The Bruce Wells Collection - Lakeside

[Steve Holmes]

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In amongst Bruce's collection are a small number of photos from two events held at Lakeside, these being the Tasman series in 1963, and the Tourist Trophy in 1965. I'm going to combine both into the one thread, kicking off with the 1963 event. The 1963 photos are in colour, which are really enjoyable to see.

I've done my best to try and correctly name the cars and drivers, but as usual, any help from you guys would be much appreciated, and likewise, any further info you can add is always gratefully received.

So here goes.

[Steve Holmes]

Kicking off with the 1963 Tasman event, we only have six photos, but they're still of great interest. First up are Bib Stillwell and David McKay in their Brabhams, followed by Frank Matich in the pretty little Elfin 1500.

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[Steve Holmes]

Wish there were more from this event, but sadly only six. Here is Graham Hill in the 4wd Ferguson P99. The Peugeot 203 is from one of the supporting races, driven by Martin Faithful.

As for the Tasman race start shot, I don't have any reference material to work from, so feel free to dive in and help here, but I'm going to say thats John Youl in the Cooper Climax leading the field away, chased by the Cooper of Bruce McLaren. Then, of the two Lolas in third and fourth, my guess would be Tony Maggs in the #3 car, and John Surtees in the #4 car. I'm only saying that because I am sure Maggs had a yellow helmet. Can anyone here confirm or deny?

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[Steve Holmes]

Now, moving right along, and we're back at Lakeside for the 1965 TT. The Ken Miles 427 competition Cobra was the star attraction at this event, and a big drawcard, and, naturally, Bruce captured plenty of photos of it.

The first shot shows Ralph Sach in the pretty little Mildren Maserati. Kevin Bartlett also drove this car in 1965. Following are a couple of stunning shots of Ken Miles wringing the neck of the Cobra, while the last shot shows (I think) Bartlett in the Alec Mildren Racing Alfa.

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[Steve Holmes]

Off the line, and Pete Geoghegan (Lotus 23B) and Sach lead away, chased by Miles and Greg Cusacks Lotus 23. Then follows some fantastic portrait shots, with Sach, Cusack, and Miles.

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[AMCO72]

That Ferguson was the most gorgeous car. Absolutely magic in the rain. I know that the all the 4wd stuff sapped a lot of the available power, but what a pity 4wd got outlawed. By the way safety guys, that roll hoop wouldn't have protected much of Grahams head in the event of a R/O.

[Steve Holmes]

OK, a few single seaters, and I think the #76 Brabham might be that of John Harvey? Can anyone confirm? Either way, a very pretty little car, and its shown again in the second photo, chasing Leo Geoghegans Lotus. Any guesses as to the car on left of shot? This post finishes off with another shot of the Mildren Alfa, and the cockpit of the Miles Cobra.

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[Steve Holmes]

OK, kicking off this post with an engine shot of the Miles Cobra. Then we have the start of one of the sports car races, with Geoghegan getting the bums-rush from Miles, while Cusack dives to the inside. Chasing this trio is Bob Jane in his stunning E Type, and Spencer Martin in the Ferrari 250LM. Next shot shows the Martin Ferrari again.

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[Steve Holmes]

OK, I just asked John Harvey and he has confirmed that is indeed him driving the #76 BT14 in post #7, which incidentally, was the first time he'd raced this car. He also confirmed the car on left of shot in the second photo is that of Greg Cusack, who went on to win this race. Amazing memory John, considering this was nearly 50 years ago! Thanks John.

[Steve Holmes]

OK, moving right along, and the Spencer Martin Ferrari appears a few times here, including where its about to be passed (or lapped?) by Geoghegan. The rearward shot of this car I absolutely love!

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[Steve Holmes]

More to follow.....

[Steve Holmes]

Here we have Pete Geoghegan once again, plus a shot of the Ron Thorpe Cobra, which is interesting, because this car doesn't appear in the photos above of the sports car races, which makes me wonder if it had a failure in practice and didn't race. The third photo in this set, shows, I think, Spencer Martin in his Brabham, leading Leo Geoghegan and John Harvey. Last shot is a neat portrait of Spencer Martin, leaning over the Ferrari.

