2011/2012 MSC New Zealand F-5000 Tasman Cup Revival

[Steve Holmes]

Special thanks to Jerry Entin for allowing me to publish this here. As below:

Ken Smith To defend MSC F5000 Title in new car

Evergreen New Zealand racing veteran Ken Smith will defend his MSC New Zealand F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series title this season behind the wheel of a new car, an ex Danny Ongais Lola T332.

Since his move to the series in 2007, Smith - who turned 70 earlier this month and who has won the annual trans-Tasman MSC series for the past three years - has been driving a Lola T430.

It was in an earlier model T332 Lola that the three-time New Zealand Grand Prix winner enjoyed much of his success in the category first time around (in the 1970s) however, and he has had an eye out for a good one since his return.

Word of such a car reached him 18 months ago and he and long-time crew members Barry Miller and Phil Richardson bought it from the widow of its original owner soon after.

"The 332 was the best of the 5000s and this one's been in a museum in Los Angeles for 31 years, " says Smith. "It was an Interscope car which Danny Ongais drove. It was absolutely original when we bought it, as if it had just finished its last race."

Despite that Miller, Richardson and Smith have spent the past year stripping and completely rebuilding the car with the intention of having it ready for the 2011/2012 MSC series.

This season's series kicks off at Christchurch's big Wigram Revival meeting at Ruapuna Park's Powerbuilt Tools Raceway on the first weekend of November with subsequent rounds at Manfeild, Hampton Downs, Powerbuilt Tools Raceway again, and Phillip Island in Australia.

Last season Smith won the MSC title for a third year in a row having fought a season-long battle with top local driver Steve Ross (McRae GM1) from Dunedin, and visitors Jay Esterer from Canada (McRae GM1) and Michael Lyons (Lola T400) from Great Britain.

All three are expected back - for some of the rounds in the case of Esterer and Lyons anyway - with Smith particularly looking forward to taking on the visitors in a lighter car.

"Don't get me wrong, " he says," the 430's a great old girl but the McRaes are a good 150kgs lighter and Jay's in particularly has always been wickedly quick off the corners. I don't think we'll be able to get the 332 quite down to their level but it'll definitely be closer than the 430."

Though entries are yet to open for the two 2011 events (in Christchurch and Feilding) indications are that there will be over 20 locally-based cars on the grid. That number will then be supplemented at the 2012 meetings at Hampton Downs, Powerbuilt Tools Raceway and Phillip Island by almost as many cars again from across the Tasman and/or the UK and the US/Canada.

The MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series is organised and run with the support of sponsors MSC, NZ Express Transport, Bonney's Specialized Bulk Transport, Mobil Lubricants, Pacifica, Smith & Davies, Avon Tyres and Exide

[Shano]

Nothing quite like the sound of a grid-full of F5000 cars thundering away from the start line. Can't wait.

[TonyG]

Wish I was home to see them. Only ever race at Eastern Creek or Melbourne GP occasionally here. Never come to Qld.
Just a question though ! Does Pukekohe not get used any more? I noticed that after the first Double header for Bruce McLaren, that event stayed at Hampton Downs of which I have only heard and seen negative things from a spectators point of view with all the catch fencing around it. Comment I was given was that it was harder to see the cars than at the Gold Coast 600 V8s when they are on the track if you are a non designated photographer. I only went to that once and swore I would never go again. Looks much better on TV than it is . Just curious thats all.
Cheers
Tony

[kiwi285]

Yes they certainly make the hackles on the back of your neck stand up when they accelerate away at the start. I seem to remember at the McLaren Festival that they had a full grid (about 42) cars. There have been some news cars arrive but I see the article about mentions about 20 only. What has happened to the rest of the cars !!

[nigel watts]

Wish I was home to see them. Only ever race at Eastern Creek or Melbourne GP occasionally here. Never come to Qld.
Just a question though ! Does Pukekohe not get used any more? I noticed that after the first Double header for Bruce McLaren, that event stayed at Hampton Downs of which I have only heard and seen negative things from a spectators point of view with all the catch fencing around it. Comment I was given was that it was harder to see the cars than at the Gold Coast 600 V8s when they are on the track if you are a non designated photographer. I only went to that once and swore I would never go again. Looks much better on TV than it is . Just curious thats all.
Cheers
Tony

Hampton Downs has some great photo possies without catch fencing that any member of the public can access. In fact I'd probably say that you can get much better shots at Hampton Downs without a photographers pass than you can at Puke. Once the whole track is completed it should be even better. The only thing I don't like are the dunnies but I'm sure that'll improve over time as well. I reckon they've done a brilliant job on the circuit so far.
Here are a few sample shots

