Any idea who was driving the #53 Charger? Geoff Sutherland perhaps? Along with this one and the #31 Hammond car, were there other Chargers entered?Quote:
Originally Posted by Milan Fistonic
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Any idea who was driving the #53 Charger? Geoff Sutherland perhaps? Along with this one and the #31 Hammond car, were there other Chargers entered?Quote:
Originally Posted by Milan Fistonic
16bbls I was not there to watch but what I remember was that the Southerland car was red, could have been the weekend it rolled up side down into pit area , my brother raced a charger in the series as well so the number of chargers not sure , some one might have a entry list
Sutherland E49 Charger that rolled and squashed the roof down was silver
Yes Mercury Silver and I understand he still owns the car. The Hemi Orange Hammond car above (ex Coppins) is now painted silver however.Quote:
Originally Posted by John McKechnie
I saw the Sutherlamd Charger land in the pits upside-down, at the time I was on Dennis Marwoods pit crew and he (Dennis) made a stop to change tires (I think). The Charger just missed landing on a woman pushing a pram through the pit area. I was so shocked, standing still and watching the carnage. So, Dennis had a very slow pit stop on my behalf, I was the jack- man.but despite my slow wheel change he still won his class(again, I think). I note Dennis isn't in the program, probably a late entry Milan?Quote:
Originally Posted by John McKechnie
Out of all the Chargers this is the most memorable for me- and that is nothing to do with the flip.
Simply, he was a fellow competitor at the hill climbs.
In all my life i have never heard another engine screaming like that
It amazes me to see the cars racing in NZ throughout this era without the requirement for roll-bars. The Sutherland Charger was certainly squashed.
Thank you for putting up the entry list Milan.
16bbls, it's probably because nobody ever thought of them. The Skoda I had (ex Heatway) club folk laughed at because it had a cage, not required for the rally at all, just that it was factory car and had one.
Better no role cage than illusion of safety given by exhaust or aluminium tubing
That is very true. We pulled an homologation Charger E38 out of a container in 2003 in Toowoomba still fitted with a half roll-cage and racing harness that had been fitted from new. (Car now in NZ awaiting restoration). It looked liked scaffolding tube and was clamped together. The car had been prepared by Jim Bayliss in Newcastle (Jay Bee Clubmans). I have also seen a few of the other privateer cars of that period fitted with this type of half cage.
Worst one I saw was a white Historic MK2 Escort racing at Oran Park , it barrel rolled on the last corner and the passenger roof A pillar ended up being pushed hard down on top of the gearlever.
Rollcage had the distinctive welding that you only see with aluminium, obviously been like that since it was built in 70s.
A Historic XJS owner I spoke to had chosen to the aluminium cage taken out and replace it with a more satisfactory material......wise man
However...not original now,
Some time now since Motorsport made alloy cages non compliant, even though they still appear to be FIA OK!
OOopppps wrong colour , thanks guys for correction.... I remember some one sending me an [auto action I think] while living in London with a big photo of the charger up side down , perhaps it was a Red Charger Gary drove , Don't think it was the Orange one that he raced later on though ........ geeeeee we are getting up to about 40 yrs ago how time has flown lol
Quote:
Originally posted by 16bbls
.....It looked liked scaffolding tube and was clamped together. The car had been prepared by Jim Bayliss in Newcastle (Jay Bee Clubmans). I have also seen a few of the other privateer cars of that period fitted with this type of half cage.
That was totally acceptable then...
A single roll hoop bolted to the floor at around the B-pillar level, then the removable stays which went to the rear parcel shelf. Bond Roll Bars must have made a thousand like that!
Ray- my Team Cambridge Monaro had the same style fitted in Nov 1969.
Also to take roll cage safety to an extreme- look at Lee Holdsworth accident- cage made the car so strong, but the human body isnt.
Thats why crumple zones were made on modern cars.
Yes, exactly and we were of the opinion it had been supplied through Bond.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Bell
I am pretty sure the one in the Skoda must have been boiler tube. (Full cage) I took it out when I tried to sell it as nobody wanted a factory built production one. Yes this car was prepared in Yugoslavia and sent out prepared for the other cars to be copied from. The cage weighed a ton!
