The 1965 and 1966 Wills 6Hr Race

[GeebeeNZ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQt-tV-cYQo&feature=youtu.be

In 1965 Evelyn Hadfield and Margaret Hough completed the Wills 6hr race in a Fiat 500. Many years later I located it in a carport with a broken windscreen and managed to buy a piece of NZ racing history. It moved on to a car collection at Karaka for many years and when I last heard of it it was in Hamilton. This Youtube clip shows the wide diversity of cars that used to appear in the Pukekohe long distance races.

[GeebeeNZ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0i16XAOZbc&feature=youtu.beI believe this is the 1966 race but it could be the 1967 one. Perhaps Milan or Stu can help. Gerald you will notice a dark coloured MG 1100/1300 in there.

[fullnoise68]

I believe this is the 1966 race but it could be the 1967 one. Perhaps Milan or Stu can help. Gerald you will notice a dark coloured MG 1100/1300 in there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0i16XAOZbc&feature=youtu.be

GeeBee, if you look on the Rod Coppins thread, page 4, there is a photo of Rod and John Ward when they won the 1966 Wills race in a Jag. Bruce302 has one of my Shell Yearbooks from that year so he may be able to help you.

[seaqnmac27]

There seems to be a problem with the links to these videos when I go to access them they say they are private.

[GeebeeNZ]

There seems to be a problem with the links to these videos when I go to access them they say they are private.

Please try again I have changed them.

Graeme

[Milan Fistonic]

I believe this is the 1966 race but it could be the 1967 one. Perhaps Milan or Stu can help. Gerald you will notice a dark coloured MG 1100/1300 in there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0i16XAOZbc&feature=youtu.be

The MG 1100 in the 1966 race was entered by A. R. Johns Ltd and driven by Denis Marwood and Brian Innes.

[seaqnmac27]

Thanks Graeme, what magnificent foootage, absolutely brilliant, loved the shot of the Fiat 500 getting away at the back of the field.

[Bruce302]

Here is a very good shot from the 1965 Wills 6 Hour, as included in the "The Shell Book Of New Zealand Motor Racing 1966"
from Steve Elliott's collection.

http://i47.tinypic.com/nzz9x.jpg

[GeebeeNZ]

Bruce302 thanks for that shot, its a good one. Although the winning Jag would have had a top speed of nearly twice the Fiats the difference in their average speed for the entire race was less than 20mph. It was not the first Fiat 500 to race. It may come as a surprise to many that Roy Harrington drove one in the 1963 race. Richard Sisler drove one in the 1964 race.

[Bruce302]

GeeBee, Glad you like it. It is as good as you can expect from most race coverage. Anything outside the top 5 get virtually no coverage.

According to the write up another Hadfield rolled his Datsun in the same race, a husband I guess.
Bruce.

[Bruce Blacklock]

Don Hadfield was Evelyn Hadfields husband and a well known competitor in many forms of motorsport. He had a roll over during night practice for the 1967 race. The car was a Datsun Bluebird and rolled when the left rear wheel dropped off the edge of the tarmac and dug into the dirt exiting the loop. Nearly all the cars were stopped at the scene as there was debris all over the track. I was asked to continue and let the flag points know there would be a delay. Arriving back at pit lane Bob Newson who owned the car, asked me had I seen Don as he was missing. The strangest thing was almost every pit crew were worried about their car, few had realised that no cars were circulating.

[David McKinney]

That'll be Bob Newson...

[Ost]

Thank you for these short films.

[SPman]

Here's some 8mm movie I took in 1966 of the 6 hr and preceding 1hr race. Quality's not great, as film was starting to get damaged due to heat.
JonL.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWN_2W96ULE

[GeebeeNZ]

Thanks for that SPman. Its great to see it in colour
Graeme

[Steve Holmes]

What an amazing thread, its staggering to see this old footage. Great work guys.

