Racing Motorcycles - To - Racing Cars

I was thinking about a 'Thread' that was dedicated to 'Speedway 'Solo' bike racing, My all time 'Hero' being New Zealand's adopted son,Three times World Champion,Twice runner-up,....Mr Roonie Moore...then I got to thinking about a Chapter in the 'Roonie Moore Book' (recomended Read!!,and Roonie signed my copy!!) that related the tale of he and Barry Briggs (Twice. World 'Solo' Bike Champion ) buying a 'single seater' each and doing a couple of F1 Grand Prix's before shipping the cars back to New Zealand,for what we affectionately called..the 'Tasman Series'.....so, got thinking of a number of 'Riders' that went on to suceesful career's on 4wheels...the 'Crossby...the Wayne Gardner....and ofcourse, 'SIR' John Surtess ( well he may not be,but dam well should be..anybody got Elizabeth's number ??)........................regards thunder427/MJ:D

Maurie Quincey who ran a very competative Elfin 600......
Gregg Hansford who won Bathurst with Larry Perkins, only to lose his life in a 2ltr Touring Car Race at Phillip Island....

It was Ray Thackwell who bought the other F2 (not F1) Cooper with Ronnie Moore; Thackwell brought his back to NZ, Moore didn't. Barry Briggs did race on four wheels, but only in a DKW saloon. Other NZ sold riders to switch to four wheels were Merv Neil, Dick Campbell, Geoff Mardon and Bruce Abernethy, and from two-wheeled road-racing Syd Jensen and Forrest Cardon come to mind (and there are doubtless others I've forgotten)

Brian Scobie.

Mike " The Bike" Hailwood

....Our Barry Sheen raced in the English Touring Car series in a Toyota Supra .....I think thats right,but!!!!!........regards thunder427/MJ

Damon Hill started out on motorbikes

Geoff Duke, John Arthur Brabham, Bill Ivy, Ago, Paul Radisich, Bernie Gillon, Neil Crompton... depends on what you consider successful...some were way more successful than others.

Seen here at the Classic Motorcycle Festival at Pukekohe a few years ago

Attachment 1636

Nice pic of a wonderful man of our time.

Tazio Nuvolari
Bernd Rosemeyer
Didn't Aaron Slight have a crack at racing some 4 wheel Hondas after he finished with the 2 wheel variety?
Stephan Peterhansel (Paris Dakar winner on 2 wheels and 4)

Cheers
Lee

Don't forget one of NZ's best curcuit riders Dr Roger Freeth never got to single seaters but would have been quick.

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Originally Posted by David McKinney

It was Ray Thackwell who bought the other F2 (not F1) Cooper with Ronnie Moore; Thackwell brought his back to NZ, Moore didn't. Barry Briggs did race on four wheels, but only in a DKW saloon. Other NZ sold riders to switch to four wheels were Merv Neil, Dick Campbell, Geoff Mardon and Bruce Abernethy, and from two-wheeled road-racing Syd Jensen and Forrest Cardon come to mind (and there are doubtless others I've forgotten)

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Ronnie Moore bought two Kieft single seaters to New Zealand. His father was killed in one at a grass track meeting in Canterbury. Bruce
Abernathy started his single seater racing in the uncrashed one with a Vincent 1000cc motor. I owned that one a long time ago. I got it running with a Triumph motor, but it never went very well. My mechanical expertise was very limited. I sold it to the late Lyn Nielson, as far as I know it is still in the South Island.

One of the two Moore Kiefts was crashed by Ronnie at Wigram in 1952. It was the other that Les raced, and which went to Bruce Abernethy around 1958. Les Moore was killed at the wheel of the RA Vanguard in October 1960

After Lin Neilson's death the complete car and remains of the crashed one were acquired by Chris Read of Dunedin (my bid obviously wasn't high enough!) and AFAIK he still has the 'complete' one, and is in the process of putting the other together with a new frame

And your post confirms you are who I thought you were, beowulf!

