The Rex Findlay Datsun when it was handed to Glen to beat us guys up. Dude in jeans is Glens brother in law Kevin Gerbic. partners in mayhem.
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The Rex Findlay Datsun when it was handed to Glen to beat us guys up. Dude in jeans is Glens brother in law Kevin Gerbic. partners in mayhem.
New colour scheme and ready to go.
Interesting grid line up at club curcuit Puke, used to have good fields then.
2nd photo little blue Anglia 2nd from rear finished behind (a ways back) Jigger in Datsun and other Datsun (yellow) loved that club circuit.
Bay Park, This was one very quick little Datsun
Glen and Kevin at prize giving, Glen did a bit of this over the years.
One for you Auckland boy's, look at this likely bunch, I think this may be one of infamous Royal George social trips. Can not name all but some think I can. From left Pass, Glen Jones, The Reverand, pass, Bob Menzies, Rex Finlay, pass,pass, Brian Rice, pass,pass. Looks dangerous. Bob you may know missing links.
Glens involvement with this name (EIT) will come to light a little later in thread. Glen was very good friends and helped both Bob Menzies the Merc Man and navigator for Graeme Horne with the boat.
Glen and families purchase of this car was to be a huge step up to what Glen had always wanted.
Glen did a trip to the South Island along with Brett Willis and his Commodore and Ralph Mossman and his Viva. Many a story to be told on this trip. Glen was always a very quick driver but this Commodore put up there and in front quite often. This was good racing days with Nth island Sports Sedans and Sth Island OSCA getting together.
And there was Taupo, the original track with it's big tent as the main centre of activities and a more friendly bunch you could not meet. We used to tow our cars down there on Friday afternoon arrive around 8 or 9 and there they were waiting with the Bar B Q and hot food and of course they even had a bar with a chiller (not really needed some times) in the tent. A cold part of the country temperature wise but very warm with hospitality.
On a successful day Ross, (the kind of team manager) had a ritual he used to do and would try and involve who ever was in drinking distance to partake. These were good fun days. As mentioned the tent at Taupo was a great place, and a bit went on there, as was the back of the pits at Bay Park or Pukekohe or were ever. Some how we always seemed to be in the same pit area.
Another day of success and there is that ritual again.
Another great days racing, it was about this time that Glen was becoming more ill but he had a few things to finish yet.
Truck racing was a challenge that Glen took on and this was sponsored by EIT and was bought about with his involvement in Offshore Racing dating back and right up to this time with EIT Mover. Glen was good at truck racing also. A pity was that this did not last very long as Glens hard fought battle with cancer was about to come to an end, Glen made every post a winning post in his life and he rose to the challenge every time.
A small guy with a huge heart and pride in everything he did.
Glens memories live on with all of us who got to know him over the years, and is remembered with a memorial cup, which a young Brett Willis was the first proud reciepient.
The car was sold back to the South Island and these are the last photos the family have of the car. If anyone else has photos of the later years of the car can you please post them on this site or make contact with me, as the family would like to know were it went and what happened to it.
Thats it from me, but please feel free to share any experiences you may have had with Glen Jones and his band of merry men.
PS the car was unfortunately totalled in a big accident at levels.
I've really enjoyed this thread Rod. Great work! The '80s Sports Sedan photos are fantastic. There really were a lot of quality NZ built cars around then. I do have a photo of the Commodore during the 1989/90 season when Grant Taylor owned it. I'll scan and post it. I spoke to Clyde Collins about the car a few years ago and he thought it had been written off when Michael Johnston owned it. Can anyone else confirm or deny this?
Correction: Enlightened by Kevin, Glens brother inlaw tonight. Glen and family bought the car off Steve Vigurs. Grant taylor then had it for a while and then it went to Sth Island apparently and the guy had a big accident. (sounds like Michael) as you mention Steve. Love to see later photos or any others of all the cars and Glen and the team.
Will scan and post that Grant Taylor photo Rod. I also have some images of when Clyde Collins was first rebuilding/completing the car for Avon Hyde to drive. Will scan and post those too.
Posted on behalf of Bob Homewood
Levin March 1963
Thanks David,yes I thought that photo was a real example of Glens push on style back in the Coupe days ,that was the Levin meeting where all the coupe boys went south for the first time for I think it was called "All Comer Saloons ' I think perhaps that was the first time I had heard that term used up North ,I remember it being used at Wigram before that.can you imagine driving all those old cars to Levin and back,no trailers or " A " frames for those boys ,you could have written a whole book just about that trip and its happenings
Didn't the Taihape traffic cop write a reasonably sized book when they came through town?