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[nigel watts]

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The beauty of HD is that my 4 favourite possies [almost said positions which might be taken the wrong way!!] are all within 5 minutes walk of each other

This video clip shows the warm up lap at the HD Festival
http://www.youtube.com/user/wotzshotz#p/a/u/1/3LXtaRhveHA

[Steve Holmes]

Wish I was home to see them. Only ever race at Eastern Creek or Melbourne GP occasionally here. Never come to Qld.
Just a question though ! Does Pukekohe not get used any more? I noticed that after the first Double header for Bruce McLaren, that event stayed at Hampton Downs of which I have only heard and seen negative things from a spectators point of view with all the catch fencing around it. Comment I was given was that it was harder to see the cars than at the Gold Coast 600 V8s when they are on the track if you are a non designated photographer. I only went to that once and swore I would never go again. Looks much better on TV than it is . Just curious thats all.
Cheers
Tony

I thought it was partly to do with keeping the costs down for the competitors that travelled for the event, particularly those from overseas, so they could leave the cars in one place between events? That, and the advantages already pointed out by the HD complex.

[TonyG]

Cool, makes sense. Beautiful shots Nigel. The noise must be amazing to hear again after all these years without the F5000s. Real cars lol.

[thunder427]

[QUOTE=Steve Holmes;4994]Special thanks to Jerry Entin for allowing me to publish this here. As below:

...Wow!!! Steve, Jerry Entin,was whom I mentioned to you early in 'Start-up Mode' that would be good to have onboard,this man is the 'GURU'!!!!!when it comes to 'Can-Am/Formula A-5000 and Trans-Am.......as the 'Usedcar Salesman' said..... "Trust Me"!!!!

Jerry posts in the 'Nostalgia' forum on that other forum 'Autosport',it would be fantastic to have his knowledge and experance on our favourite Forum,he is also 'Good mates' with our own 'Wally the Willmot',not hard to believe the stories these two could tell......offer Jerry money,NZ holiday, must be someway we can win his attention......as stated before.."Trust me', my donations in the Mail"!!!!........regards thunder427/MJ:)

NB;:):cool::p;)'Kiwi' welcome to Jerry,the USA just go closer!!!!!!!!!

[Shano]

Ahhh I've been waiting for the right thread to post this in and here it is.

TonyG - I went to Hampton Downs for the first time in February for the Amon Revival meeting and I could not have been more impressed with the circuit from a spectator's point of view.

Let me start with Pukekohe. I've been going to that circuit since my age was in single figures. It has its own unique charm and, for me, the stunning memories of those days when Fahey and Dawson and Riley and Richards battled it out, when Hawes and Leonard won the B&H 500 and Graham McRae led the best F5000s in the world in his own cars. I have what you'd call history with Pukekohe.

But the facilities to which the punters have been subjected at that circuit over the years are appalling. Horrible, filthy toilets and bugger all of them. Crap stands. I remember the days of the Marlboro Motorcycle Series, when the best in the world came here, and the circuit was packed. But we weren't allowed to use the nice grandstand - it remained empty with all its food and drink facilities and decent toilets. In fact its remained empty through most race meetings.

The toilet for the hill stand was a single concrete block with a urinal cast as a half-round indentation in the floor. It was a foul place.

They wrecked the sight lines everywhere when they installed the bridge for the Aussie V8s, You could no longer see the start grid from the hill stand, nor watch the cars go down the pit straight and peel into turn one. From the grandstand you could no longer see the "hill". The "Ford" signage on the bank in front of the hil obscures the view of the track directly in front of the "seating." That seating has never changed in the 45 years I've been going to that circuit. Comfortable is not a word you would use to describe it.

(As an aside, the structure put up to provide pit bases and an overhead viewing area above, installed for the Aussie V8 era, is now a rusting, unsafe structure with signs all over it warning of danger. What a cock up).

If there was food avalailable it never went beyond a cup of chips and a greasy hot dog for an outrageous price.

I could go on and on but all you have to do is look at the brilliant photos in these forums and see the crowds. Don't you ever wonder where they went?

Hampton Downs offers fantastic sight lines for a whole range of corners - fast and flowing, technical, multi apex, the works. You only need to walk a couple of hundred metres and it's a whole new ball game. There are multiple grand stands with individual moulded seating in great locations. Coffee lounge, restaurant, refreshment booths, good dunnies, excellent pit facilities with access for the public that I found quite amazing.

