Photos - From The pits

[Swannie]

I've recently had several my late father, Chris Swan, slides converted to a digital format. Among them were a number of shots from the pits at what I believe to be Pukekohe and Levin.

I believe the photos to be from around the 1965 and 1966 season, although some of the other photos do stretch in to the early 1970’s.

I have used other posts in the forum to help put drivers names to cars, and even in a couple of cases to meetings. Please feel free to leave a comment if you recognize anyone.

Over the coming days I will add more photos as time permits.

Cheers
Graeme Swan

Rod Coppins - Zephyr Corvette

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[Swannie]

Ivan Segedin - Fleetwood Mustang

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[Swannie]

Bread van Anglia's


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[Oldfart]

Great pics. I am trying to identify the venue for the first ones down t the Fahey car. Levin? Also same venue for the last one? It looks like the Ruahines in the background, but was the paddock area quite so unformed?

[khyndart in CA]

This is a wild guess on my part but the first photo reminds me of the Bruntwood straight / Tamahere area near Cambridge in the 60s.
Note the hay bales strapped to the power poles !

(Ken Hyndman )

[Oldfart]

I wondered about that too. I competed a couple of times there but thought that there were farm fences quite close to both sides of the road.

[Roger Dowding]

Bread van Anglia's


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Middle photo Breadvan Anglia with Fiat Crusader and Daimler Dart #38 is Pukekohe by the Tote Office and Board

[John McKechnie]

Is that a Jamie A creation in front of the Anglia 117 ?

[Spgeti]

Is that a Jamie A creation in front of the Anglia 117 ?

It looks like it John, Sid Mk1 ?

I also like the liberal use of tape over the gaps on the Simpson/Radisich Anglia.

[GD66]

Is that a Jamie A creation in front of the Anglia 117 ?


Think it's Ross Baker's Heron Mk 2/3 Daimler.

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[John McKechnie]

Thanks GD66- I knew it wasnt Sid 1 as front screen was different. still, very low

[Roger Dowding]

Think it's Ross Baker's Heron Mk 2/3 Daimler.

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GD66 and John Mck .. my photo. Pukekohe 1966 I think,need to go and look and yes the Heron Daimler, was among quite a few Trailer photos I took at the time -. April May meetings in 1966 ..

My notes on the original post on My early years Pukekohe thread ;
" Heron Daimler - built by Ross Baker and Ken Richardson according to Graham Vercoe's book.
unsure what meeting this was but would be 1966 or 1967. The Daimler 2.5 V8 with stack exhausts."

and on the photo says May 1966

However, this from Milan Fistonic ;
" The Heron Daimler was number 16 at the April 23 1966 meeting and was driven by Ken Richardson "

[Ray Bell]

Seems you had a few Daimler 2.5 V8s in race cars in New Zealand...

From memory this side of the ditch we only ever had three or four SP250s racing in modified production form.

[Swannie]

A40 Farina's

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Peter Bennett Lotus Farina

[Swannie]

In the Wars

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[khyndart in CA]

That was a brave driver that competed in a drum braked Mini !
Plus none of these three had any form of roll cage.

[Oldfart]

Thanks GD66- I knew it wasnt Sid 1 as front screen was different. still, very low
The same base car isn't it? I think I remember that Sid was the other chassis, but as usual, memory is no longer reliable. Jamie, where are you?
Bobtail Cooper in the background of the Healey photo!

[Oldfart]

It looks like it John, Sid Mk1 ?

I also like the liberal use of tape over the gaps on the Simpson/Radisich Anglia.

All for another smidgeon of drag reduction :)

[BMCBOY]

Great photo of the crashed Healey 3000 Graeme
Could you possibly send a high res version of it to me at cammick339@gmail.com please.

I have owned that car since 1973 and completed a rebuild of it in 1978.

The car was imported into NZ and raced by Bill Dunster in the mid 60's.
The crash happened at Cabbage Tree corner at Levin in 1965.

It looks a lot different today, but still has a few scars from its racing days.

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Cheers, Ross Cammick

[Swannie]

Great photo of the crashed Healey 3000 Graeme
Could you possibly send a high res version of it to me at cammick339@gmail.com please.

I have owned that car since 1973 and completed a rebuild of it in 1978.

The car was imported into NZ and raced by Bill Dunster in the mid 60's.
The crash happened at Cabbage Tree corner at Levin in 1965.

It looks a lot different today, but still has a few scars from its racing days.

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Cheers, Ross Cammick

Email sent, Glad to hear that the car survived.

[Milan Fistonic]

Bread van Anglia's

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I would think this was Dave Simpson's Lotus Anglia at the November 1965 Levin meeting. He won three races that day and obviously got a trophy for one of them and has it proudly displayed on the top of the car.