This is Sutherlands Charger, yes John, Silver, and yes no roll cage, and yes it used to scream. So did the people in the pits when it came over the sand and wire fence. That is Alan Woolf standing looking at rear of car and he was in pits with his Escort when it landed beside them. Watched it and could not believe no one hurt and also Geoff got out thank god.
If it had a modern seat it would have been different, as the seat folded.
Mind you if it had modern seat it would have had cage.
Castrol GTX Championship Race at Pukekohe November 14 1976.
Elvie Williams
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Norris Miles
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Mark Jennings
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Inky Tulloch
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Hal Colthart
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Doug Allan
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A few more from the GTX race November 14 1976
Trevor McLean
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Kevin McNamara
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George Bunce
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Ray Williams
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Great photos! That's the earliest photo I have seen of the Trevor McLean Charger. I understand it to have arrived in NZ around mid 1973, hence the plates GM1048. Most racing images show the car with IP4188. I would be extremely grateful if you were able to post images of Chargers racing at Pukekohe on 3 February 1980 where I think there were quite a few competing on the day - Trevor McLean in the same Charger, George Bunce in a Mustard E49, Derek MacDonald 340ci Charger, Allan Scott E49 along with a few other Chargers.
I'll see what I can find but in the meantime here's the entry list for the Production Saloon Car Race.
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Nothing from the Feb 3 meeting but I've got some from March 9 1980.
Hal Colthart
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Trevor McLean & Gary Bromley
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Allan Scott
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Great photos thank you for sharing [fantastic]
That is fantastic! Many thanks for those. We are still seeking photographic records of the #90 Charger that was raced by George Bunce in that Feb 1980 Production Car race, so hopefully something will turn up. The ex Trevor McLean Charger is alive and well in the SI, however the ex Allan Scott then Mick Quinn Charger I understand hasn't survived.
What happened to the Charger that Grady Thomson drove-one of Lyl Williamsons ?
It had a cosmetic restoration and then made its way from Auckland under new ownership down south.
Great photos of the Camaros.
The Tulloch car is today owned by Inky.
The McNamara car has been in Aussie for a few years and has been up for sale.
The Bunce car was to my knowledge still in Auckland. Thats the ex Richards Crichton car.
The Allen car is the ex McKee car which was a championship winning car and is stiil in Auckland.
The Allen family own the ex Archibald car which was Doug Allens first Camaro.
Excellent and thank you for posting those BMC. Really grateful to see some photos from the day.
Pukekohe Club Circuit
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Graeme Addis gave me this info on the pic- thanks Graeme for the memories.
"Yours truly here driving John Barham's Monza Blue 350 stock HT...Knocked off
Robbie Francevic in his XAGT at this meeting twice.
I am sure that is Jimmy the Torana just behind"
This has a different number on the side to another HT Monaro Graeme raced which was 6- with Sandbrooke Racing on the side.
More excellent info withe Graeme-"
Yes it is Richards and Addis hard at it ..again!!
The John Barham car is another Monaro….the Sandrook HT was yellow and black Monaro livery, also HT 350 GTS, belonged to Ivan Sandbrook of New Zealand Fibreglass…Colin Sandbrook owned Sandbrook Windscreens and Ivan was his brother.
Those HT 350’s were fg quick and handled so well…the trick was to leave the spring rates standard and resist messing with the ride height…the body roll weight transfer worked perfect. Only let down was the brakes.
You can put the pic up with photo credit Milan Fistonic".
Barry Algie told me the same thing- Dont mess with spring rates and the ride height............
And more-
"The John Barham car number was 109…kept from my A40 Farina / GTX Charger days…
Yours truly here driving John Barham's Monza Blue 350 stock HT...Knocked off
Robbie Francevic in his XAGT at this meeting twice, then stacked the HT into
the trees at the road end!! Phil Joyce fixed it like new.
Rgds, GA.
The Sandbrook Monaro number was 6..which was written as a 9 upside down as a joke from me and the crew to Ivan Sandbrook, the car owner.
We used to tell him he would read it 2 ways as 9… when it slid past the pits on it’s lid…. or if he was arse up in the stands pissed.
GA"
More from Club Circuit
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Absolutely top notch pics Milan, looks like this was one action packed meeting
Club Circuit September 1974
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