Kiwi NASCAR/ARCA Driver Killed(mid 80's)

[Kiwiboss]

I was cleaning out some stuff and came across this cutting, was sent to me while I was working up in the US in the mid 80's so it must be from around that time!! does anyone know or remember this or the person involved, kinda interesting?

Dale M

[bigbanger]

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19850602&id=7jEdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=a6UEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6611,948151&hl=en

[bigbanger]

http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/racelist2.php?uniqid=6487

[Kiwiboss]

Thanks Bigbanger, at least he was a guy giving it a go!! makes a difference from all the "gunnas" in the world today!!

Dale M

[rf84]

I remember him though I did not know him well. He was a similar age to myself and lived about 1/2 a km from where we lived. As far as I know he did not compete in motor sport in NZ.
His brother is a real estate agent here in Havelock North.

[Steve Holmes]

Wow, thats certainly interesting. I tried doing a few different searches on his, entering several different search words. Found this from Gisborne speedway, from the 1970s. Seems he raced this Monaro there and won. Did he just borrow the car for this event?

28508

28509

[Steve Holmes]

Also found this on a gamers website. Seems the Thunderbird skin was modelled on a car raced by Lyndon.

28510

[fullnoise68]

That`s the ex John Hayman HQ Monaro originally from Waikaraka Park Steve - there`s another photo of it amongst those photos I sent you. I think that Monaro ended up with HJ/HZ Holden front panels and was raced by Bill Dorn at Palmerston North although this one was RHD whereas Dorns one was LHD.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Steve, my search results may not have been correct, the caption that appeared with the Monaro pic said "Stuart Lyndon cracks the third saloon heat".

're the Monaro, I remember the Bill Dorn car well, it was the ex Jim Richards car. It was left hand drive and was still that way when it was finally killed off as a Streetstock several years later.

[Milan Fistonic]

This is Lyndon's page on the Motorsport Memorial site.

http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=ct&n=2750

[GeebeeNZ]

Dale thanks for bringing that up.

Stuart was my second cousin. Although he was only three years younger than me his father was my cousin. In 2013 a friend of mine said he was going to do an article about Stuart for a magazine and so I did some more research. The internet is an amazing thing and so I managed to track down his wife Doreen in USA. She sent the following email to me.

Graeme,

A bit of interesting tidbits about Stuart, although I don't remember the details:

He raced speedway bikes at Brands Hatch in England before coming to America (this would have been in the 1970's). He had home movies of him racing. His brother, Russell, might have those movies and/or photos.

His grandfather, George (?) Spencer, owned the raceway in Hawkes Bay (Meanee?) , New Zealand.

He lived in Toronto, Canada before coming into America.

He was working with and driving for "Bosco Lowe" when he died (according to a letter he wrote me in January 1985).

He was cremated and buried in Hastings with his nanna, Olive Dagg Spencer, who had died earlier that same year.

also

Here are some links to stuff I found on the internet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARCA_RE/MAX_Series

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E5DB1439F930A35755C0A963948260

http://forums.autosport.com/showthread.php?threadid=9705&perpage=40&display=&pagenumber=43

http://www.geocities.com/penn_alliance_racing/fallen_heros.html

Thanks,

Doreen

The Thunderbird he was killed in was reported to be an ex Kyle Petty Thunderbird. One report says it was built for Kyle Petty another says Kyle Petty raced in it the previous season. I don't know the answer.

Stuart was from Hastings and his brother Russell is a Hawkes Bay Real Estate Agent. His cousin Maree was the first women jockey to race in the Melbourne Cup and another relative was an All Black from Hastings. A true sporting family.

Graeme

[Kiwiboss]

You're welcome Graeme, this forum is certainly great for motor-sport related information.

As i mentioned, I was going though some letters from my mum that she wrote me when i was working up in California in the 80's and that clipping fell out, it had no date and i had not heard of Stuart Lyndon? at the same time i was thinking how different it was pre internet days, the information game certainly was alot slower back then, more my pace probably!! but also coming from NZ to America was like going to the moon so Stuart must have been somewhat an adventurist and trying to live his dream and died doing so. At least its now recorded on this forum.

Anyway its great a few of you on here could fill the gaps on someone that would probably have been forgotten forever.

Dale M

[TTKiwis]

I know I am stupid late on this one (although this post could be considered an 'update' of sorts, I guess). Stuart's brother Russell was interviewed in 2017 and tells a small story of his brother. Audio and transcript available.

https://knowledgebank.org.nz/audio/russell-ivor-lyndon-interview-2/

Cliff