[Milan Fistonic]

In the Wars

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This is the 998cc Imp driven by Murray Hart. The throttle jammed open through Hokio Bend in practice and he hit the bank. A few minutes later an Anglia left the track at the same point and rammed the rear of the Imp. This was at the November 1965 meeting at Levin.

[Milan Fistonic]

Bread van Anglia's


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Looks like the 1966 NZGP meeting at Pukekohe.

117 Paul Fahey Lotus Anglia Fastback
111 T.R. Warrington Anglia 1200cc
38 David Oxton Daimler SP250
39 Ken Richardson Heron Mk2 Daimler
48 Roger Smith Daimler SP250

If the cars are lined up in numerical order which it appears they do then the the cars behind Fahey's car are:
115 K.G.Bradley Fiat 1500
116 Cliff Everson Anglia

[fastback]

Is the Farina no 31 Graham watsons and did he also do the fabrication work on the Kerry Grant farina?

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by khyndart in CA
That was a brave driver that competed in a drum braked Mini !

And just a couple of weeks ago you posted this link:

http://www.minicooperrace.com/1971_SCCA_Regional_Racing_Recollections_From_John_Unsbee.cfm?page=1

[GD66]

Is the Farina no 31 Graham Watson's ?




You would think so with that color scheme ! :cool:

[John McKechnie]

I was at TACCOC meeting at Whenuapei in early 90s and there was an ex-racing red A40 Farina with a similar nose cone, in beautiful condition
It was on display with a white board giving its history,only remember that it was not allowed to race with the Classics as it had a Lotus motor in it, not an Austin.
Any one know whose car it was?

[khyndart in CA]

As per a quote from the very talented 1970s US Mini race driver John Unsbee regarding driving a drum braked Mini;
" I started out trying to drive like John Rhodes, snapping the car sideways and drifting into corners and that was something I learned how to do out of necessity because with the drum brakes I never could get it slowed down enough and I had to figure out how to get to the apex and exit without going off the road or lifting,. Believe me I went off the road a lot in practice but eventually I perfected my technique. "

[Swannie]

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Pete Geoghegan Mustang 1966 NZIGP meeting

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Neil Doyle Anglia Corvette

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Mini Sprint, possibly with Dick Butters in the background

[Swannie]

Honda S600
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[Roger Dowding]

Honda S600
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Feo Stanton from Tauranga ran a Honda Coupe S600 at Pukekohe a few times in the 1966-67 period.. Is that it ??

[Steve Holmes]

These photos are absolutely stunning Swannie! Thanks so much for sharing them, I'm really enjoying them. Its amazing that these collections just keep on coming.

Whats interesting about many of these is that the cars and events are featured in other collections posted on this site. Your father was likely standing right next to the photographers who took the other photos.

[hilstwist]

I think that I was one of them!

[Steve Holmes]

I think that I was one of them!

Indeed Steve, you're one of the people I was thinking of.

[stubuchanan]

In the very first picture (Coppins #141) there is a road lined with power poles, two of which are padded with hay bales. This suggests a road circuit, and the only one that comes to mind for the Coppins era is Renwick. The bales are placed to suggest that cars were running left to right across the view, which also could tie in with Renwick. Any comments?

Stu

[Swannie]

In the very first picture (Coppins #141) there is a road lined with power poles, two of which are padded with hay bales. This suggests a road circuit, and the only one that comes to mind for the Coppins era is Renwick. The bales are placed to suggest that cars were running left to right across the view, which also could tie in with Renwick. Any comments?

Stu

Renwick is most likely, I do remember being told a story of the Wellington Car Club chartering a DC3 to fly across the strait and watch the racing

[Milan Fistonic]

Honda S600
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Feo Stanton and Jim Palmer ran the Honda in the 1965 Gold Leaf Challenge at Pukekohe and the photo shown is from Levin in January 1966 when Stanton raced it with the number 7 in the sports car races.

[khyndart in CA]

In the very first picture (Coppins #141) there is a road lined with power poles, two of which are padded with hay bales. This suggests a road circuit, and the only one that comes to mind for the Coppins era is Renwick. The bales are placed to suggest that cars were running left to right across the view, which also could tie in with Renwick. Any comments?

Stu
Stu,
You are correct. When I saw these old photos of Renwick in November 1962 and then saw the background in Swannie's wonderful photos.
The background trees are the same at the hairpin corner. The start line photo shows the same type of power lines and hay bales.
Coppins car was white in 1965 so I assume this would be a new paint scheme for 1966.
Also further down shows the Segedin Mustang with a red/black Mini Cooper # 39. The AR Johns sponsorship was for Brian Innes in the 1965/66 season in his 1293 cc Mini Cooper.
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(Marlborough Car Club archive photos in b&w)


(Ken Hyndman )

[Milan Fistonic]

I don't think it can be 1966 as Coppins was entered in an Anglia that year. The Innes Mini was number 93 in 1966.

