic of Frank-
* Frank Radisich sported a new Bell Star helmet as did Bryan Faloon *
Someone could scan it , resize it and post it.

[Michael Clark]

Frank raced some wild things but I don't recall him ever running the Katipo - but what about the Mazda powered March 722?

[Rod Grimwood]

Frank raced some wild things but I don't recall him ever running the Katipo - but what about the Mazda powered March 722?

Glad you meantioned the March/Mazda, I was going to enquire into that also. Remember Bill Shiells (who co-drove with Frank in Mazda RX2s) playing with it/tuning at Rotorsport

[Steve Holmes]

Wow you guys, thanks so much for all your contributions. What a great thread this has become.

[Steve Holmes]

Here are a couple of photos from the mid 1960's:

This is the Humber surrounded by a trio of Anglias : David Simpson's (#177) with Jack Nazer's just poking a right headlight bump out from behind, Frank (#191) and possibly John Murphy's black car just poking its bonnet in on the right. Car numbers tally with NSCC December 1965 Puke meeting.

http://s6.postimg.org/5c6mc2yr5/Dec_65_Nazer_Simpson_Radisich_Murphy.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

Stu B

Brilliant photo Stu! Frank also raced the Dave Simpson Anglia in 1967 and 1968, with a few inches lopped out of the roof height.

[Steve Holmes]

Moi

Very nice photo David!

[Oldfart]

Shano- HCM is Franks business- Henderson Central Motors

Glad you corrected the spelling John Don't think Frank deserved your original version :)

[BMCBOY]

Kevin Lancaster has suggested I post these photos he shot - excellent stuff.

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[stubuchanan]

Brilliant photo Stu! Frank also raced the Dave Simpson Anglia in 1967 and 1968, with a few inches lopped out of the roof height.

Brilliant?? (Blush, Blush) Not really, it was almost a mis-hit as the camera was panning faster than the cars were going, and I just cropped it down to the cars and thereby cut out most of a thumb-print on the slide as well.

http://s6.postimg.org/qjeydu0s1/Dec_65_Simpson_Radisich.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

It was the only Humber-Jag photo I had.

Frank was racing the Anglia 2 months later - Pukekohe Feb 26 1966. Simpson won the All-Comers championship that summer and Frank must have bought the car soon after. Did Simpson race anything else or was he a one-season wonder?

Stu

[John McKechnie]

Stu-he ran the Team Lexington Escort.

[David McKinney]

He had one race in the Rothmans Cooper in 1966/67, then did a few clubbies in Anglias over the next couple of seasons, and a national season with an Escort Twincam in 1968/69. He then made a comeback in rallying a few years later

[stubuchanan]

Two replies in under 15 minutes!! - thanks John and David!!

I should have known most of that. The little grey cells must have been taking some down time.

Stu

[Chris Radisich]

Fantastic pics, many I have never seen before. Thank you all so much

It's dads 75th birthday in October and we are putting together a big collage of both racing and non-racing events throughout his life, so we are looking for all/any pics that are either car related or show him with any of his fellow competitors over the years.

We have a good sized photo collection back in NZ which I will be going through and scanning when I visit in late September (and we will be sure to post some of the best ones here), but we know we are missing pics of some of the cars he raced over the years.

Cars that he raced that come to mind are (I think the years are right or at least close!):
Open Wheel Cars:
Lotus 22
HCM Special (Built from the Lotus 22)
McLaren M4A (Usually #9)
McLaren M10A (Cambridge, We believe chopped up and turned into a sportscar)
McLaren M10B (Bright Orange, Ex Matich, now restored in Australia in Match livery)
March 722 with Repco V8 engine (Metallic Blue, original bodywork)
March 722 with Mazda 13B engine (Bright Red, updated to 76/77 bodywork)
Late 80's domestic FP series a couple of races in Paul's Ralt RT4 at Baypark and maybe Pukekohe or Manfield

