SIR DOVE-MYER ROBINSON

[CUSTAXIE50]

Holder of nz sidecar champion-ship for 7 years, world speed record on muriwai beach,world economy record.

[Lee Tracey]

And???

You have more info?
You want more info?


Cheers
Lee

[CUSTAXIE50]

if you have some more INFO lee on this and who he raced with ,put it on the thread.

[bry3500]

I was reading something about Dove-Myer Robinson recently , just done a dig and found the blog-site
http://timespanner.blogspot.com.au/search?q=dove+myer+robinson
here is a snippet from that blog

In 1962, Auckland City Council saw the acres of the Rosebank Domain as “underdeveloped” and surrounded by what was expected to be industrial areas on Rosebank and Te Atatu, and decided that the best use would be as a place for people

“…with noisy hobbies such as go-karts, motorcycles, powered model aeroplanes, cars or scooters. The Auckland Power Sports Association was formed and an area of the domain has been allotted to each club. With the assistance of businesses and voluntary labour, the go-kart club formed a 500-yard tarsealed circuit. Speeds of up to 90 miles an hour will be possible on the 30-foot wide track, which will be opened on May 10.”
NZ Herald, 20 April 1964

Council formally approved the use of the Domain as a power sports area in November 1963, although at a meeting of the Council in March 1962 permission was granted to the Power Sports Association to use the Domain for an annual rental of £1. It probably helped that the Mayor at the time, Dove-Myer Robinson, had been a past member of the Auckland Motor Cycle Club, and a few of the sitting councillors fondly remembered their days motoring around that grass track at the end of Rosebank up to World War II. The go-kart track eventually opened 31 May 1964 – and was opened by the Mayor.

[Rod Grimwood]

If they had listened to him and done what he wanted, they would not have any of the bullshit transport problems they have now. (Auckland) And it is too late to fix it now (Len), as too much has been built and developed in the appropriate places. A very clever and astute man who most laughed at back then. I was doing my apprenticeship (a What) back then and went to a seminar that Dove-Meyer Robinson spoke at, and as a youngster, i actually lisened to him as he was a very interesting and catching person.
Rosebank speedway still runs to this day, Thanks Robbie.

[CUSTAXIE50]

yes a very clever man not like the dick head who is there now.

[Murray Maunder]

Or the DHs that have successfully guided it to it's current shocking state. I remember "Robbie" was regarded as a visionary by many, but as having "quaint" views by many of his political colleagues of the time. As you said Rod, the rapid transport system, though costly would have avoided the future disaster and saved the bottlenecks starting at the Southern Motorway.

Interesting he was a bike racer, wonder if he raced at Waiheke Island?

[David McKinney]

Pretty sure he did (though I have to admit bike racing is not my field of expertise)

[bob homewood]

I spoke this week with a old friend of mind,He tells me he raced there himself at Waiheke in 1948 and 1949,and he went there and watched in 1947 ,which he reckons was one of the first events after the War ,although he is in eighties he is still pretty sharp and still involved in Motor Cycle racing ,I asked him ,he can't remember Sir Dove Meyer racing at any of the Waiheke events,but he can certainly remember him racing on the grass circuits,he thinks he still has the entry lists so he is going to have a look for me

[Rod Grimwood]

Bob, where have you been. Needed your knowledge on a couple of other things (noted the Escort debate and that you have had problems). Know start looking and look for a thread i started on "First Competion Car", this should bring out some beauts.

[David McKinney]

Repeating that bike racing isn't my thing, my recollection is that if DMR raced on the Waiheke Island track it would have been before the War - perhaps even early '30s (the first race there was 1931)

[bob homewood]

A mention tonight on the CUE Television channel Bill Hohepa Talking Motorbikes program about Sir Dove Meyer's side car record,I only caught the tail end of the mention sorry so I can't enlarge on it ,maybe some one else heard it

[stubuchanan]

Holder of nz sidecar champion-ship for 7 years, world speed record on muriwai beach,world economy record.

Were these World records, or more like L&P - "World Famous in Paeroa". While Robbie's efforts were noted in Calum Gilmour's "75 Years on Two Wheels" history of the Auckland Motor-Cycle Club, there is no suggestion that Myer Robinson (as he was known then) set any world records. However he was a pioneer enthusiast and competitor in the 30's in Auckland and played a big role in the Auckland club.

I'm not sure that Robbie did run at Waiheke, he was a motor cycle dealer, but he seems to have been regarded as a "pot-hunter" by some, and chose his competitive outings quite carefully with publicity in mind. Nevertheless, he was certainly a hard worker and never gave up the struggle, as his later mayoral exploits showed.

On the topic of World motor-cycle records, there is an interesting recent book "Flying Kiwis .. A Quest for Speed" by Kerry Swanson and Andrea Spinks (2007) on the 1955 world records set by Bob Burns and Russel Wright for solo and sidecars. Just borrowed it again from my local Library to refresh my aging brain.

Stu

[bob homewood]

From what I caught Stu it sounded like it might have been a record for a production type vehicle early thirties ,if the one on the screen was the one ,it certainly looked like it ,from what I heard Whites in Newmarket were involved with it

[Trevor Sheffield]

I remember Robbie attending when his son Marsden came to my house, as I recall very eary1960's, to purchase a Singer Le Mans I had for sale. He was most unassuming and said that he was keen for his son to have the car because he once owned one and still had affection for it. Much later in 1998, Marsden and I attended a reunion with the car after its restoration by a Wellington owner. Refer book, Ralph Watson Special Engineer.

Marsden has continued an interest in classic and vintage cars and he wound no doubt be able to shed light on his fathers activities. The last time I ran across him, he was driving Morgan.

Cheers, Trevor.

[bob homewood]

Trevor,
You better do a book about yourself ,some dam good memories and experiences you have there along the way

[Trevor Sheffield]

Bob,

Not damn likely, as the result would surely be immature, harassing, threatening and attempting blackmail. But I could quickly bash up a screed on the shortcomings of the illustrious Lotus S4 while LOL.

Cheers, Trevor.

[Kwaussie]

Trevor,

Please keep posting - someone has to record how it was.
I am sorry I could not chime in re the S4 thread and though I was in Christchurch at the time, I with 100% hindsight think that the S4 was the wrong car to build.
Cheers

[Oldfart]

Trevor, PM snet

[Trevor Sheffield]

Trevor,

Please keep posting - someone has to record how it was.
I am sorry I could not chime in re the S4 thread and though I was in Christchurch at the time, I with 100% hindsight think that the S4 was the wrong car to build.
Cheers

It was reported at the time that the S4 was designed when Lotus Seven sales had fallen due to the VW based beach buggy craze. They felt that they had to join the fibreglass band wagon and produce a more generally useful vehicle. Unfortunately the design failed due to shortcomings.

Cheers, Trevor.