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[pallmall]

Wish there were more from this event, but sadly only six. Here is Graham Hill in the 4wd Ferguson P99. The Peugeot 203 is from one of the supporting races, driven by Martin Faithful.

As for the Tasman race start shot, I don't have any reference material to work from, so feel free to dive in and help here, but I'm going to say thats John Youl in the Cooper Climax leading the field away, chased by the Cooper of Bruce McLaren. Then, of the two Lolas in third and fourth, my guess would be Tony Maggs in the #3 car, and John Surtees in the #4 car. I'm only saying that because I am sure Maggs had a yellow helmet. Can anyone here confirm or deny?





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I reckon you are spot on Steve, also a Brabham in behind I think may be Stillwell, then the other side of the guys in white, Chris Amon in his Cooper, Hill in the Fergy and Matich.
Was this a heat race?

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks for that info Gavin. Awesome!

[Steve Holmes]

Time to add more pics, first up is a shot showing the sports car field leaving the line. Note that neither the Sach Mildren nor the Thorpe Cobra are there. Next shot is another superb capture of the Miles Cobra. This car must have been awe-inspiring with Miles man-handling it around the swoopy Lakeside layout. The third shot shows the Bob Jane E Type. Can anyone shed any light on this car? Is it a lightweight? The rear wheel arch treatment is particularly nicely done, as you'd expect from one of Bobs cars.

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[AMCO72]

Steve,you must be joking.....quote...'I just love the rearward shot of the LM'!!!! People go on about how ugly 'the other GTO'....the Hoare Ferrari special was, but the Spencer Martin car, God, words fail me. It has a bum only a Mother could love!!!! In fact the whole car side-on looks awkward. Ah well, each to his own.

[mid-year]

Yes Steve ,the E-Type is a factory lightweight and from memory Bob even took delivery of it in person at the factory. It usually ran with the hardtop in situ but I guess it was removed to compete as a sports car. was sold at auction in the US I think sometime in the nineties.

[jim short]

Peter Briggs had in his collection 20yrs ago .in Perth saw it demoed at Wanerroo they have race for classic cars at a small town about an hour out of Perth where all sizes mix intogether Bently blower v MG j2 Model T racer XK120{ York I think} {mowing the lawn upset my memorey and spelling} I real fun day large hay bales all around the track

[pallmall]

I reckon you are spot on Steve, also a Brabham in behind I think may be Stillwell, then the other side of the guys in white, Chris Amon in his Cooper, Hill in the Fergy and Matich.
Was this a heat race?

Steve, surprised our member from London hasn't been telling you off, there wasn't a Tasman Series race until 1964, this was just the International series and Lakeside was also an Australian Gold Star race.

Results and grid from 'oldracingcars'
http://www.oldracingcars.com/results/result.php?RaceID=A63B


By the way fantastic photos.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Gavin, yeah I did wonder about that, and did pause for a moment before typing in that this was a Tasman event. Bruce had just labelled the folder "LA 1963 Inter", so I put 2 and 2 together, and got 5, as usual.

[Steve Holmes]

mid-year, Jim, thanks guys for filling in the details about the Jag. How long did Bob own it for?

[Steve Holmes]

Steve,you must be joking.....quote...'I just love the rearward shot of the LM'!!!! People go on about how ugly 'the other GTO'....the Hoare Ferrari special was, but the Spencer Martin car, God, words fail me. It has a bum only a Mother could love!!!! In fact the whole car side-on looks awkward. Ah well, each to his own.

Gerald, sorry, I should say, I like that photo with the Ferrari powering away from camera, not so much the arse-end of the LM. Mind you, I don't hate the rear of it either, I've seen worse.

[Steve Holmes]

OK, this thread is nearing completion, with just two posts remaining. Starting off here is another shot of the beautiful Bob Jane lightweight E Type, and a superb portrait of Ken Miles, all strapped up, ready for blast-off. Then we have a couple more photos of the Spencer Martin Brabham and Leo Geoghegan Lotus.