I think you're right about the 'Allcomer' terminology, Bob
From memory, Wigram was the first organiser to be concerned about saloons getting away from the 'showroom stock' concept - as early as 1962 or 1963, when they wouldn't allow Mini-Coopers in with those nice Jagwahs etc. Instead they were given an 'all comers' race, in which anything with a roof could run. This led to the ridiculous situation of Spencer Martin running the Scuderia Veloce Ferrari 250LM in the 1966 race, and Brent Hawes entering into the spirit of the occasion by fixing a makeshift roof to the Tojeiro-Jaguar!
I think the Levin organisers' approach was similar - pre-war coupés with Corvette engines were hardly what came to mind when one thought of saloons, so they were put in a separate class. And Messrs Riley and Dawson especially showed their machinery to be on a par with the likes of McBeath's Jaguar and Marwood's Humber 80
Hi, yes the commodore was written off when Mike Johnston had a big off tangling with another car coming onto the back straight at Levels. It cartwheeled numerous times with the front in the air against the row of trees that used to line the straight. Mike was ok.
If its possible I would love any old OSCA or Nth Island Sport sedan photos as per above pictures sent to me as I'm compiling a large photo thread to display at our OSCA 40th reunion on nov 5th. Im sure many of these pics will start numerous conversations/stories on the night of the "good old days".
Cheers Evan
evanmunt@hotmail.com
Thanks Evan, yes thats how I remember it too.
Well done Drifty.................you are quite correct about Jigger...he was such a neat guy and a real great competitor to race against. I wrote to him just before I went to the USA and sadly he was to pass away before I was to return a month later. I was so moved when Lenora posted me the copy of his service. I have many cherished memories of Jigger way back in the sixties when I a pimply faced 15 yr old sold him a clutch for his Corvette powered Coupe right up to going head to head with him at Puke....talk about having to wear oil skinned undies!! He was a master of the late brakers in that bloody Datsun! These are brilliant photos ...and I see one of myself standing with my best mate your late brother Mike and your good self drinking out of a boot or similar....as ya did in those days. Well done mate and keep em coming. I will post a few delights along the way. Long Live Jigger. RIP. Sincere best personal wishes to his family. Kindest regards, Tony Rutherford.
Rod, as promised a few weeks back, Grant Taylor in the old Collins/Hyde, Jones Commodore. This was during the 1989/90 season. Sorry for the quality, my scanner seems to be on its way out.
Attachment 2959
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rod Grimwood
Recieved this information last week, Refers to #18 & #19
Grimmie
Just a couple of bits of info to add to thread on Jigger.
Stockcars in approx 1971-----Glen is driving # 66 which
was the Ken Richardson car. The car he is about to attack
is a YOUNG Lindsay Willis in #14.
Glen's superstock, as they were called then, was reputed to
be a sprintcar ex Barry Butterworth with a body attached.
I can remember going past their workshop about 4pm on a
Sat afternoon [remember the days when the industrial areas
buzzed with the sounds of engines and cars doing highly
illegal test runs] Glen and the late ace car painter John Agnew
plus others were bogging the roof of the superstock. It had obviously
been one of those hard days by the hilarity of the bunch --
[The hard part was keeping up with the always available supply
of amber fluid] No shit the bog was well over 1" thick.
Another hard case bit came about at Wigram when Glen was
driving the Commodore--- He was giving it a big wind up after the
corner at the end of the main straight---the engine let go in front
of us all spreading smoking hot metal everywhere, one main cap
with a large piece of the block attached was picked up by Glen
and he wandered off with the thoughts of what are the
chances of welding it back in.
Such were the thoughts of a real racer---never say die!
Rod just a few bits from an older Racer.
Cheers
Well it is amazing how time pass's us all by:
Today is Glen (Jigger) Jones 25th anniversary since he hung his helmet and overalls up and departed for the big race track in the sky.
Glen is still mentioned in conversation we have with different people, and as summed up by one text I received this morning from a close friend "He was a good bästard"
RIP Glen you will never be forgotten by all of us who were so lucky to have shared time with.
Exactly right Rod, to think it was 25 years ago .... Jiggers funeral was testament to how many people he shared his life with by the huge turnout to pay our respects. For me personally, he was real helpful, a genuine guy, and a top bloke. R.I.P Glen.
Gee great post... Yep Glen was a good bugger for sure , I use to stay at same motel think it was around by Sahara motel at Taupo , would meet Glen at the bar after the hot pools, the best though as Rod said was in the big tent ...... was like one big family .... still is in a way but some of us moved on , & doing other things.....Glen was a natural Talent .......no two ways about that ...