The Steve Twist Collection - Part 4

[Steve Holmes]

3962

Steve Twist thought he'd accounted for all his old racing photos, until he returned home to New Zealand for a fleeting visit earlier this year. There he found a bunch more, luckily for us! There are a lot of photos Steve thought were gone forever, so I'm splitting them over 3-4 different parts. Most of them are black and white, and most are from the 1967/68 season, and 1968/69 season. And there are some real gems in here, so enjoy!

[Steve Holmes]

3967

3966

3965

3964

3963

[Steve Holmes]

3972

3970

3969

3968

3971

[Steve Holmes]

3977

3975

3974

3973

3976

[Steve Holmes]

3982

3980

3979

3978

3981

[Steve Holmes]

3987

3985

3984

3983

3986

[Steve Holmes]

3992

3990

3989

3988

3991

[Steve Holmes]

3997

3995

3994

3993

3996

[Steve Holmes]

4002

4000

3999

3998

4001

[Steve Holmes]

More to follow.....

[kiwi285]

Some really great and evocative photos in there. Hopefully we will get some drivers names for these cars. I recognise Fahey, Coppins and Dawson but not sure about the others.

[Shano]

These are sensational and very early ones at Pukeohoe - note the old grandstands and Spinner Blacks' mighty lose in the Camaro, ending up bogged.

I see the toilet facilities haven't improved at Puke either. (But I know that from being a spectator).

[Rod Grimwood]

Check out those burms on the side of the track, no wonder the pole line was in the middle of track back then, you wouldn't want to touch one. Don't really remember them being like that, but obviously Spinner found out what happens if you touch them. I remember that, came into site sideways and dissapeared still sideways with all sorts of bits following him. The Camaro was road going yellow then. Fairly new.

[Steve Holmes]

Anyone care to name names? Other than the obvious big car drivers, can anyone help with the 1 litre cars? Looks like the Roy Harrington Imp in one shot. Looking at the Pukekohe grid shot taken from the rear (last photo in post #2), would that be Jim Richards on the left side at the back in his Anglia?

[Steve Holmes]

4024

4023

4021

4022

4020

[Steve Holmes]

4031

4029

4028

4027

4030

[Steve Holmes]

4035

4033

4032

4034

[Steve Holmes]

4039

4037

4036

4038

[Steve Holmes]

This is the last of them for this part. More to follow over the coming weeks. Special thanks to Steve Twist for making the effort to share them with all of us.

4043

4041

4040

4042

[Rod Grimwood]

Anyone care to name names? Other than the obvious big car drivers, can anyone help with the 1 litre cars? Looks like the Roy Harrington Imp in one shot. Looking at the Pukekohe grid shot taken from the rear (last photo in post #2), would that be Jim Richards on the left side at the back in his Anglia?

Mr Boyle in Coke mini in #2 series (3rd car in first photo)(2nd in 3rd photo)

[GD66]

#102 looks like Jim Carney in the Escort he passed on to Jim Richards, #96 Rodger Anderson and #103 Graham Watson.
#77 May well be Dave Simpson in his brief foray as the first pedaller of the new twin-cam Escort, but my memory has him as racing #100, so the #77 car might be Jack Nazer. The #81 Imp might be Peter Levett...
Always good to see those old pics of Red in the Mustang, for many he was the first of the folk heroes in the big saloons, an abrasive personality but hard as nails on the track with LOTS of sideways action, all the while powering through massive amounts of chewing gum, a pack at a time...

[Shano]

Here's a few.

Escort No77 is Dave Simpson in the pre-Lexington colours.

Mini 82 is Colin Roberts.

Escort 105 - Don Halliday - my notes are not clear (and enver that reliable, I was about 12).

Mini 103 - Jim or Mary Carney (she may have been Mary McDonald in them days).

[hilstwist]

I would really like to know who is driving the Escort thats in a lot of the shots at Puke hounding Coppins in the Mustang!

[hilstwist]

I allways thought that Dave Simpson dissapeared after racing the Breadvan Anglia.Am I wrong.Is this the same guy? Is that the car that Richards ended up with?