[BMCBOY]

I have these three photos in my collection of the start of the race.
The two colour shots are from Peter Bruin and the B&W photographer is unknown.
I have collected these photos as I have owned the red Healey 3000 for 40 years.
It was owned/driven by Bill Dunster at this meeting.
I believe the race was won by Jim Mullins in a Mini Cooper and was the first outing
for the Fleetwood Mustang hence the problems with reliability.

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[Ost]

GeeBee, if you look on the Rod Coppins thread, page 4, there is a photo of Rod and John Ward when they won the 1966 Wills race in a Jag. Bruce302 has one of my Shell Yearbooks from that year so he may be able to help you.

Does anyone have a photo of that Jag, as well as details of the 2nd and 3rd finishers in the '66 race? I have the details of the '65 race.

[macpac]

Does anyone have a photo of that Jag, as well as details of the 2nd and 3rd finishers in the '66 race? I have the details of the '65 race.

It would be great if you could post what details you have on the 65 race? I am wondering weather my dad Bruce McLean was driving one of the Lotus Cortina's in either of those years.

[Steve Holmes]

I have these three photos in my collection of the start of the race.
The two colour shots are from Peter Bruin and the B&W photographer is unknown.
I have collected these photos as I have owned the red Healey 3000 for 40 years.
It was owned/driven by Bill Dunster at this meeting.
I believe the race was won by Jim Mullins in a Mini Cooper and was the first outing
for the Fleetwood Mustang hence the problems with reliability.

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Wow! These photos are completely stunning, particularly the two colour ones. Thanks for posting these.

[Steve Holmes]

Does anyone have a photo of that Jag, as well as details of the 2nd and 3rd finishers in the '66 race? I have the details of the '65 race.

The only photo I have of it is from the 1966 Shell annual. Will try and scan it. 2nd and 3rd place finishers were both Alfa Romeo's, those of Jensen/Jensen and Emson/Bremner.

[Ost]

Thank you for the info.


It would be great if you could post what details you have on the 65 race? I am wondering weather my dad Bruce McLean was driving one of the Lotus Cortina's in either of those years.

Unfortunately I only have the top three finishers, not the entry list.

[macpac]

Thank you for the info.



Unfortunately I only have the top three finishers, not the entry list.

No worries Ost thanks anyway.

[Milan Fistonic]

It would be great if you could post what details you have on the 65 race? I am wondering weather my dad Bruce McLean was driving one of the Lotus Cortina's in either of those years.


Your Dad and Barry Phillips drove a Ford Zephyr (No 32) in the 1965 Wills 6-Hour. From what I wrote in my programme it would appear they qualified seventh fastest. I can find only one mention of the car in the Motorman report and that states: Barry Phillips (Zephyr) and Graham Lucas (Peugeot 403) kept up their close dice for lap after lap. The Peugeot finished in eighth place but your Dad's car is not listed in the top 15 so they must have had trouble or retired.

He was not entered in the 3-Hour race that year but in 1966 they entered a Lotus Cortina in the 3-Hour race and were first reserve for the 6-Hour event driving a Papakura Motors entered Fiat 1500. They finished third in the Lotus Cortina behind Fahey and Palmer's Mustang and Innes and Grant's Mini Cooper. That was an impressive result as Phillips had tangled with a Jaguar in the loop on the first lap and dropped to the rear of the field with damage to front and left guard.

Their 6-Hour campaign started badly when the Fiat siezed its engine on the back straight during practice. The Motorman report states 'it required an all-night repair job to make the grid the next day.'

They retired from the race just before 7 p.m., after 4 hours racing.

[Milan Fistonic]

Does anyone have a photo of that Jag, as well as details of the 2nd and 3rd finishers in the '66 race? I have the details of the '65 race.


The 1966 race was won by Ray Archibald and Tony Shelly (Jaguar 3.8) who completed 170 laps. Second was another Jaguar 3.8 driven by Ernie Sprague and David Simpson who did 167 laps. Third went to the Alfa Romeo Guilia TI of Ray Thackwell and Ronnie Moore on 166 laps.