Whoever has told you that Hampton Downs is not good for spectating has their head up their arse.

(And.... when some days of the Amon Revival were cancelled because of heavy rain, they emailed all ticket holders and posted on the HD website by 10am that it was cancelled. THAT's customer service.)

[TonyG]

Thanks Shano. I did wonder. God your description of Puke brings back so many memories of exactly what you described especially the urinals at the bottom of the hill heading towards the hairpin from the hill stand.
I will have to come home and see HD myself. Sounds much better and Nigels shots show it too.
V8 race on Goldie is just a pain in the a..e. Takes out half the main road in and out of Surfers for about 10 days while they get it all set up and pulled down.
To get any shots you either have to be up really high which means a Corporate box or the Stand coming on to the main start finish straight or lucky enough to find a gap in the catch fencing that the marshalls climb through and hope that you have the range to get past them to get a lucky shot.
I went in 2009 and was lucky enough to have corporate tickets so I could see over the fence. I had walked the perimeter of the track earlier in the week before it was completed as it is a public park and scouted out other possibilities but AVESCO have it well covered. Nothing for free. Sorry off topic there.

[Murray Maunder]

I'm with you on that Shano although I'd have to say the excitement of Pukekohe's turn 1 whether it's superbikes or V8s, F5000s is spine tingling. Toilets being the worst part I'd still prefer Puke to Manfeild which simply lacks character unless you can get into prohibited areas.

The F5000s at Hampton are amazing - the long straights before and after the last horseshoe bend provide the chance for them to stretch their legs and when they come over the hump the reverberation off the apartments is music. From a TV point of view HD is problematic. Long lenses and plenty of cameras are necessary. Long lenses tend to foreshorten and hence slow down the action though the obliqueness of a big lens on one of the balconies puts the straight line speed into perspective, I would guess the quick guys like Kenny would be reaching over 160mph.

Lets hope the Aussies support this summer's series, they are good at collecting and not so good at bringing them out, especially to "the shaky isles". I'm sure Tony and Chris at HD will put a great show together and if you haven't been to this place you've got to put it into your diary.

[timbo61]

I'm with Shano as well.
I think the final straw for Pukekohe was the rain storm on the Saturday afternoon of the Bruce Mclaren festival in 2010, when the pits flooded and despite the steel platform over the pits, every car under the platform got soaked.
Its hard to attract international competitors with facilities (or lack of) like that.
As far as photo opportunities as Pukekohe go, the big fat telegraph poles holding up the catch fencing always got in the way of a decent photo. The best photo's to be had were at the hairpin at the end of the back straight where you could lean over the armco fence to take the photo. This was on the Friday of the Bruce Mclaren Festival. Technically you were not allowed to be there, and by the Saturday, the whole area was roped off. Pity.

[RogerH]

From a driver's perspective (single seater but not F5000), the difference between Puke and HD is both in the state of the track and in the style of the track. Over the years Puke has got more and more bumpy and going into turn one if you get slightly off line the car will become very unsettled. The track surface is also variable with different adhesion levels, especially in the section between the hairpin and the hill. On the other hand HD has a consistent surface and is a more technical track to drive but very safe with run-offs. Puke is not very technical and is predominantly a power circuit but it favours the brave at the hill and turn one. I have been involved in recent years with organising some of the grids at the Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon Festival and also an international series we had here in 2008. Most of the overseas drivers were apprehensive about driving at Puke mostly from a safety perspective and some said they would not race there again. But as you say - Puke has history and after you have gone over the hill and through turn one at 10/10 you get a buzz you can't get at HD.

[Steve Holmes]

Wasn't it Jim Clark who suggested the NZIGP be run in the reverse direction at Puke in the '60s, because even then the international drivers considered it dangerous? Its certainly an old-school track.

[pallmall]

Yes he did, and of course it was tried once. The complete lack of run off at the end of the reversed back straight caught a few out, in fact through the fence into the paddock. Today it would be through the shopping centre. The old loop and the reverse run onto pit straight were pretty good, but again the corner at the top of the hill going into the reversed esses was also a bit short on run off and a bit off camber.
I watched Puke being built and went to every meeting run there from its opening until 1970 when I missed a few when I was oversesas, and then from 1971 to 1980 when I went overseas for 16 years. Looking at photos taken through the mid eighties and early ninties on here, I can't get over how run down the place became. Still a bit rough today, and that bridge has ruined spectating, but I have seen some awesome racing there over the years. Hampton Downs is great, I just hope it improves with age, I am sure it will.