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[Steve Holmes]

Last post, and first up is Greg Cusack in the pretty little Lotus 23B. Cusack did a little tin-top racing, but was much more successful in sports cars and single seaters. Finally, another shot of the Jane E Type, and finishing off with two more of the amazing Ken Miles 427 Cobra, CSX3002.

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[mid-year]

Steve,that is a superb shot of CSX3002 lifting a wheel around the back section of the circuit,unusual to see a Cobra in this attitude.Also nice shot of the dunnies ( thunderboxs or outhouses ) in the time when QLD was largely non -sewered,must have been a culture shock for Miles after jetting out from L.A. Bob kept the Lightweight E-Type in his personal collection for some time before selling it and also his gorgeous Maserati 300S, probably some time in in the early nineties.

[bry3500]

I reckon you are spot on Steve, also a Brabham in behind I think may be Stillwell, then the other side of the guys in white, Chris Amon in his Cooper, Hill in the Fergy and Matich.
Was this a heat race? Grid for the Main Event is here ...
Bruce McLaren (libre) 2.7-litre Cooper T62 ["CTA/BM/2"] - Climax FPF 4 59.4s
2 John Youl (libre) 2.5-litre Cooper T55 [F1-10-61] - Climax FPF 4 59.6s
3 John Surtees (libre) 2.7-litre Lola Mk4A [BRGP44] - Climax FPF 4 59.6s
4 Tony Maggs (libre) 2.7-litre Lola Mk4 - Climax FPF 4 1m 00.0s
5 Bib Stillwell (libre) 2.7-litre Brabham BT4 [IC-2-62] - Climax FPF 4 1m 00.8s
6 Chris Amon (libre) 2.5-litre Cooper T53 [F2-8-60] - Climax FPF 4 1m 01.1s
7 Tony Shelly (libre) 2.5-litre Lotus 18/21 [P1] - Climax FPF 4 1m 01.6s
8 Frank Matich (FJ 1.5) 1.5-litre Elfin Junior [627] - Ford 1m 01.9s
9 Graham Hill (libre) 2.5-litre Ferguson P99 [01] - Climax FPF 4 1m 02.0s
10 Jim Palmer (libre) 2.5-litre Cooper T53 ['P2'] - Climax FPF 4 1m 02.1s
11 David McKay (libre) 2.7-litre Brabham BT4 [IC-1-62] - Climax FPF 4 1m 02.2s
12 Greg Cusack (FJ) 1.1-litre Elfin Junior [6310] - Ford 1m 03.0s
13 Clive Nolan (FJ) 1.1-litre Lotus 20 [20-J-954] - Ford 1m 03.0s
14 Frank Gardner (FJ) 1.1-litre Brabham BT2 [FJ-8-62] - Ford 1m 03.4s
15 Glyn Scott (FJ) 1.1-litre Lotus 20 [20-J-955]

[Steve Holmes]

Thats great Bry. What were the race results?

[Steve Holmes]

Steve,that is a superb shot of CSX3002 lifting a wheel around the back section of the circuit,unusual to see a Cobra in this attitude.Also nice shot of the dunnies ( thunderboxs or outhouses ) in the time when QLD was largely non -sewered,must have been a culture shock for Miles after jetting out from L.A. Bob kept the Lightweight E-Type in his personal collection for some time before selling it and also his gorgeous Maserati 300S, probably some time in in the early nineties.

Those bogs look worryingly close to the track too! Thanks for the info on the Jane E Type. Where is this car now?

[pallmall]

Thats great Bry. What were the race results?


