Photos: The Graeme Bennett Collection - Part 1

[Steve Holmes]

This collection of historic New Zealand motor racing photographs from the 1970s and '80s was sent to me by Vern Muller, and taken by his brother in-law Graeme Bennett. Its quite an extensive collection, I counted approx 400 photos altogether.

Graeme isn't/wasn't a professional photographer, simply a race fan who always had his camera handy to capture snippets of the action. The quality of the images is what you'd expect of a non-professional, with basic photographic equipment, snapping shots from within the grandstand, but regardless, these are fascinating, and include some magic cars, and epic events.

Essentially, Graeme is the guy who got Vern into motor racing, in the late 1970s, and its been costing Vern ever since. Vern took up racing in the early 1980s, firstly in a Falcon GT sedan, then an XA GS hardtop, which he later converted into an XC Cobra replica, and he's been at it ever since.

As Vern said of Graeme's collection when he sent it to me, "there's too many open wheelers for my liking". That's OK Vern, the rest of us will enjoy them! Graeme's collection contains most categories that were racing in New Zealand during the 1970s and early '80s, including Formula 5000, Formula Atlantic, big-bore saloon cars, ShellSport, B&H 500, Castrol GTX, Mini 7, Sports Cars, and various other stuff. The majority is of the first four categories I've listed above.

Anyway, with such a big collection I've had to split this over several chapters, so here is Part 1. Enjoy!

[Steve Holmes]

OK, kicking things off here, and its Bank of New South Wales saloon car action at Pukekohe. Shown here are Jim Richards in the Sidchrome Mustang, Red Dawson in the Camaro, Don Halliday in the quad-cam V6 Capri he and his brother Rob built, and John Riley in the ex-Joe Chamberlain/Dennis Marwood Trans-Am Camaro. This would be from the 1975 season, just before JR took the Mustang to Australia for the first time.

[Steve Holmes]

Here is one of Reg Cooks early Datsuns, at Pukekohe. This would be before the ShellSport series began, so the Datsun would have been a Class car, possibly in 0 - 1,300cc of the BNSW series, or when ShellSport sponsored the NZ Saloon Car Championship?

[Steve Holmes]

Castrol GTX action, and this is the start of one of the Class events. Can anyone name the drivers here? Steve E, is this your dad Ralph on pole?

[Steve Holmes]

Probably the same event, or same race as that shown above with the Cook Datsun. This is the start of what appears a 0 - 1,300cc race, with Cook on pole. Alongside is Bill Leckie. Second row has Jim Stone in his Escort, and, I think, Rex Hart in the Mini. By chance is Rex Hart driving the ex-Cook Mini?

[Steve Holmes]

I should point out the dates of these photos are fairly random. Jumping here to 1979, still at Pukekohe, and this is one of the legendary battles between Leo Leonard in the PDL Mustang II and Jim Richards in the XC Falcon hardtop.

[Steve Holmes]

Here is Don Halliday in the Escort, firing through one of the temporary Pukekohe chicanes.

[seaqnmac27]

Probably the same event, or same race as that shown above with the Cook Datsun. This is the start of what appears a 0 - 1,300cc race, with Cook on pole. Alongside is Bill Leckie. Second row has Jim Stone in his Escort, and, I think, Rex Hart in the Mini. By chance is Rex Hart driving the ex-Cook Mini?

I have 3 pics from this race from my fathers collection always wondered who was who, this site has answered those questions.

[Steve Emson]

"Castrol GTX action, and this is the start of one of the Class events. Can anyone name the drivers here? Steve E, is this your dad Ralph on pole?"

Hi Steve,
Wonderful photos, bringing back lots of memories. Yes! that is Dad on pole in his Fiat 124 sports coupe. He won every race I remember watching, and broke all the lap records from the year before. It was the same car that he used the year before. ( It was actually sold to someone and he bought it back just before the first race of the second season). He did absolutely nothing to it. It was always parked down the side of our house and sometimes I would pinch it and take my girlfriend out in it.
The reason he went so much better the second year, was by his own admission he was more interested in what i was doing in my Datsun 1600 than concentrating properly in the first year. We used to run the 2 classes in the same race with a 10sec start difference. As stated he was watching me racing by looking across the track while he was driving in his race!! The funny thing was I found myself doing exactly the same thing here in Australia many years later. I was racing my XY Falcon GTHO in Historic group NC and my son was racing in our XU1 in the same race. I would look across the track in just the same way Dad must have been doing. I had Brett racing while he was still at school at Lakeside. A bloody good little driver, (not so little he is 6ft 2in) Brett made Dad this fantastic photo board of him racing an XU1, me racing an XU1 (back in the 70's) and himself racing his XU1. A pretty neat gift, and mum and Dad love it.

Great photos of all the cars and I look forward to some more

[Steve Holmes]

Hey Steve, thats such a cool story! I especially love the bit about you taking out your girlfriend in the car! Classic!

[Steve Holmes]

Here you go Steve, your dad appears to be looking straight at the camera!

[Steve Holmes]

Whose was this Fiat? Its taken a hell of a whack. But its kept going. I should probably just get off my arse and look who some of these GTX drivers are, and will do if nobody ID's some of them first.

[Steve Holmes]

Is this the team mate to the above car, or the same car from a different event, with the number changed? Either way, another big hit. Note the BNSW 1 Litre guys in the background awaiting their turn for a bit of chaos.

[kiwi285]

Looks like the start of another fantastic collection of coloured photos from the great period in NZ motorsport. 400 odd should keep us going for a while and bring back all sorts of memories.

[seaqnmac27]

Steve, Mike Draper and Bill Anderson, still looking for the atual race report, but on page 3 of 10 Jan 75 MotorAction is a !/3 page advertisement for Reidrubber.

[seaqnmac27]

And Barry Phillips in the then ex Hart Mini.

[Kiwiboss]

Thats a great picture!! lots of action about to happen, both drivers leaning forward, horsepower about to be unleashed and the PDL in pink just behind ready to pounce!!

Dale M

[Kiwiboss]

"I was here" signed Mr A Fogg, and thats with a big LOL(lots of Laughs)Gerald

Dale M

[Steve Holmes]

Steve, Mike Draper and Bill Anderson, still looking for the atual race report, but on page 3 of 10 Jan 75 MotorAction is a !/3 page advertisement for Reidrubber.

Thanks Sean thats great info.

[Steve Holmes]

Thats a great picture!! lots of action about to happen, both drivers leaning forward, horsepower about to be unleashed and the PDL in pink just behind ready to pounce!!

Dale M

Too bad photos don't come with sound though Dale, you know the air would be filled with noise in this shot. To my mind the Sidchrome Mustang looked best this first year, with the subtle bubble flares and ground scraping stance. But of course its much more famous and best remembered in its later guise with two-tone paint and box flares.