This Weekend 20 Years Ago, what were you doing???

[Kiwiboss]

So there we have it, 20 years have passed with fond memory's by all no doubt. RIP to Baypark(the track), Peter Hanna and Graham Pierce.

Dale M

[nigel watts]

I was probably there. I lived about 10 minutes away from the track and often popped over to see what was happening. Now my nearest track is an hour 50 away - 300km round trip.

[car96]

Taking a nervous pee, then getting ready to start a reverse grid race that I'd end up winning at my only time to race there.

[ERC]

First weekend in April 1995, was secretary/timekeeper for the MGCC Otaua Hillclimb...

[khyndart in CA]

First National Meeting at Bay Park programme cover. 1967.

28582

[ERC]

Fifty years ago, here!

http://www.progcovers.com/motor/mallory650419.jpg

[Grant Sprague]

Yep remember that weekend as if it was yesterday ........was fun , exciting ,& cold as the party continued late into the night & a little sadness .....we move on ........

[CobraV8]

I was there. Some awesome racing and a whole lot of burnouts to say goodbye.

[beowulf]

I was there. Some awesome racing and a whole lot of burnouts to say goodbye.

I was there too in my Cooper S which I still own. Started the last race ever at Bay Park in pole position, (reverse grid) and by shamelessly jumping the start lead onto the back straight before getting passed by everyone. I shared my car with Steve O'Donoghue. Saw and had some great racing there. Raced my Fiat 125T in a Glenvale 500. Flipped a FF there at the right hander when it rode over someone elses wheels. My fault. A great series of pictures in Motorman.

[George Sheweiry]

Man I miss that circuit, it just had a magical aura to it and I kinda liked running the old sidchrome and the pre65 mustang there being left hook it was good being by the inside of the corner for a change. I can still remember the HQ boys when we camped at the track, man did they party hard and would go till 2 in the morning. It would have been interesting if they had been breathalised before they went out for their race that day. Usually the racing got stopped for a few minutes in the day while the fire crew put out the toitois atop the front straight bleachers to the cheers of the "Fridge Club" lol. Golden days!!

[CUSTAXIE50]

Man I miss that circuit, it just had a magical aura to it and I kinda liked running the old sidchrome and the pre65 mustang there being left hook it was good being by the inside of the corner for a change. I can still remember the HQ boys when we camped at the track, man did they party hard and would go till 2 in the morning. It would have been interesting if they had been breathalised before they went out for their race that day. Usually the racing got stopped for a few minutes in the day while the fire crew put out the toitois atop the front straight bleachers to the cheers of the "Fridge Club" lol. Golden days!! How would a new( old Bay Park) go down today.

[Grant Sprague]

Would be great eh Custaxie.....we all know the story [stories] of the old circuit closing , I personally love the shape of track..... but as we move on [evolve] the old track was soon to become too small ......a larger version would be great ......there were a lot of rumpty dumpty building not to mention the drainage & flooding,new toilets, ....roads needed sealing etc etc... BUT hey it worked did it not , Pete had a band of friends helping out , even Denny would bring his new ride on mower & cut the grass on embankment......Tauranga & the Mount did not realise how much revenue Bay Park was generating until it was gone , perhaps give MQ a ring ????????????

[GD66]

Good point Grant, the revenue that flooded into the accommodation and hospitality establishments of Tauranga and the Mount over the Xmas/New Year period when their big meetings were on would have been massive, I actually worked at Willow Park for a couple of summers in the early '80s (so after their real boom years) and on race weekends the joint was hopping even then. Let alone the Oceanside, Bayfair pub etc, bottle shops all over town and all the motorcamps. And for all the summer fun in the sun of a race day and gallons of grog consumed, I never saw a punch thrown, it was just folk having fun.
Something I doubt the dickheads of today could manage...

[beowulf]

Good point Grant, the revenue that flooded into the accommodation and hospitality establishments of Tauranga and the Mount over the Xmas/New Year period when their big meetings were on would have been massive, I actually worked at Willow Park for a couple of summers in the early '80s (so after their real boom years) and on race weekends the joint was hopping even then. Let alone the Oceanside, Bayfair pub etc, bottle shops all over town and all the motorcamps. And for all the summer fun in the sun of a race day and gallons of grog consumed, I never saw a punch thrown, it was just folk having fun.
Something I doubt the dickheads of today could manage...

I was told by someone who was involved with the tourism industry that it was a million dollars plus for a big meeting. That was 20 years ago when a million dollars was a lot of money.

