In the Ditch

[Milan Fistonic]

John Bowden's SP250 in the drain at Rothmans.

34948

[Ray Bell]

Hmm...

I should dig out the pic of the tow-truck driver down to his daks retrieving the Citroen Special from the drainage canal at Sandown.

[BMCBOY]

I wasn't around the scene when lots of cars ended up in that ditch at Pukekohe, but I do remember when this Dino went through the fence in the wet at a Classic racing event.
I had been looking at it in the pits before racing began and recall how pristine it was. A real shame it ended up like this, but evidently it was repaired and is now in Australia. Photographer unknown.


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[khyndart in CA]

The ditch has claimed a few over the years.
One of the first was this incident in a preliminary race before the 1965 NZGP at Pukekohe. Bruce was fortunate it was not any worse and he borrowed his team mate Phil Hill's Cooper for the main event and promptly ran into the back of Jim Clark's Lotus at the hairpin on about lap 2,so it was not a great day for Bruce McLaren.
(Check those nice new Firestone tyres. Was this one of the first racing tyres for Firestone ? )
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I took this photo of a an Imp and it's driver going eeling in the ditch in 1969.
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(Ken Hyndman )

[BMCBOY]

This is another well known photo of Jim Boyd's Valour being inspected by mechanic Brian Rice. This is evidently the ditch on the inside of the hill which was later filled in.


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[Marty]

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Pukekohe Club Circuit 1984

[John McKechnie]

Anyone got the pic when a certain Millen Jag through up a tidal wave?
Moss Tait in the Imp ?

[John McKechnie]

Hmm...

I should dig out the pic of the tow-truck driver down to his daks retrieving the Citroen Special from the drainage canal at Sandown.

Ray- heres Kiwi dacks..#4. Sure your towie probably has more cleavage.....LOL

[Rod Grimwood]

Here you go john, that was a huge wave of mud and water.
We worked on the car at Lyalls until about 3:30 in the morning and Steve drove it like it was stolen on Sunday, actually beat Jim and Don in 1st heat.
as you can see she had a fair bit of tape holding her together, but still went well.

[crookedonenz]

This is referring to the post at Puke where the Ferrari is in the creek by BMCBOY Photos taken by Jim Short. Published on https://www.facebook.com/historicsportscarracingnz.co.nz/ Album is https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1643640055925319.1073741851.1624255084530483&type=3
This 3rd photo is where it all went wrong for John Sampson,

[Rod Grimwood]

Ferrari job is outside on way to the hill, Steves, Jim Boyd, Shack Manon, the Imp, and Bruce McLaren and others was over the top of hill skidding infield towards the pits.
They piped and covered the outside.

[Oldfart]

Remember the day when Steve dropped it well. I was on the flaggie post at the hairpin.

[SPman]

Aaaaaah.......the ditch...........lose it over the top of the hill and...............
Such fun!

[Allan]

Didn't Dave Jury put an Anglia in there as well?

[John McKechnie]

I think Shack Manons Mini looked the worst of the Ditch disasters. It was absolutey totaled

[Milan Fistonic]

Didn't Dave Jury put an Anglia in there as well?

He didn't make it into the ditch. He hit the willow tree and his Anglia ended up banana-shaped. Got a photo somewhere.


Found it.

34981

[928]

Milan,
is this the same car he used for the wellington auckland run? 5 hrs 40m from memory before this happened obviously

[John McKechnie]

Just talking to a customer about #1 Daimler Dart.- SP250 (sic)
He said his one that was in my workshop also had a swim in the ditch in 66-67.
Driver was George Jackson, red with white stripes, had Ecurie Daimler on the side.
Trevor Sheffield may remember it...
Milan , could you have a pic of this in your collection ?
Car was dried out and continued to be used in competition by Rob Douglas.
He also had a big moment in the chicanes in mid 80s

[Trevor Sheffield]

John Bowden's SP250 in the drain at Rothmans.

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This photo brings back memories of a time when motor racing was a true sport. John Bowden, at 11/10 went into the creak prior to the lunch break and I recall the car coming back into the pits behind a tow truck. When the doors were opened water gushed out together with watercress and other debris.

Fellow competitors crowded around and it was not long before many hands had the seats and carpets out and with a bright sun assisting, everything was dried out and again ship shape to compete in following events. The advantage of this early application of a fibreglass body was clearly apparent.

It was a joyful scene over lunch, enabling the car to be again on the grid amongst the very competitive but none the less sporting sports car club group of the time. No quarter was given once the flag dropped, but we all had a ball. Yes we did have balls! LOL

[Milan Fistonic]

Ferrari job is outside on way to the hill, Steves, Jim Boyd, Shack Manon, the Imp, and Bruce McLaren and others was over the top of hill skidding infield towards the pits.
They piped and covered the outside.

McLaren's dunking was off to the left of the track between the left-hander after the hairpin and Rothmans.

[seaqnmac27]

He didn't make it into the ditch. He hit the willow tree and his Anglia ended up banana-shaped. Got a photo somewhere.


Found it.

34981

I think there is another pic of that somewhere on here Milan

[Trevor Sheffield]

Just talking to a customer about #1 Daimler Dart.- SP250 (sic)
He said his one that was in my workshop also had a swim in the ditch in 66-67.
Driver was George Jackson, red with white stripes, had Ecurie Daimler on the side.
Trevor Sheffield may remember it...
Milan , could you have a pic of this in your collection ?
Car was dried out and continued to be used in competition by Rob Douglas.
He also had a big moment in the chicanes in mid 80s

My memory records that George Jackson in his SP250 never "had a swim in the ditch". In later years he retained his interest in sports cars and as transport drove a Mazda MX5. Model aeroplanes became his main interest.

