1983 AMSCAR GROUP A SPORTS CARS

[bry3500]

Round 3 Amaroo
Featuring Bap Romano's Kaditcha Cosworth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-GCrsA3D9E

[bry3500]

The Rebuilt Kaditcha/Romano Cosworth at Lakeside
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pktf-zbmdls&feature=related

[bry3500]

Andy Roberts' S2 Ford

[bry3500]

Kaditcha
From Wikipedia,
Kaditcha was an automobile manufacturer in Australia. The company, formed by Queensland engineer Barry Lock, made open wheel and sports car racing cars, including cars for Formula 5000 and Australian Formula 2. The peak of Kaditcha's form was in the mid-1980s when Kaditcha sports cars dominated the Australian Sports Car Championship with one-two finishes occurring regularly from 1983.

Kadticha's most famous race car is one that no longer bears its name. The Romano WE84 Cosworth raced by Bap Romano began its racing life as the Kaditcha K583.[2] Romano used the WE84 (re-engineered by former Williams and Williams Formula One mechanic Wayne Eckersley) to easily win the 1984 Australian Sports Car Championship.

Lock was later involved in the Giocattolo project and the Infiniti sports racing cars.

Below
Chris Clearihan, the 1982 and 85 champion, 3rd in 83 and runner up in 84, driving the ex-Peter Hopwood 1983 championship winning Kaditcha Chev (5.0 litre) in his only win for 1984. Following through Gloweave Corner is Jeff Harris in a Kaditcha Mazda 13B.

[bry3500]

Photo description

For those who remember the Amaroo Park layout, he failed to take the left hand turn at the top of the hill from the start/finish line , and bounced across the very rough infield at quite a pace.
From the left turn at Skyline, you drop down into a long right hand turn called Dunlop Sweeper.
Basically, after bouncing through the infield, he launched off an earth ditch on the inside of the sweeper, airborne across the track, and half-volleyed into an earth filled tyre wall on the outside of the sweeper.

It took ambulance people close to an hour to remove him from the car, and apparently Bap was instructing the medics on what bits of the car to cut, so the whole front end didn't collapse in on him. All this with two badly broken legs. It is also rumoured he suffered a heart attack on the way to the hospital, and it was his high level of fitness that helped pull him through.

The sound of a Cosworth V8 echoing through the Amaroo Park valley was fantastic.

[John B]

Gidday bry3500,

Brilliant stuff - fantastic video. Shame racing didn't stay like this - it's far better that the current 'premium' classes of motorsport on each side of the Tasman, ie: Aussie & New Zealand V8s (glorified four-door passenger cars).

Thanks for posting.

[aussiemonza]

Kaditcha
From Wikipedia,
Kaditcha was an automobile manufacturer in Australia. The company, formed by Queensland engineer Barry Lock, made open wheel and sports car racing cars, including cars for Formula 5000 and Australian Formula 2. The peak of Kaditcha's form was in the mid-1980s when Kaditcha sports cars dominated the Australian Sports Car Championship with one-two finishes occurring regularly from 1983.

Kadticha's most famous race car is one that no longer bears its name. The Romano WE84 Cosworth raced by Bap Romano began its racing life as the Kaditcha K583.[2] Romano used the WE84 (re-engineered by former Williams and Williams Formula One mechanic Wayne Eckersley) to easily win the 1984 Australian Sports Car Championship.

Lock was later involved in the Giocattolo project and the Infiniti sports racing cars.

Below
Chris Clearihan, the 1982 and 85 champion, 3rd in 83 and runner up in 84, driving the ex-Peter Hopwood 1983 championship winning Kaditcha Chev (5.0 litre) in his only win for 1984. Following through Gloweave Corner is Jeff Harris in a Kaditcha Mazda 13B.

I ended up buying the Kaditcha (SR781) off Jeff Harris and ran it in the ASCC in 1986/87. It was the first Kaditcha sports car Barry Lock built for Hindrichs (Qld) and it ran a Cosworth Vega engine. It then went to Bob Fraser then Paul Scott, all in Qld, before Jeff bought it and put the rotary in it. That is how I bought it in 1985. In later lives it was the base for an MR2 Sports Sedan (Hume Bros)
and is now with Terry Simms in Sydney being restored back to original with Cosworth Vega power

[aussiemonza]

Andy Roberts' Rennmax

Andy Roberts built his own cars, I think this one was chassis Roberts SR2

[bry3500]

Peter Hopwood?

[bry3500]

PeterTurnham ( Turnham GM6) leads Andy Roberts (S2) and Terry Gallery
(Manx Mirage SR2)

[bry3500]

Andy Roberts built his own cars, I think this one was chassis Roberts SR2
Yes..it is the S2 Ford , the original photo was captioned wrongly, I will change the photo description - thanks

[Steve Holmes]

This is great Bry! I've always thought that Steve Webb Kaditcha Chev to be a stunning looking car.

Terry Hook raced a Lola T610 during 1984/85, which was a quick car. The 1985 Raceyear annual says this car had Le Mans history prior to going to Aus. When did it race at Le Mans? And where is it now?

[bry3500]

This is great Bry! I've always thought that Steve Webb Kaditcha Chev to be a stunning looking car.

Terry Hook raced a Lola T610 during 1984/85, which was a quick car. The 1985 Raceyear annual says this car had Le Mans history prior to going to Aus. When did it race at Le Mans? And where is it now?
Terry had a big prang at Amaroo park where the tub was damaged, not sure of it's history after that , but it turned up at the Phillip Island Historics driven by Sydneysider Chris Smith ...
It raced at Le Mans in 1982, (Edwards/Keegan). but blew a head gasket and didn't finish.