[Grant Sprague]

Well said GD66....love your response.......Willow Park ...a few pubs on the strand [St Amand] etc etc were all iconic before I arrived in Tga .. The stories are not as prolific as they used to be but there were some beauts......Bay fair was the one after practice ....there is a new one there now , have visited it probably twice in ten years called invibe .....as for the St Amand that was a biggy I managed to have a game of pool there & a beer or 3 with Dad in mid 70,s while racing GTX ........Tga being the draw card for Gary [the weather] to move up north ..later on I came up to be with Gary... If it was not for Bay Park we would not have met up with Peter & the lovely people here in Tga

[Kevin Hirst]

Good point Grant, the revenue that flooded into the accommodation and hospitality establishments of Tauranga and the Mount over the Xmas/New Year period when their big meetings were on would have been massive, I actually worked at Willow Park for a couple of summers in the early '80s (so after their real boom years) and on race weekends the joint was hopping even then. Let alone the Oceanside, Bayfair pub etc, bottle shops all over town and all the motorcamps. And for all the summer fun in the sun of a race day and gallons of grog consumed, I never saw a punch thrown, it was just folk having fun.
Something I doubt the dickheads of today could manage...

You say you never saw a punch thrown, I thought I read somewhere that Grimme had to sort out a few attitude problems at the park, I don't know if he knows any other way to do that.

[khyndart in CA]

The last time I went to Bay Park was at the end of 1975, almost 40 years ago. After being in England, at tracks with limited visibility,I thoroughly enjoyed being close to the track and watching cars all the way around the circuit. It was great to see the big banger saloon cars come out but my old photos do not do justice to the occasion.
This was the first time Allan Moffat was not driving a Ford.
More information on his white # 7 DeKon Monza can be found at this site.

http://www.transamcars.com/content/200/200history.pdf


My photos from that day are a bit rough but they do show the crowd size etc..great memories.

28747

28752

28751

[

( Ken Hyndman photos )

[GD66]

Then...
28748


And now :(
28750

[Noo Noo]

Good point Grant, the revenue that flooded into the accommodation and hospitality establishments of Tauranga and the Mount over the Xmas/New Year period when their big meetings were on would have been massive, I actually worked at Willow Park for a couple of summers in the early '80s (so after their real boom years) and on race weekends the joint was hopping even then. Let alone the Oceanside, Bayfair pub etc, bottle shops all over town and all the motorcamps. And for all the summer fun in the sun of a race day and gallons of grog consumed, I never saw a punch thrown, it was just folk having fun.
Something I doubt the dickheads of today could manage...

Gallons of grog consumed? I went to the big New Year 1971 meeting with a mate Laurie and his girlfriend. We were in our early twenties, so docile looking we would have fitted in at a bible class camp. At one point Laurie asked if I wanted a beer and pulled a couple of cans out of his bag. Before we even opened them a teenaged prat in a white coat was standing in front of us and demanding we get rid of it or he would have us evicted. Laurie had to take his cans back to his car.

[Grant Sprague]

Yea Weeeeeeelll you see motor racing & beer seems to go hand in hand , as for the d....k heads [TOO PC] some I feel spoil it for others , some times back then my crew were very in control & had a few & laughs and plenty. of innocent fun ... perhaps as a bit older now I look back we pushed the boundaries , but we were all business men & were responsible........ I am a person that does not like to be dictated to by a d....k head, but I nod my head .....[under my breath I say wake up son ...get back in the real world] BUT by saying this there must still be some rules in place to stop drink driving etc.even if it saves one life as you cant put a price on that can you ????...... we have all done it.......its the young [some older] blind drunk ones the need their wings clipped....... HEY I love the NOW photo of Bay Park.. the way the new housing has all different coloured roofs to show the old area

[khyndart in CA]

hey Grant,
That is your uncle Leo in the # 4 PDL Mustang. How are you related ? Did you ever get to drive this magnificent machine ?
Geez they were great days at the Mount and Bay Park, although my wife thought the racing was boring after the first 2 laps and took a nap in the stands !
Perhaps it was all the racing fumes !

( Ken H )

[Grant Sprague]

hey Grant,
That is your uncle Leo in the # 4 PDL Mustang. How are you related ? Did you ever get to drive this magnificent machine ?
Geez they were great days at the Mount and Bay Park, although my wife thought the racing was boring after the first 2 laps and took a nap in the stands !
Perhaps it was all the racing fumes !