Saloon Cars:
V8 Coupe
Zephyr
Humber 80 (Jag engine, usually number 191, Bright Red)
Fastback Anglia (White)
FVA or FVC Escort (White, HCM on the side)
Saloon racing early 70's Monaro (Maybe 2, 1 orange, 1 red)
Saloon racing early 70's Torana XU1
B&H Datsun 1200 with Mark Petch (White)
B&H Fiat 125T (Yellow of course! and I think missing rear bumper)
B&H Charger (Dark green co-driven by Pat??)
Bathurst 71? GTHO Falcon with Trevor Mein (SP) Did not start due to bad weather reducing grid size
Bathurst 77 Mazda RX3 Coupe (Light Blue) with Bill Shiells
Bathurst 78 Mazda RX3 Coupe (Bright Yellow)
B&H/Club racing Mazda RX2 coupe (Mazda Brown with Big Yellow Stripe, Track & Street with Bill Shiells)
B&H/Club racing Mazda RX2 coupe (Red with big white stripes, Track & Street with Bill Shiells and Robbie Francevic)
Saloon racing 80's Toyota Trueno with Paul (Blue, Reidrubber)
Saloon racing early 80's Trimuph Dolomite (Dark green, but not sure if he ever actually raced it as it was unreliable)
Saloon racing 80's 1275GT Mini with Bill Shiells , Dave Saunders and Robyn
Saloon racing 80's Saab 900 Aerodeck (Silver)

There are probably a few more i've missed. I'll talk to the rest of the family and see if we can get a complete list together.

[David McKinney]

Before the Zephyr was a Ford V8 coupé

[Chris Radisich]

Forgot about that one David, thanks. I remember Dad telling me about it, but as far as I know we've never found any pics of his V8 coupe anywhere.

[Michael Clark]

Did the March 722 not have the Repco out of the McLatich stuffed in the back before the Mazda?

[Chris Radisich]

That brings back more memories Michael. Yes, before the Mazda the March did have a V8 in it, and it had the original 72 March bodywork which was narrow with small front wings, and was painted metallic blue (might have been metallic green before that), with small radiator pods on each side. I forget if he ever made it into any races with the V8 in it. I rmember it sitting around forever in his racecar workshop at the back of the service station in Henderson for quite a while like that.

He later updated the bodywork to probably 76 or 77 which included the rounded sidepods and rounded nose and painted it all red when he put the Mazda in it.

Interestingly the first ever single seater that my brother Paul drove was the March with the Mazda in it. He sneaked into the seat during a test day at Baypark one day at no more than 12 or 13.

[John McKechnie]

Motorman January 1971- page 20 has a great half page pic of Graeme Lawrence and Frank with trophies waving to the crowd after 3rd round 1970/71 Gold Star Championship.
Someone could scan, copy and post.

[BMCBOY]

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[PhotoSmith]

[QUOTE=Steve Holmes;31949]........one of Frank when he and Paul shared a Toyota in production car racing in the early 80s, when Paul was still a teenager..........

1981 B&H at Pukekohe, also 2012 Leadfoot Hillclimb.

[Rod Grimwood]

B&H Photos Frank in full face, and Bill in open.

[Steve Holmes]

Wow, these are great!

[Chris Radisich]

Great pics, thanks.

It was actually the same car HM5462 in those photos that dad and Bill raced together for a number of years. It started out in it's original Mazda orange, the later was painted red and white, and at that time when the rules were relaxed a bit in B&H racing, a second RX2 painted the same was added to the team and driven by various drivers.

Track and Street was the name of 3 auto accessory shops dad started in malls in Auckland, based upon ideas gained in the auto accessory shops in Australia.

Eventually that RX2 was turned into more of a club car complete with factory close ratio gearbox, LSD, one of Bills finest factory peripheral port engines and some nice firm suspension. It was even raced at Western Springs a couple of times in the Auckland Car Club events there. Once retired from racing it actually became my road car for a while. It was a pretty mean street machine at the time...The local V8 boys never saw that one coming, but they sure saw it leaving!

