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Dunedin 1984 ; Other Events Lost tracks and Specials - a mix of stories
" Dunedin 1984 ; Other Events, Lost tracks and Specials, and random pictures - a mix of stories and Pictures "
The Thread Started as the Dunedin Street Races 1984 - with my own and Otago Daily Times photos plus extracts from the " Racing Round the House " Book by Scott Thomson for the Otago Vintage Car Club, and included the Otago Sports Car Street Sprints on Fryatt Street.
Expansion of the topics of this thread ; Dunedin, Ardmore, Ohakea, Napier and now onto other events more recent, Chelsea Hill Climb, Caffeine and Classics, and recently Greerton Vintage Fayre and Car Show , plus other articles on Lost Tracks and NZ Specials;
*** October 2019 - a lot of stuff of South Island origin added,
Nelson Tahunanui Beach Races,
Peter Leversedge Car #77,
The Jim Bennett - Furi story - a continuing saga
North Island events like Ohakea Napier and others belong in the Lost Tracks part of the thread as does Chelsea Walsh - No event in 2018, the VCC Boys did get to run at the MG Car Clubs
[ ex Austin Healey Club NZ ] Hill Climb at Otaua in March of this year - let us hope that continues - was very successful from what I have heard and read.
Ardmore - is the link to Pukekohe, will continue to put Ardmore events the Grand Prix the Ardmore 50 [ a one off event ] And the " Little Ardmore " events by Auckland Car Club and Northern Sports Car Club on the " Pukekohe " thread
I have been fortunate to collect [ been given and purchased ] various programmes and books on NZ Motor Sport from the 1950's on.
Have recently - July 2022 - seen a lot of photos from Ohakea in the 1950's /60's and also Levin ..Not South Island Events but will go on here, don't want another thread.
Old photos unless from Pukekohe or about Northern Sports Car Club will be here.
Much of the information has been acquired and credit given to where it came from ;
Have added some photos from Napier in the early 1960's by Norman Agnew .. maybe the thread need a new name as covers.. " Old Racing Circuits as so far has Dunedin Revival 1984, Ohakea 1982, and some other shots plus now Napier 1960's and have added photos by others and more modern events....
Adding more photos and details, recently Mount Manganui and Matamata in the early 1960's the items are borrowed though, as wasn't there, almost too young and didn't have a drivers licence or car.
Dunedin January 1984 This was a two day event.
Saturday, with straight sprints in the Port Area by the storage warehouses, and the local car clubs, not just the Classic Historics were allowed to run.
Sunday, the Classic Historic races.
There was also a Hill Climb at Bethunes Gully, which I was not aware of at the time, and didn't have a
" Ride " to get there.
My set of photos I will break into, types, NZ Specials and Open Wheelers, Sports Car saloon, and there is even a couple of Motorcycle shots.
Unfortunately have lost or given away the programme, probably the latter, so again any help identifying the cars would be appreciated.
Reshowing the photos from the Otago Daily Times to start with - posted on Yards and Yarns and Minis and Imps threads.
The Allard J2.
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thanks for identifying it as Rob Boult's.
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The Minis and Jaguars, plus something large in the back of the pack..
The Mark Dawber Pontiac Bonneville, Race #77, a 1965 Four Door Sedan with a 6.5 litre V8 - the biggest engine of the Saloons entered.
The ERA, and a single seater..
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The Lycoming Special, built by Ralph Watson - powered by, yes I remembered a Lycoming Engine - turned upside down. Trevor Sheffield's article " Ralph Watson - Special Engineer " can tell you much more.
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And the book that was on sale at the time about the original races; Racing Around the Houses, by Scott Thomson, 1983.
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Have photos from other Reunion / Revival meetings and Wings and Wheels meetings, only a few photos so will post as a continuation of this thread, First Ohakea 1982
Have been given some old Programmes by Bruce Dyer " Spgeti " which will post here progressively from Dunedin,Wigram,Ohakea and others ..
Bruce Dyer has now [ January 2017 ] sent me photos from around Manfield of various sports cars, Bucklers, Fiat Targa, Mallock U2, and others Ralph Watson BSA Special and a Kieft single seater, have posted the Bucklers on the Oldfart Buckler thread.. will post a lot of the others here :
[B][I]Have added some photos from Napier in the early 1960's by Norman Agnew .. maybe the thread need a new name .. " Old Racing Circuits as so far has Dunedin Revival 1984, Ohakea 1982, and some other shots plus now Napier 1960's .. Have tried to rename it [ first entry re-titled ] so it will be more like ;
" Images from my Past " - by Nigel Watts,
or
" Just a mix of Pics " -by ' ERC ' Ray Green - will include photos from others !!
Cheers
Roger
edited 25 September 2018
- further edits in July 2022 and
5th May 2024.
The thread really is :
" Dunedin 1984 ; Other Events Lost tracks and Specials - a mix of stories "
As far as lost Tracks and Other Events - Other Circuits .
Looking for notes posts on other circuits;
Other Circuits - A bit of an Index;
North Island
Levin - Circuit opened in 1958 ....... Post #278
Matamata - Events held Annually in 1964 and 1965 ..............#220 #225 to #231 and #235 to 237.
Most images are also on the Matamata Thread - started by " Oldfart ".
Mount Maunganui - Events held December 1962 and December 1963 ...........#296 #297 #298
Ohakea - The home of the " Original New Zealand Grand Prix in 1949 .........Page 14 - #278 #279 #280
Paritutu - events were held from October 1965 on Labour weekend until 1967 see posts #328 #394
South Island
Renwick - events in the early 1960's - 1960 to 1963 ..................................#359 #361 #362 #388
Ryal Bush - events in 1956 and 1957 - before SSCC opened Teretonga circuit #323 #326 #370 #372 -3.