[bry3500]

Geoff Jacobs
This car has been fully restored by Peter Turnham

[timbo61]

Peter Hopwood?

I don't think it was Peter Hopwood, I was thinking it may have been Steve Webb.

[timbo61]

Peter Turnham's restored TS8 turbo at Eastern Creek Historics, June 2011

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/3512/scn0051.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/440/scn0051.jpg/)

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Terry Hook's Lola T610, with large front wing, and the small front wing currently used.
I think it was Wayne Park driving it at Phillip Island Historics 2011.

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4184/scn0058.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/27/scn0058.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/5435/scn0059.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/35/scn0059.jpg/)

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[timbo61]

Yes..it is the S2 Ford , the original photo was captioned wrongly, I will change the photo description - thanks

Andy Roberts successfully raced the Roberts SR3, I think winning an Australian Sports Car championship with it.
Its seen here in its all white livery, as raced at the time, and then with stripes at the Eastern Creek Historics, Nov.2011.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/2651/scn0052.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/263/scn0052.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3016/scn0053.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/80/scn0053.jpg/)

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[timbo61]

I ended up buying the Kaditcha (SR781) off Jeff Harris and ran it in the ASCC in 1986/87. It was the first Kaditcha sports car Barry Lock built for Hindrichs (Qld) and it ran a Cosworth Vega engine. It then went to Bob Fraser then Paul Scott, all in Qld, before Jeff bought it and put the rotary in it. That is how I bought it in 1985. In later lives it was the base for an MR2 Sports Sedan (Hume Bros)
and is now with Terry Simms in Sydney being restored back to original with Cosworth Vega power

A couple of photo's of the Kaditcha SR781, first with Jeff Harris driving, and the second with Rowan Harman at the wheel.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4418/scn0056.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/84/scn0056.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/4699/scn0057.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/scn0057.jpg/)

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[Steve Holmes]

Awesome pics as always timbo. Re the Hook Lola, was the small front wing ever used back in the day, or only the large one?

[timbo61]

Awesome pics as always timbo. Re the Hook Lola, was the small front wing ever used back in the day, or only the large one?

I can only actually recall the large wing used once, the rest of the time the small wing was used (although I could be wrong).
Both photo's are from back in the day.

[bry3500]

As raced at Le Mans 1982 Guy Edwards /Rupert Keegan...no front wing

[bry3500]

http://www.ardc.com.au/trackside/videos/5

[aussiemonza]

A couple of photo's of the Kaditcha SR781, first with Jeff Harris driving, and the second with Rowan Harman at the wheel.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4418/scn0056.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/84/scn0056.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/4699/scn0057.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/scn0057.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Hi Timbo 61,

Thanks for the image of the Kaditcha at Oran Park. It was at this meeting (Round 1) that we discovered that the (then new and secret) ceramic Apex Seals needed extra spring tension behind them to work. This car was an absolute dream to drive. The quote at the time was that you could read the Age (a broadsheet newspaper) through the sweeper at Winton and still do a 59!

[timbo61]

Awesome pics as always timbo. Re the Hook Lola, was the small front wing ever used back in the day, or only the large one?

After a bit of research, Terry Hook ran the Lola T610 with the big front wing during the 1985 season, but changed to the smaller front wing for the final round of the 1985 Aust. Sports Car Championship at Surfers Paradise.
From then on it only ran with the smaller front wing.

[timbo61]

With regards to the Chris Clearihan blue open cockpit Kaditcha, it was rebodied for 1986 with a closed cockpit.

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/8656/scn0054.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/265/scn0054.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/699/scn0064.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/252/scn0064.jpg/)

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[timbo61]

http://www.ardc.com.au/trackside/videos/5

Nice piece of video. The car spinning and almost getting collected by a following clubman was Ian Ross in a 1977 Osella PA5.

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/2766/scn0063.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/641/scn0063.jpg/)

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[bry3500]

Great pics Timbo..keep em coming!!

[bry3500]

ME5 1969

[bry3500]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpfqk_QAudA

[bry3500]

1974 ELFIN MS7 REPCO 5 litre V8

[bry3500]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot3HGgexUNs

[timbo61]

ME5 1969

The Elfin ME5 in the photo's, taken somewhere in Europe, was driven by Harm Lagaay, a designer at Porsche.
When it was in Australia before its overseas vacation, it never had the rear wing as pictured in the photo's.

Here's a bit of a photo history of the car,

At an early Amaroo Park Historic meeting,
http://img814.imageshack.us/img814/5728/scn0065.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/814/scn0065.jpg/)

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At Oran Park, I think driven by Dr. William Marshall,
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/6696/scn0066.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/scn0066.jpg/)

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Back in Australia, but still sporting the big rear wing, driven by Trevor Lambert at Mallala Historics 2008,
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/6811/scn0067.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/703/scn0067.jpg/)

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At Phillip Island Historics 2011, and converted back to the specs it ran in the day, and sporting the paint job when driven by Johnnie Walker,
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/6695/scn0068.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/23/scn0068.jpg/)

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[bry3500]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NBnrl8DN9M

[bry3500]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZADWRK8kRn8&feature=related

[bry3500]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9sZ61ZGNZ0

[TonyG]

Pity all of Timbo's photos have been removed.

[bry3500]

1984 Australian Sports Car Championship R1 H2
Features Alan Newtons huge shunt in the Elfin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTzXEM7lMp4