The Trueno was a very fast light car. It had a twin cam 1600 motor in it (I forget if it was 16 valve, but I don't think it was) with all kinds of great gear and good suspension in standard form, which made it a good choice under the regs for production racing in those days. I'm not even sure where dad found that car as it was never a production model or imported into NZ in volume.

It's funny how things work out sometimes. Paul and I had driven in the series the year before both making our car racing debut together in a Mazda 323 and were due to run together again in 81, while Frank was to run the Trueno with someone else (I think it might have been Bill Shiells) but something happened and Paul (fortunately) stepped into the Toyota with dad.

The car was fast, but of course lacked horsepower against the Falcons and Commodores and front running Toyota Celicas of the day, but at Manfield the lighter weight made the car very competitive and Frank and Paul raced near the front all day. Paul at one point late in the race put in a giant killing stint to race side by side with Leo Leonard and actually take the lead for a short time before having to pit for gas (the only problem with the Trueno was it had a very small fuel tank).

From that giant killing performance came an offer from Dave McMillen through Gary Pedersen to get Paul into Daves Ralt RT1 for the upcoming NZ Grand Prix at Pukekohe. The only problem was the car had a factory Datsun engine in it looked after by Reg Cook, and it run a bearing in practice and they were unable to get it rebuilt for race day, so Paul did not get to start his first NZ Grand Prix that weekend.

Paul did get some track time in the RT1 though, and enough to know it was what he wanted to do, so a lot of talking went on across the international series and a deal was finally put together to buy the Mike Rosen RT4 at the end of the International Series. Some old (well used, and all we could afford) BDA engines were sourced from Robbie Fransevic, and the rest as they say is history.

Pretty amazing that with almost no car experience at all (his racing background was motorcross, and he never raced karts) he went straight to the top level of NZ motorsport. Formula Ford was considered , but the cost of running the Formula Pacific car was not that much more than a Formula Ford, and money was very limited, so it was decided to take the plunge straight into Formula Pacific as the deal Mike Rosen offered in the end was too good really to be true, and in reality probably not much more than we would have spent on a Formula Ford.

The black and yellow Mazda RX2 is a current project dad has been working on. He put it together for the hillclimb at Rod Millens place. I think i'll try to sneak it out for a fun day when I'm visiting NZ later in the year!

[John McKechnie]

A question- Nov 14 1970 Frank was at NSCC Dunlop meeting, Pukekohe in Cambridge McLaren M10A. He was practicing, but had to stop because his young son fell off the fence and broke his arm. Which son was that?

[Chris Radisich]

That was Paul.

Paul was always breaking something, especially in his motorcross career. Racing bikes with guys like Graeme Standring someone was always wearing a cast. By the time Pauls motorcross ended at 17 he had broken everything including his back in a motocross career ending crash at the first Western Springs Supercross event. It was that back injury that plagued him through his car racing career, and was really aggravated by a startline crash in the BTCC, and the basis of what ultimately made him call time on his full time racing career recently. His size was always an issue in motocross, especially as he used to race both 125cc and 250cc bikes on the same day.

I still have memories of Paul stuck at home with a broken leg one time from a motocross accident with a full leg cast, but still jumping on one of our minibikes and pulling slow, long wheelstands up and down our long driveway trailing his leg and cast.