( Ken H ) LOL , Hi Ken from a beautiful crisp Tauranga morning, The connection with Leo ..... he & Maureen use to baby sit us kids , Leo was Dads apprentice at Sprague motors.. & it all went from there Leo is a close friend indeed, as for the PDL mustang I would have been a young teen , or starting out doing club events...at that point & time Gary was to go to UK & work for F1 , Ernie had about enough of motor racing & needed a spell , Leo was in line to be asked to drive the PDL mustang along with Graeme Baker etc a few were lucky enough to get a drive , now good friend Roy McDonald owns that car , ex SI pre 65 champ.....from Dunein....hope you & wife all good over there my good friend ........... Grant
..

[khyndart in CA]

Hey Grant,
Here is one just for you. Thank you for thanking Peter and all those who gave us Bay Park. ( You will never know all the "stuff" I have packed in my suitcase over the years and dragged back here to Los Olivos !... I hope you don't mind me doing this.)

28796


( Ken Hyndman )

[khyndart in CA]

April 1995. The end of an era.

28797


(Scrapbook cutting from Bay of Plenty Times)

(Ken Hyndman )

[Grant Sprague]

Thank you Ken...... I love the coloured photo of Bay Park . I could melt into it .....I am just sitting at home with my girls .& the big one lol .... having a cup of T after a beautiful meal & a red ........ Reminiscing on that pik of Bay Park .......just so cool ......Hey isn't F1 interesting at present ....... very exciting .......Thank you Ken

[khyndart in CA]

We were all spoilt back then. No comments are needed from me.

28799

[GD66]

You can add Beechey, both Geoghegans, Moffat, Davy Jones, Roberto Moreno, Keke Rosberg, Frank Gardner, Phillipe Streiff, Allen Berg etc, all were great names at international level.

[Grant Sprague]

Not to forget Mike Thackwell & Jos Verstappen .....coming here to sharpen their pencil .... during their winter [seat time ] here in NZ ...

[khyndart in CA]

Some more cuttings from the Bay of Plenty Times of the last day at Baypark Raceway. April 1995.

28800

28801

28803




(Ken Hyndman scrapbook )

[khyndart in CA]

I was at this meet in Dec. 1971 and watched Graeme drive this Lola T 300. It had so much potential but sadly the Pukekohe accident ended all that.

28804


( Ken Hyndman )

[khyndart in CA]

If only I had a crystal ball ! Here are some Honda prices in April 1995. I could have spent $ 30,000 to buy a decent car that would not be worth much today. Apple stock at that time was about $ 5.00 per share. If I had brought 6000 shares then instead of the Honda they would have been worth about $ 4.5 million US today @ approx. $ 800.00 each before splitting etc..! I did neither, I just dream ..what if !

28805


( Ken (the dreamer ) Hyndman )

[khyndart in CA]

April 1995. The final flag.
Thanks to Peter and Graham and all others involved in making Baypark and all the great memories that will never be forgotten. ( note what Graeme Lawrence said about the condition of the track )..a job jolly well done !

28806


(Ken Hyndman ..with cuttings from the Bay of Plenty Times 1995 ))

[BMCBOY]

[QUOTE=khyndart in CA;46531]We were all spoilt back then. No comments are needed from me.


I am always amazed at where my old photos appear....

28807

I remember after receiving a press pass for Baypark we had to supply about six 6" X 8" prints to Peter Hanna for future press releases. His final collection must have been worth seeing!

[khyndart in CA]

Ross,
I am always amazed at your wonderful photography. This photo is so clear that my wife looked at it and said it proves that she is not the only woman that gets bored at the races because your photo shows about 4 women and approx. 30 guys in the background crowd.
So there you have it, your great photos are used for all sorts of reasons. The camera never lies ! (You have fans all over the world )

(Ken Hyndman )

[BMCBOY]

Ross,
I am always amazed at your wonderful photography. This photo is so clear that my wife looked at it and said it proves that she is not the only woman that gets bored at the races because your photo shows about 4 women and approx. 30 guys in the background crowd.

(Ken Hyndman )

Cheers Ken,
If I remember rightly these Baypark meetings were usually during the height of summer at "the Mount" so most of the girlfriends and wives were happy to laze around on the beach and watch the "surfies". The lads filled a chilly bin and took off to Baypark to watch the racing, eat hot dogs and chips and generally have a good day. There wasn't a lot of shade at the track so the first thing to do on the way home was to jump into the sea for a cool off!!
I can remember a lot of competitors ending up in swimming pools also after the racing - but that's another thread all on its own......