Timaru - one event in 1967 .............................................................................. #337 #342 #345
Waimate - events from 1959 to 1966, .........................................................#338 #341 #344 #385
Wigram - events from 1949 .........................................................................................#374 #389
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Motorcycles and Gavin Bain's 1953 Ferrari - with a big history
The Motorcycles - at the Sprints by the Port warehouses;
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The Gavin Bain Ferrari..
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and the plaque on the transmission tunnel with details of the car and it's races .
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It is not easy to read, and I am not good at Photo Editing, so feel free to download and Edit.
Sports Cars to follow ;
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Sports Cars mainly Healeys
Austin Healey - Des Spillane from Timaru not Chris White from Wanganui -
Chris White ; Healeys owned and raced by Chris, there were many. A Sprite, a 100, a 3000 at Hamilton and in 2000'/10's he ran a Jensen Healey - believe he still does.
*** corrections see below
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***
Neil Ferguson Blue Healey, from Waiau ,
I have been in and drove Des's Healey 100, with Des at an AHCCNZ National Rally.
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Neil's car in the pit area
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Des Neil and others around a Morgan and Des Spillane's *** Healey;
The red Morgan was raced by Peter Gendall and was a Ford powered Morgan 4/4 initially with a 1500 cc Ford OHV motor, it later gained a Twincam ford engine - Registration FX6426.
[ added Feb 2023 ]
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[Chris raced a Healey 3000 at the Telecom Motorfest in 1994 - seen on that thread, his first Healey was a Bugeye Sprite in the late 1970's]
The venue, don't you love the safety features Haybales around pole, road cones to show a side street is closed off and how close you could get to the track.
Next up is Saloons Minis Jaguars and A40 and a Pontiac amongst others
*** Correction to my comments above : " Spinaway " contacted to advise I had the names wrong for the Healey's.. The White 100 is not Chris White's but belongs to Des Spillane, who I thought had the Blue one.. The Blue 100 is Neal Ferguson's from Waiau, South Island.. will correct on the Healey Post as well
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Dunedin revival - Saloons
Jaguar and Minis
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Pontiac
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Another Jag and more Minis.
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more to follow;
close up of the Pontiac
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Dunedin revival - more Saloons
Minis Cortina and Jaguar
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More Jaguars
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A40 and Jaguar
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More minis
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Mini from the rear end, The End for the saloons.
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Coming up Gee Cee Ess, the ERA and others.
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Dunedin revival Vintage racers, Riley and ERA
ERA and 260M - as seen in an Otago Daily Times B and W photo
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Riley in action
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Riley in the pits
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ERA in the pits area
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ERA on display at a motorcycle shop - during the weekend.
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More Vintage to follow
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Dunedin Festival Historic Races 1984 Pre-war and Vintage
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Dunedin Road Race " 84 " more Vintage
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any identification of the cars, please add to the thread.
Next the " Gee Cee Ess " , and 50-60's single seaters. and they will be the last.
a great weekend in Dunedin.
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The Gee Cee Ess - George Smith Special Flathead Ford V8.
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According to Graham Vercoe's book " Historic Racing cars of New Zealand " the car ran a variety of V8 engines from Mercury to Ford to a 5400 cc Chrysler, the Ford- Mercury's with various heads - Edelbrock and Ardun [ OHV conversion ]
Look at the field in the final shot the Gee Cee Ess looking very old fashioned against later 1960's machines and others
the final few shots to follow ;
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Dunedin '84 the single seaters my final photos. Capella Ferrari BCM and others
The field
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The Capella
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Capella close up
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The field racing
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Ferrari and Stanton Cropduster
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Ferrari BCM and GCS
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Dunedin - finally - the last photo - full view and a couple of engines.
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and as I like Riley's the Ransley Riley Engine
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and that upside down engine again
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That is it the whole 50 or so photo's
and thanks for the information to identify the cars
Dunedin ; more photos to follow
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GD66
Found another dozen photos including some of the straight sprints and a few of the cars in the pit area
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Dunedin In the Pit area - some unusual cars and engines.
Cooper Vincent
the car known as "Jilly " and raced at one time by Dave "Jaguar " Silcock
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the Vincent engine end.
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A Sports Special ** which we now know is Furi 2, built by Jim Bennett with help from his brother Cliff [ bodywork ] and Ivan - engineering.
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(Think this is ) the engine from the special - It is using the Roots type twin vane Commer TS3 Truck supercharger.
Supercharged Jaguar
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any comment appreciated, maybe from the programme Steve Nisbet !!
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Dunedin - finally - the last photos - old specials and new car
New-ish
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Oldish the B C M Special
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the engine
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Older - and a Favourite. the Stanton Special
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I think that will be all from the 1984 Dunedin races, unless you guys have some to add.
Please do, and enjoy these.
Great shot of a later Street races, thanks " Rascal "
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rascal
Very good presentation Roger, many thanks.
We competed much later when the races were revived and ran clockwise & used the motorway over to 'THE GLEN" then up to and over Cemetary Hill & back around the "OVAL" Pic attached , maybe someone can do a spread on those later years, that have now also, Sadly gone forever it seems.
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Hope there are more photos out there, feel free to add them here or on a new thread.
Re : " Sadly gone forever it seems " wasn't it at Dunedin that there was a Spectator death ??, and MANZ [as it was then ] didn't support the organising club(s) and only intervened when the Clubs Officials were to be charged with the death
thanks
Roger
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Programme from the 1954 Dunedin Street Races, 30 years earlier - copy Bruce Dyer
Attachment 32099
Can post details from the programme.
Otago Sports Car Club were behind the 1984 event too !!