1

John Surtees

(libre) 2.7-litre Lola Mk4A [BRGP44] - Climax FPF 4
Bowmaker RT

66

1h 19m 26.6s




2

Graham Hill

(libre) 2.5-litre Ferguson P99 [01] - Climax FPF 4
#1 R R C Walker RT

66

1h 19m 57.7s




3

Bib Stillwell

(libre) 2.7-litre Brabham BT4 [IC-2-62] - Climax FPF 4
#6

66

1h 20m 17.6s




4

Chris Amon

(libre) 2.5-litre Cooper T53 [F2-8-60] - Climax FPF 4
Scuderia Veloce

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1h 20m 37.7s




5

David McKay

(libre) 2.7-litre Brabham BT4 [IC-1-62] - Climax FPF 4
Scuderia Veloce

65






6

Jim Palmer

(libre) 2.5-litre Cooper T53 ['P2'] - Climax FPF 4
Bowmaker RT

62






7

Tony Shelly

(libre) 2.5-litre Lotus 18/21 [P1] - Climax FPF 4


60






8

Frank Matich

(FJ 1.5) 1.5-litre Elfin Junior [627] - Ford


56






9

Glyn Scott

(FJ) 1.1-litre Lotus 20 [20-J-955] - Ford


50






R

Frank Gardner

(FJ) 1.1-litre Brabham BT2 [FJ-8-62] - Ford








R

Clive Nolan

(FJ) 1.1-litre Lotus 20 [20-J-954] - Ford








R

Tony Maggs

(libre) 2.7-litre Lola Mk4 - Climax FPF 4
#2 Bowmaker RT

22

accident



R

Bruce McLaren

(libre) 2.7-litre Cooper T62 ["CTA/BM/2"] - Climax FPF 4


13

spin



R

Greg Cusack

(FJ) 1.1-litre Elfin Junior [6310] - Ford


10

handling



R

John Youl

(libre) 2.5-litre Cooper T55 [F1-10-61] - Climax FPF 4
#15

7






DNS

Geoff McClelland

(FJ) 1.1-litre Brabham BT2 [FJ-3-62] - Ford


Did not start



DNS

Lionel Ayers

(FJ) 1.1-litre Lotus 20 [20-J-959] - Ford


Did not start



DNS

Tom Ross

(FJ) Lotus 20 [20-J-961] - Ford


Did not start



DNA

Lex Davison

(libre) 2.5-litre Cooper T53 [F2-17-60?] - Climax FPF 4


Did not arrive

[mid-year]

Steve,unfortunately sold to the US,a pity it would have nice if it stayed in Australia.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks mid-year.

[Steve Holmes]

Gavin, thanks for those race results. Where did you find the results?

[Kevin Bartlett]

[QUOTE=Steve Holmes;12218]Off the line, and Pete Geoghegan (Lotus 23B) and Sach lead away, chased by Miles and Greg Cusacks Lotus 23. Then follows some fantastic portrait shots, with Sach, Cusack, and Miles.

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I'd like to correct the named Mildren Maserati pilot. Not Sach, actually Frank Gardner. The car DNS in main as the Maserati engine expired in a big way in a preliminary event.

[pallmall]

Gavin, thanks for those race results. Where did you find the results?

http://www.oldracingcars.com/results/result.php?RaceID=A63B

A great and often used source.

[Steve Holmes]

[QUOTE=Steve Holmes;12218]Off the line, and Pete Geoghegan (Lotus 23B) and Sach lead away, chased by Miles and Greg Cusacks Lotus 23. Then follows some fantastic portrait shots, with Sach, Cusack, and Miles.

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I'd like to correct the named Mildren Maserati pilot. Not Sach, actually Frank Gardner. The car DNS in main as the Maserati engine expired in a big way in a preliminary event.

Thanks for this Kevin, really good to know.

[mid-year]

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[mid-year]

Hi Guys A nice colour shot of the 250LM at Lakeside.

[mid-year]

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[mid-year]

A nice shot of the Ron Thorpe 289 in modern times

[Steve Holmes]

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Wow this is just beautiful! Is this from the same event as above?

[mid-year]

Hi Steve,yes. But it must be a shot taken mid-week during practice as it does not have the masking tape applied to the front bodywork to protect the paint from stone damage.

Regards Pete.

[Steve Holmes]

Yeah thats a good point Pete, I hadn't noticed that.

[Dale Harvey]

If you look more closely at the photos of the 250LM in the earlier posts (8, 10 & maybe 15) you will notice that the lower rear bodywork is missing. That does nothing for the beauty of the car!
Dale.

[mid-year]

That is quite noticeable after you pointed it out Dale,obviously it may have had a removable lower rear valance .The rear was damaged after an off in practice and I guess it was taken off as repairs were not able to be affected.
Pete.:)

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Dale, yeah its really noticeable in Post 10.