I'll post a photo of the Jag later.

[Milan Fistonic]

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[stubuchanan]

I discovered this when looking for another photo (can't remember what) -

http://s6.postimage.org/b5di2m0a9/BH65_Harrington_Bailey_Fiat_Hawes_Leonard_Alfa.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/dzgng22gd/full/)

Late afternoon 1965 B & H - #22 Hawes/Leonard Alfa passing the #2 Harrington/Bailey Fiat coming out of the hairpin. Looks like both cars are number 22, but speed differential and poor light means slow shutter speed so slower car is blurred. But #2 Fiat was second in class, don't know if Alfa was a finisher.

Stu

[GeebeeNZ]

Milan, Many thanks for your confirmation of the 65 and 66 winners. That would explain why Tony Shelley is shown in his car at the end of the 1966 video clip. The Rod Coppins thread says he won the 66 race which I didnt think was correct but had no way of proving it. Thanks to your Jaguar ad it is clear Rod won the 1965 race not the 1966.
Graeme

[macpac]

Your Dad and Barry Phillips drove a Ford Zephyr (No 32) in the 1965 Wills 6-Hour. From what I wrote in my programme it would appear they qualified seventh fastest. I can find only one mention of the car in the Motorman report and that states: Barry Phillips (Zephyr) and Graham Lucas (Peugeot 403) kept up their close dice for lap after lap. The Peugeot finished in eighth place but your Dad's car is not listed in the top 15 so they must have had trouble or retired.

He was not entered in the 3-Hour race that year but in 1966 they entered a Lotus Cortina in the 3-Hour race and were first reserve for the 6-Hour event driving a Papakura Motors entered Fiat 1500. They finished third in the Lotus Cortina behind Fahey and Palmer's Mustang and Innes and Grant's Mini Cooper. That was an impressive result as Phillips had tangled with a Jaguar in the loop on the first lap and dropped to the rear of the field with damage to front and left guard.

Their 6-Hour campaign started badly when the Fiat siezed its engine on the back straight during practice. The Motorman report states 'it required an all-night repair job to make the grid the next day.'

They retired from the race just before 7 p.m., after 4 hours racing.

Thanks so much for the run down Milan. Appreciate your time and knowledge of the 2 events. It's great to know, as I was a little to young to remember (1965 I would have only been 6years old).

[Ost]

The 1966 race was won by Ray Archibald and Tony Shelly (Jaguar 3.8) who completed 170 laps. Second was another Jaguar 3.8 driven by Ernie Sprague and David Simpson who did 167 laps. Third went to the Alfa Romeo Guilia TI of Ray Thackwell and Ronnie Moore on 166 laps.

I'll post a photo of the Jag later.

Thank you Milan, this clears up the confusion I had around the '65 and '66 races.

[Steve Holmes]

I discovered this when looking for another photo (can't remember what) -

http://s6.postimage.org/b5di2m0a9/BH65_Harrington_Bailey_Fiat_Hawes_Leonard_Alfa.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/dzgng22gd/full/)

Late afternoon 1965 B & H - #22 Hawes/Leonard Alfa passing the #2 Harrington/Bailey Fiat coming out of the hairpin. Looks like both cars are number 22, but speed differential and poor light means slow shutter speed so slower car is blurred. But #2 Fiat was second in class, don't know if Alfa was a finisher.

Stu

Beaut photo Stu!

[stubuchanan]

Beaut photo Stu!

It may be my brother's, not mine. Maybe too much zoom for my equipment of the time. But possession is 9 points of the law!
I may have been using a Bell & Howell 8mm movie camera that year, to no great effect unfortunately.

Stu

[GeebeeNZ]

At last I found the programme to match the 1965 Video on this thread

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[GeebeeNZ]

This is the listing for the 1965 three hour race

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[GeebeeNZ]

And the 1963 1964 Winners

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