[Grant Sprague]

Chris, I remember that toyota well , was one out of the box , gave Gary & Leo a run for thier money, was a super little car a great choice, I think we meet down at the bottom of Queen Street & along to the right , did you use to pump gas in that servo on the l/h side ??. My father sold Frank a hot mk 2 engine years gone by they wheeled & dealed, Ernie bought the Anglia off Frank that Gary raced , can also remember Frank coming down to Tauranga to help muster funds from us car dealers to support Paul UK motor racing that would have been early 80,s I gues , you will be proud of the history behind yr name , as for you not getting that drive at Bay Park , you were a little like me at the wrong end of the peck order lol. You will be happy to know I buy AEGIS products off your family business, & hey great piks enjoy my freind , Kind Regards Grant ps hows is yr uncle Tony , have bought a few cars off him in the past , sharp as a tack is Tony

[Rod Grimwood]

Chris you mentioned the Western Springs night, they were great fun. funny seeing circuit cars skidding around on oval, and some went alright as well.

[John McKechnie]

I was in my Cooper S on the grid behind Neville Crichton in his green HQ Monaro that night.
The usual suspects were there getting in practice the night before a hill climb at Ridge Road.

[PhotoSmith]

[QUOTE=Chris Radisich;32427]
.......a deal was finally put together to buy the Mike Rosen RT4 at the end of the International Series.....

From the Pukekohe meeting at the end of march 1982, Pauls first F/pacific race (?) car still in the colours run by Mike Rosen.20581

[Rod Grimwood]

I was in my Cooper S on the grid behind Neville Crichton in his green HQ Monaro that night.
The usual suspects were there getting in practice the night before a hill climb at Ridge Road.

John, Ran one of those meetings in Angle Box, claim to fame made final with Paul Adams, Alan Woolf, Trev McLean, Bruce Manon and Tony Rutherfod. Actually lead first lap and punctured rear and that was it. (that was long time back)
Sorry bit of thread but spent time with both Bill and Frank way back in Mazda days.

[Milan Fistonic]

From the way the driver is scrunched up against the door pillar, I think this is Frank in the Humber-Jag.


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[Oldfart]

Milan, looks like the Kopuku "drags"?

[Steve Holmes]

From the way the driver is scrunched up against the door pillar, I think this is Frank in the Humber-Jag.


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Wow I love this photo Milan!

[Chris Radisich]

Yep looks like him from other pics I have seen, and slides we still have from that time.

I must ask him again, but I believe he put the Jag motor in that car because he served his apprenticeship at Northern Automobiles in downtown Auckland and they were Jag dealers.

Great photo, thanks. Looks like it could be at a hillclimb somewhere. Anyone know where it might have been ?

[Chris Radisich]

Chris you mentioned the Western Springs night, they were great fun. funny seeing circuit cars skidding around on oval, and some went alright as well.

Those were some fun nights for sure. Our whole family including Frank, Robyn, Paul, Myself and our sisters Kim and Danielle all raced in some of those nights all together. That was a lot of Mazdas to prepare!

[Chris Radisich]

[QUOTE=Chris Radisich;32427]
.......a deal was finally put together to buy the Mike Rosen RT4 at the end of the International Series.....

From the Pukekohe meeting at the end of march 1982, Pauls first F/pacific race (?) car still in the colours run by Mike Rosen.20581

I think that was probably the first race for Paul in the car. It was either there, or if there was a race at Baypark before that it would have been there. I am pretty sure we ran the whole domestic series that year, and if my memory serves me right I think Paul finished up the series runner up to David Oxton.

Later we stripped the paint and repainted it black and white, but I forget if it was during that series or later in the year after it finished. The Check Point sponsorship was from Reidrubber who continued backing Paul after the B&H series in the Toyota Trueno. It wasn't much, but it was a huge help, as was the help from other family and friends to get the car onto the grid.

I'm not sure that we were ever able to put a new set of tires on the car through that domestic series. I think we ran the whole time on Mikes used tires from the International series that we got with the car.

[fullnoise68]

You`re right Oldfart, that`s exactly where that photo was taken....... Kopuku Drags in from Mercer.

[Chris Radisich]

Hey Grant, great to hear from you.

Some friends of our family from the Motorcross days used to own that gas station at the bottom of Queen St, so I may well have been there at some time.

Frank and Ernie seemed to be always doing some sort of deal or other together over the years.