He was an integral part of the production sports car group of the time, but only raced briefly early on. I attended his funeral a couple of years ago with Charlie Conway and said a few words concerning his motor racing, as no one else attending had acknowledged his motor sport.

Refer my previous post regarding details concerning the one and only SP250 which went swimming. LOL

[seaqnmac27]

I think there is another pic of that somewhere on here Milan

Nope, the one I am thinking is Cyril Hyde's accident, the photo of which is here http://www.theroaringseason.com/showthread.php?169-The-Mike-Feisst-Collection-Part-3

[bry3500]

http://www.theroaringseason.com/showthread.php?147-There-was-a-Big-Bang - Post number #2

[stubuchanan]

Ferrari job is outside on way to the hill, Steves, Jim Boyd, Shack Manon, the Imp, and Bruce McLaren and others was over the top of hill skidding infield towards the pits.
They piped and covered the outside.

A few years ago someone posted these pictures of Shack Manon's big off into the ditch (in late 60's). Fortunately I downloaded them at the time, because I doubt that I could find them on the forum.

http://s6.postimg.org/u3sfq9zld/Mini_Shack_Manoninditch2.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

http://s6.postimg.org/y1katfbsh/Mini_Shack_Manoninditch3.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

I presume that is Shack in the water - he looks as if has been totally immersed! The car is certainly a mess, I think it made the front page of the Auckland Star on the next Monday.

Somewhere, I have a very short 8mm movie clip of Jim Boyd's dive in the Valour, but it's not in a format I could put up here .

Stu

[Rod Grimwood]

Not Shack in water, top photo the guy in white T-Shirt is a young Bruce Manon and bloke bending over is Shacks mechanic-helper who still helps Bruce out. Pretty sure Shack was away having a quick check up, as he may have had a tadpole or 2 in throat. Actually this was the most damaged car I saw from the creek.

[Ross Hollings]

And dont forget Auckland Car Club's Barry Webber in the the long "styly" coat .Barry Webber and Eric Mallard stawarts of the Auckland Car Club management.Thankyou guys for the hard work you did in running such a sucessful club.

[Rod Grimwood]

So right Ross, they were amazing along with others, one of my favourites was the big fella with the chequer flag, Lorrie, used to call him 'uncle' he asked me once why do you call me 'uncle' and I told him because that's how you treat all of us, like a big uncle and we look up to you.

[khyndart in CA]

Jan 1968 or 1969. NZGP. Pukekohe.
A bit of a view of "The Ditch" as the Grand Prix drivers are being driven around the circuit on the back of MGBs before the start of the race.
The drums make a pretty formidable barrier and it might have been easier on the car / driver by going into the ditch if anything happened instead of hitting those drums !
35005


(Ken Hyndman photo )

[SPman]

35017
Dave's Anglia looking rather sad - it hit the tree in the background.

It usually started like this - same meeting - it might be Dave, but the note on the back says Cliff Everson....

35021

[stubuchanan]

Don't think they are the same meeting, unless some very smart sheep-rustlers have been operating. Clicking on the photos suggests top one is April 65 and lower one November 65. But, Dave Jurie was No. 164 at the February 1965 meeting and no trace in April programme.

Stu

[SPman]

Righto....it's a box of old photos...some with dates, most not.

[khyndart in CA]

I was reading Desmond Mahoney's book "Trio at the Top" and came across this photo of Bruce McLaren making his way to the ditch during a heat for the 1965 NZGP. I bet that camera man went to church the next day !
35385

I may be thrown out from TRS inputs after admitting this, but the last time I was at Pukekohe was for the 1976 NZGP with Mr Southward driving Prime Minister Muldoon in the Stutz before the main race.
It does show the "Ditch" clearly.
35382


( Ken Hyndman )

[GD66]

I remember seeing that. That was the day Redman screamed through the chicane in his Chevron at the start of the GP. :cool:

[Rod Grimwood]

GD66, that was classic, down the back straight and lead over hill and then the power caught up.

That Stutz was classic 4 shots for every lamp post it past.

[bry3500]

I remember seeing that. That was the day Redman screamed through the chicane in his Chevron at the start of the GP. :cool:

I was there that day too - clearly remember Redman at the chicane!

[khyndart in CA]

I talked to Brian Redman at Monterey a few years ago and he still laughs about this. He figured he only had one opportunity on the opening lap and as there was no curbing to launch off he thought he would "give it a go" and claim brake failure if he was penalized.
It is amazing how many of us saw this. I know I was up on the hill.
Here is one last photo of that day as Ken Smith comes away from the Hairpin in his Lola T 332 and laps Robbie Booth in the Katipo M70, on one of the final laps to win the race. The NZGP. Jan 4, 1976.

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(Note all that safety fencing ! )

(Ken Hyndman photo )

[BMCBOY]

Rothmans chicane

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[khyndart in CA]

This has probably been shown before but this Youtube clip shows some scenes of the "Ditch" plus what Pukekohe looked like in 1966.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJQXmIAgEf8

I love the Mike Walker Fiat Bambina in action.


(Ken Hyndman )

[Milan Fistonic]

Here's another shot of John Baldwin's Imp in the ditch at Rothmans in 1969. It was in the December 1969 edition of Motorman. Ken posted his photo in post #4.

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[Milan Fistonic]

NZ Grand Prix 1965. Photo from The Auckland Star and the report from Motorman. This ditch was on the left of the track leading up into Rothmans, not the one on the right at the top of Rothmans.

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[SPman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBjyogG7eQA