Wayne3011
04-29-2014, 10:54 PM
Hi there,
My name is Wayne Beale, and I'm around 60, so I had a little bit to do with the golden years of racing.
I was a flag Marshall at most Victorian circuits and a couple of times at Bathurst in the mid 70s to mid 80s, so lived through the golden years of both sports sedans and tourers. Have many find memories of the after race parties at Peter Jansons and The HDT tents, back in the days when a humble volunteer could mingle with the rich and famous, enjoy a beer and talk B/S and dream about having a steering wheel in ones hands, rather than a flag! Also the days when the touring car Champions of the day would appear at templestowe and lilydale hillclimbs (can you imagine a v8 "super car" of today running on anything other than a structured basically flat track????)
I also pit crewed for Ray Farrar in the Brian Wood Ford Capri for a year or two, when it was part of the Brian Wood team (Murray Carter's XA/B ford, the Capri and a ford escort whose drivers name escapes me). Also pit crewed on the rust rid Gemini at Bathurst one year, the in the early 80s I moved out of Melbourne for work requirements, and eventually got involved with Charlie Milner and his Nissan Bluebird sports sedan.
I pit crewed for Charlie for some years, and it is my involvement with him that brought me to this site.
Charlie had a Bluebird sports sedan that had a mid mounted SBC, an early type of space frame, with a Nissan IRS and LSD. His previous car had been a rear engined Hillman Imp, and he was mates with bernie watt, who for many years had the ex John Pollard (I think) camaro in his shed, still in running order 20 years ago, as he drove it up,our bush road to my 40th birthday party for a bet!
We were all members of the Light Car Club of Australia, and I can remember attending many meetings at the Albert park HQ in Charlie's chev powered ford transit van (another thing he duplicated for many people, including me!)
Charlie may be remembered by some as he lived and had a workshop at Anderson Vic, which is at the turnoff to Phillip Island, and I can remember on many occasions his facilities being utilised by SS and tourers who needed urgent workshop facilities between practice and raceday whilst at PIARC.
Firstly, I am trying to find out what happened to Charlie's old nissan, unfortunately he was killed in a motorcycle collision in Qld in the mid 80s, and I believe his son Simon is somewhere in Victoria, but his location is not known to me.
I would like to see if the old Nissan is worthy of restoration if it still exists, as now I'm retired I have a bit of time on my hands, and a son who is keen to help and also to have dad pay for his fun!
Whilst it may be just on the border of the intention of this forum, I am also trying to find out a bit of history on a sports sedan I have purchased, that being a 1989/90 mazda rx7. It was log booked in 1990 I think (I'm on holidays ATM and the log book is at home) with a toyota motor, it has full f/glass front and rear panels, all the moulds etc, seems to have a mazda front and rear suspension with mazda diff, but any further history is unknown.
If I can work out how to do it, there will be a photo attached.
If anyone has knowledge of either of these vehicles, I would be very grateful.
It is my intention to go down the LS1 power train option with the Mazda.
Any information on other avenues of enquiry would be appreciated, or any photo collections I could explore would be great,
Thanks wayne
My name is Wayne Beale, and I'm around 60, so I had a little bit to do with the golden years of racing.
I was a flag Marshall at most Victorian circuits and a couple of times at Bathurst in the mid 70s to mid 80s, so lived through the golden years of both sports sedans and tourers. Have many find memories of the after race parties at Peter Jansons and The HDT tents, back in the days when a humble volunteer could mingle with the rich and famous, enjoy a beer and talk B/S and dream about having a steering wheel in ones hands, rather than a flag! Also the days when the touring car Champions of the day would appear at templestowe and lilydale hillclimbs (can you imagine a v8 "super car" of today running on anything other than a structured basically flat track????)
I also pit crewed for Ray Farrar in the Brian Wood Ford Capri for a year or two, when it was part of the Brian Wood team (Murray Carter's XA/B ford, the Capri and a ford escort whose drivers name escapes me). Also pit crewed on the rust rid Gemini at Bathurst one year, the in the early 80s I moved out of Melbourne for work requirements, and eventually got involved with Charlie Milner and his Nissan Bluebird sports sedan.
I pit crewed for Charlie for some years, and it is my involvement with him that brought me to this site.
Charlie had a Bluebird sports sedan that had a mid mounted SBC, an early type of space frame, with a Nissan IRS and LSD. His previous car had been a rear engined Hillman Imp, and he was mates with bernie watt, who for many years had the ex John Pollard (I think) camaro in his shed, still in running order 20 years ago, as he drove it up,our bush road to my 40th birthday party for a bet!
We were all members of the Light Car Club of Australia, and I can remember attending many meetings at the Albert park HQ in Charlie's chev powered ford transit van (another thing he duplicated for many people, including me!)
Charlie may be remembered by some as he lived and had a workshop at Anderson Vic, which is at the turnoff to Phillip Island, and I can remember on many occasions his facilities being utilised by SS and tourers who needed urgent workshop facilities between practice and raceday whilst at PIARC.
Firstly, I am trying to find out what happened to Charlie's old nissan, unfortunately he was killed in a motorcycle collision in Qld in the mid 80s, and I believe his son Simon is somewhere in Victoria, but his location is not known to me.
I would like to see if the old Nissan is worthy of restoration if it still exists, as now I'm retired I have a bit of time on my hands, and a son who is keen to help and also to have dad pay for his fun!
Whilst it may be just on the border of the intention of this forum, I am also trying to find out a bit of history on a sports sedan I have purchased, that being a 1989/90 mazda rx7. It was log booked in 1990 I think (I'm on holidays ATM and the log book is at home) with a toyota motor, it has full f/glass front and rear panels, all the moulds etc, seems to have a mazda front and rear suspension with mazda diff, but any further history is unknown.
If I can work out how to do it, there will be a photo attached.
If anyone has knowledge of either of these vehicles, I would be very grateful.
It is my intention to go down the LS1 power train option with the Mazda.
Any information on other avenues of enquiry would be appreciated, or any photo collections I could explore would be great,
Thanks wayne