[Rod Grimwood]

Dave Simpson raced one the first Escorts (as stated above by Shano) and Jim had his own Escort (Lemon & Paeroa) before he drove the Carney(Williment) Escort.

[Steve Holmes]

Did Richards ever race the first Carney twin-cam Escort? the white one? Or did he go straight from his own L&P car to the Willment car?

[bob homewood]

Dave Simpson raced one the first Escorts (as stated above by Shano) and Jim had his own Escort (Lemon & Paeroa) before he drove the Carney(Williment) Escort.

I think I have commented on here before ,Dave Simpson ended up with getting the Escort TC that was coming here for John Ward before his untimely passing at Katoomba,the common connection here was Bill Norrish who was involved with both of them,Bill was a Lotus Twin cam engine man in those times

[Rod Grimwood]

Bob, didn't Bill have something to do with beach buggies and Rootes Group speed equipment years ago down near Ponsonby. He helped the Millen boy's out years ago and Rod has got his original old V6 buggie back and hopefully it will be rebuilt. Story for another thread.
PS Steve thank you so much for great photos, they bring back the memories.

[hilstwist]

I am really happy that all these photos that have been hiding away.Some for over 40 years!can be shared. A big thanks to Steve Holmes for putting all this together!My big regret is that I stopped just before Fahey got the Escort and all the other great cars of that time.I really would love to have been able to see pics of the Capris etc at my favourite spot, ie Pit Corner at levin.Lokking back I started taking my girlfriend to Levin and perhaps thought it wouldn't be cool to lug my big camera around.It was the latest Canon SLR at the time and I had both 200 and 400mm lens.

[Rod Grimwood]

Damn girls ah Steve, they have been known to change some habits over the years.

[bob homewood]

[QUOTE=Rod Grimwood;6043]Bob, didn't Bill have something to do with beach buggies and Rootes Group speed equipment years ago down near Ponsonby. He helped the Millen boy's out years ago and Rod has got his original old V6 buggie back and hopefully it will be rebuilt. Story for another thread.

Bill raced a Ford ten in his younger days and was very involved with getting Jack Nazers 1475cc 105E Anglia going ,in my younger days we shared a friendship brought about by our similar interests in the Ford engines and the Lotus Twin cam heads etc
Bill later moved into town and started the Supertune buggie thing off when they were all the rage early seventies ,he also used to build race engines,modify cylinder heads etc,from memory Steve Millen worked there around 1971 ? at that time I nearly went and worked for Bill myself ,but I decided to go back to the South Island and work instead

[bob homewood]

Did Richards ever race the first Carney twin-cam Escort? the white one? Or did he go straight from his own L&P car to the Willment car?

Steve yes he did ,its a coincidence I was given some photos of myself recently I had never seen before by a family who were having a clean out and I will check because I think there is one of Jim in the first Carney Escort amongst them

[GD66]

Did Richards ever race the first Carney twin-cam Escort? the white one? Or did he go straight from his own L&P car to the Willment car?


I agree with Bob, he wasn't in the Carney Escort long before the Willment car turned up : about half a season I reckon. But that's Jim in the L and P Escort #105 in the Levin pics on page 1 : recognise the familiar hunch...

[David McKinney]

From memory JR was given a few laps in the white Carney car in practice at Wigram, and was something like 10sec/lap faster than the owner. Fpr the rest of that season they shared it, then Jim C imported the Willment car for Jim R's use

[bob homewood]

4054

Bay Park October 69 ? if the writing on this photo is correct ? and also ties up with the program I have,Jim also did the Hunters Road Hillclimb in this car around the same time ,no photo but I have the results

[David McKinney]

That ties up with my theory, Bob. The Bay Park meeting would have been at the start of the season after they shared the car, and before the Willment car was landed. IIRC the replacement car didn't race till the Christmas meeting

[Rod Grimwood]

Thanks Bob, yea Supertune i remember now. He supplied a Sandpacer Buggy (orange) for Rod after the first one (yellow) got a bit tweaked at Andersons farm. and I do remember Steve working there for a while. Bill was a nice guy to deal with and very helpful. he helped me with bits and pieces for my Humber 80