Frank was tireless in his efforts to try to scrape together enough money to get Paul overseas in the early days. The NZ Dollar was at an all time low to the UK pound, so it was a really difficult task. Without the support of the people Frank knew like yourselves, I am sure Paul would never had made it overseas, and the story might have been a lot different.

I am very proud of what our family has achieved, both in racing and outside it. Paul did us all proud by going on and having the racing career he had, and carried a little bit of each of us in the family with him all the way.

I'm not disappointed I didn't get that drive with Dad that time, as it would never have been mine anyway. I am younger than Paul, and he had much more experience and was faster than me at that time anyway, so it would have made no sense. I had fun in the racing that I did do. I enjoyed helping Paul to put together our team for the International series in NZ each year, and then being part of that team.

Great to hear you are buying Aegis Oil (http://www.aegisoil.co.nz). It's the only oil blended in New Zealand these days, and Frank has now stepped aside (although he is still there each day actually blending the oils) and Paul has taken over running the company.

Tony is still based in Auckland. I saw him last time I was in NZ. He's still working as hard as ever doing the things he does.



Chris, I remember that toyota well , was one out of the box , gave Gary & Leo a run for thier money, was a super little car a great choice, I think we meet down at the bottom of Queen Street & along to the right , did you use to pump gas in that servo on the l/h side ??. My father sold Frank a hot mk 2 engine years gone by they wheeled & dealed, Ernie bought the Anglia off Frank that Gary raced , can also remember Frank coming down to Tauranga to help muster funds from us car dealers to support Paul UK motor racing that would have been early 80,s I gues , you will be proud of the history behind yr name , as for you not getting that drive at Bay Park , you were a little like me at the wrong end of the peck order lol. You will be happy to know I buy AEGIS products off your family business, & hey great piks enjoy my freind , Kind Regards Grant ps hows is yr uncle Tony , have bought a few cars off him in the past , sharp as a tack is Tony

[Chris Radisich]

You`re right Oldfart, that`s exactly where that photo was taken....... Kopuku Drags in from Mercer.

Sorry, didn't see that post at first. Great to know where it was.

[Oldfart]

Frank must be very proud of the 3 generation motorsport "dynasty".

[Jizim]

Glad you meantioned the March/Mazda, I was going to enquire into that also. Remember Bill Shiells (who co-drove with Frank in Mazda RX2s) playing with it/tuning at Rotorsport
Correct Rod....The other Team Car was driven by Ron Kendall and Mike Franchi (Rod Millens co driver). This RX2 I took for a strop before the race and did this perfect drift thru two factories down Barrys Point Road.....it had my LSD in this particular car. Regards, Tony Rutherford.

[BMCBOY]

Correct Rod....The other Team Car was driven by Ron Kendall and Mike Franchi (Rod Millens co driver). This RX2 I took for a strop before the race and did this perfect drift thru two factories down Barrys Point Road.....it had my LSD in this particular car. Regards, Tony Rutherford.

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[Steve Emson]

That brings back more memories Michael. Yes, before the Mazda the March did have a V8 in it, and it had the original 72 March bodywork which was narrow with small front wings, and was painted metallic blue (might have been metallic green before that), with small radiator pods on each side. I forget if he ever made it into any races with the V8 in it. I rmember it sitting around forever in his racecar workshop at the back of the service station in Henderson for quite a while like that.

He later updated the bodywork to probably 76 or 77 which included the rounded sidepods and rounded nose and painted it all red when he put the Mazda in it.

Interestingly the first ever single seater that my brother Paul drove was the March with the Mazda in it. He sneaked into the seat during a test day at Baypark one day at no more than 12 or 13.

Yes Chris, I remember that. Paul was having a drive of the March, and i was having my first ever drive of a single seater also. I think it was pretty much just us there that day.

[BMCBOY]

I found these photos among Formula Pacific races at Baypark and Pukekohe in 1977

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