[superroo69]

Wish there were more from this event, but sadly only six. Here is Graham Hill in the 4wd Ferguson P99. The Peugeot 203 is from one of the supporting races, driven by Martin Faithful.

As for the Tasman race start shot, I don't have any reference material to work from, so feel free to dive in and help here, but I'm going to say thats John Youl in the Cooper Climax leading the field away, chased by the Cooper of Bruce McLaren. Then, of the two Lolas in third and fourth, my guess would be Tony Maggs in the #3 car, and John Surtees in the #4 car. I'm only saying that because I am sure Maggs had a yellow helmet. Can anyone here confirm or deny?

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In relation to the Tasman race, you are correct in that #15 is John Youl (Cooper Climax), #10 is Bruce McLaren (Cooper Climax), #3 is Tony Maggs (Lola) and #2 (not #4 - as there was no #4 in the race) is John Surtees (Lola). For your interest, here is the entry list for the race:
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[superroo69]

Now, moving right along, and we're back at Lakeside for the 1965 TT. The Ken Miles 427 competition Cobra was the star attraction at this event, and a big drawcard, and, naturally, Bruce captured plenty of photos of it.

The first shot shows Ralph Sach in the pretty little Mildren Maserati. Kevin Bartlett also drove this car in 1965. Following are a couple of stunning shots of Ken Miles wringing the neck of the Cobra, while the last shot shows (I think) Bartlett in the Alec Mildren Racing Alfa.

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According to the programme, Bartlett was driving the Alfa GTA #1, whilst the Giulia Ti Super #2 (pictured), was to be driven by R. Bussinello. Hope this helps.

[superroo69]

One of the other interesting cars in the background of the Tourist Trophy event, was Wal Donnelly's Turner Ford, now owned by Ian Barbarri.

[Steve Holmes]

Superroo, hey thanks so much for posting this info, its really great to be able to fill in some of the gaps and correctly ID these pics.

[Steve Holmes]

I'm curious to know what that 4wd Ferguson was like off the line. Did it make better getaways than the traditional 2wd cars?

[mid-year]

From memory it teemed down with rain mid-way thru the race and the Ferguson did not to appear to slow much at all compared to the conventional rear drive only cars

[Oldfart]

I'm curious to know what that 4wd Ferguson was like off the line. Did it make better getaways than the traditional 2wd cars?

It was pretty quick off the line here too. From where I stood it seemed to have to do a fair bit of work to miss some of the cars in front which baulked a bit! By the first few 100 yards it had all evened out.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks for the info guys. Aerodynamics were an unknown at the time, especially downforce, which I guess is why the Ferguson was created in the first place, as cars relied heavily on mechanical grip. I wonder why they built it as a front-engined car.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Steve Holmes
OK, a few single seaters, and I think the #76 Brabham might be that of John Harvey? Can anyone confirm? Either way, a very pretty little car, and its shown again in the second photo, chasing Leo Geoghegans Lotus. Any guesses as to the car on left of shot?

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Yes, it's Harvey in his first openwheeler drive...

The car to the left is Cusack in his Brabham.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Steve Holmes
OK, moving right along, and the Spencer Martin Ferrari appears a few times here, including where its about to be passed (or lapped?) by Geoghegan. The rearward shot of this car I absolutely love!

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Being lapped... he finished three laps behind IIRC.

Spencer damaged the rear panel tyre testing, along with other bodywork which was repaired for the meeting. It was late for official practice as a result.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Steve Holmes
Here we have... a shot of the Ron Thorpe Cobra, which is interesting, because this car doesn't appear in the photos above of the sports car races, which makes me wonder if it had a failure in practice and didn't race.....

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Maybe... but I don't recall seeing the car there at all and there's no mention of the car in either race report - RCN or AMS.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by mid-year
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I could spend time on this and probably tell you when it was, but Spencer did race that car there in March and July before the November ATT meeting. Ordinarily I'd say July, because there's no water in the lake, but it's hard to be that sure. It might have been a dry summer.

Anyway, the absolute proof it's not the November ATT meeting is that the stone-guard foam and tape was applied at Lowood in October and didn't come off for the rest of the year.