[spinner32]

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Pete Geoghegan Mustang 1966 NZIGP meeting

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Neil Doyle Anglia Corvette

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Mini Sprint, possibly with Dick Butters in the background
In the bottom photo just above the Mini's roof there is what appears to be a radically fastbacked Anglia(?) in primer. Any one with any information?

[Steve Holmes]

I don't think it can be 1966 as Coppins was entered in an Anglia that year. The Innes Mini was number 93 in 1966.

Hi Milan I wonder if the 1966 race you refer to where Coppins had the Anglia could have been in late 1966, but during the 1967 season. Coppins raced the Zephyr during the 1965 season painted white as part of the Molyslip team, then painted red in the 1966 season.

Then he and John Ward purchased the breadvan Anglia raced by Paul Fahey during the 1966 season, repainted it red and raced it during the 1967 season.

So maybe the Renwick round of the 1967 season was held in late 1966?

[Milan Fistonic]

Yes it was held in November 1966 which was part of the 1966/67 season. The previous race was held in November 1965 which, while being part of the 1965/66 season, is not in 1966. It gets very confusing when our motor racing seasons run over two different years.

[Swannie]

Dick Butters Anglia at Levin. Dick is still competing today in a Subaru Impreza at local Wellington gravel sprints
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[Swannie]

The next batch is just of cars in the car park at the same race meetings. Must have been fairly exotic vehicles in there day (some still are today).
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[Swannie]

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[John McKechnie]

Nice 3.8 FHC E-Type Jaguar - with beer bottles, instead of Champers on the ground next to it.
Ellerslie Motors, Marua Rd, Ellerslie on the side of the other 3.8 E- Type 26 ,who would that be ?

[SPman]

Is that the Maserati 3500 that used to hang out around Puke, 65-66?

[Roger Dowding]

Is that the Maserati 3500 that used to hang out around Puke, 65-66?

You mean this one Clerk of the Course Car ..

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NZ GP meeting January 1967

[Ross]

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[Oldfart]

Nice Ross.

[Roger Dowding]

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Agree with Oldfart, they are all good as a bit of NZ Motor Racing History, from another persons point of view - the camera !!
Please keep them coming.
Love the Anglia with the Probiscus Headlights a " minor " form of streamlining !!

[Milan Fistonic]

Dick Butters Anglia at Levin. Dick is still competing today in a Subaru Impreza at local Wellington gravel sprints

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The E Type was entered in the Ken Wharton Memorial Sports Car Race at the 1966 NZGP driven by G. F. Bremer.

The red car behind the Jag looks like O. D. Cullen's Buckler Humber No. 27 and the No. 106 Mini was driven by R. N. Boler.

[Swannie]

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[Swannie]

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I believe that this is Frank Hamlin's Mini Sprint

[Swannie]

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I now believe that this a G Watson's Austin A40 Farina with a 998cc engine

[Ross]

The 3 pics in my post uf three days ago were all taken at Levin.
The Molyslip team was probably the first major multi car team in NZ motorsport. This pic probably March 1965.
Drivers' cars in this pic include Jack Nazer and John Ward, I think.
Car 21 I believe is Baron Robertson's Heron in 1968/69

Car 55 is Tony Gilbertson's Mini Cooper S 1964/65.

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Graham McCrae in Austin Healey 100/6 Levin 1964

[Roger Dowding]

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I believe that this is Frank Hamlin's Mini Sprint

Swannie, certainly is ; built by Hamlin and Charles Motors and competed in the 1966 - 68 seasons great photo

[SPman]

You mean this one Clerk of the Course Car ..

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NZ GP meeting January 1967

That's the one. I've got a similar photo somewhere...

[Ross]

few more old pics from Levin


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Jackie Stewart Levin Jan 1966

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Phil Hill, Bruce McLaren, Jim Clark, at Levin Jan. 1965

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Repco Brabham at Levin Jan 67

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Jim, Eion & Bruce at Levin Jan 1966?

[Ross]

A few more from Levin

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Chris Amon's Ferrari & trophy at Levin Jan 69

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Graham McCrae Levin Jan. 72 ?

[Ray Bell]

The 1965 grid at Levin...

The order is not Hill, McLaren and Clark, rather it's McLaren, Hill and Clark. Behind them are Palmer, Gardner and (largely obscured) Lex Davison.

[Michael Clark]

Ross, that STP car in the pits at Levin is the Chris Amon March 701 that he was soon to swap for the Lotus 70 that David Oxton had driven at Levin that day.

GM would have been in the black McLaren M10B that he went onto win the 71 Tasman title in.

[Ross]

Ray, You are correct with the order of the cars on the grid.

Can you name the gents standing behind the BRM? Kerry Grant ?, Doug Lawrence?

Michael, Thanks for the correction re the STP car. Yes it is Chris's March in 1971.
A bit confusing that McRae drove an STP car in 1972, and won.