Dene Hollier raced bikes for a long while before changing to single-seaters, and how about George Begg? Didn't he compete once or twice in one of his earliest creations.

A couple of sprints in the 650, as I recall. Does that make him a racing-driver?

(And I should have remembered Dene Hollier)

I see nobody has mentioned Paul Fahey.

A Brad Ward photo of Geoff Duke (centre of photo) who drove Geminis for The Chequered Flag Team. Note the green and white Kombi in the background)

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/3316/dia0084.jpg

Back in the 1930's Ron Roycroft started his career on motorbikes. Possibly George Zambucka too, he was Club Captain of the Auckand Motor Cycle Club for several years in the 30's, and George Smith was Club President pre- and post-WW2, although he was racing cars over this period.

Here's the Kombi again.

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3080/dia0086.jpg

... and again

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/4615/dia0064.jpg

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Originally Posted by pallmall

I see nobody has mentioned Paul Fahey.

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Luckily, you have. You didn't mention George Begg, though...

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Originally Posted by GD66

Luckily, you have. You didn't mention George Begg, though...

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Mentioned in post 15.

Richard Scott after retiring from 500GP for Roberts Team Yamaha came home and was pretty quick in tarmac rallies, hillclimbs and Targa NZ, if a little prone to casting it down banks!

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Originally Posted by Rod Grimwood

Don't forget one of NZ's best curcuit riders Dr Roger Freeth never got to single seaters but would have been quick.

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Rodger Freeth drove a single seater all right - set a NZ land speed record in an Indycar on a road in the Hauraki Plains. My memory is poor, I think he set the record but I know the second run was difficult due to the bumpy road.

If we're talking riders who made the switch anywhere, not just NZ - Wayne Gardner was 500GP champ and went to V8 Supercars with his own team.

Then there is Greg Brinck - motocross, touring cars, now racing powerboats.

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Originally Posted by Shano

Rodger Freeth drove a single seater all right - set a NZ land speed record in an Indycar on a road in the Hauraki Plains. My memory is poor, I think he set the record but I know the second run was difficult due to the bumpy road.

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That's right - Canal Road, incredibly narrow and bumpy for the purpose, not sure whether it was the West or East one, they run parallel each side of the, errrr, canal! I drove both roads a few years later in a Legacy GT and the thought of Rog's head bobbing around in the cockpit at 180+mph made me think of him and Neil Allport in the BDA Escort in the Rally of NZ 1984.

Mike Pero of course was a New Zealand bike champ on Yamaha TZs during the 70s later to punt Commodores in the NZ V8s.

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Originally Posted by stubuchanan

Back in the 1930's Ron Roycroft started his career on motorbikes. Possibly George Zambucka too, he was Club Captain of the Auckand Motor Cycle Club for several years in the 30's, and George Smith was Club President pre- and post-WW2, although he was racing cars over this period.

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Ron Roycroft, Fred Zambucka and George Smith all started on two wheels, as did A J Roycroft and Les McLaren. Smith and Roycroft Sr were, I believe, at it before 1920

Here is a gentle man I witnessed on a bike a few months back, no doubt he would have had a race at some stage in his younger days as he has raced just about everthing with wheels. And still plays with his beautiful little Brabham.

Jim Kennedy and George Dixon come to my mind

Hi Dave, long time no see. Love to meet you again.

We've got a fair bit of catching up to do:)

There's a chance I'll be visiting Godzone next year sometime. Are you still in the Waikato?

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Originally Posted by thunder427

....Our Barry Sheen raced in the English Touring Car series in a Toyota Supra .....I think thats right,but!!!!!........regards thunder427/MJ

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Barry did indeed drive a Supra for a while before progressing (?) on to Truck Racing.
He continued racing trucks when he moved downunder.
In the early days of truck racing, they were basically racing road trucks with a few modifications and a number on the side. Hence the bullbar on the truck.I'm sure Barry would have thought, if you have it, you may as well use it.
http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/2766/scn0063.jpg

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The Brambilla brothers, Ernesto(Tino) and Vittorio, both raced motor bikes in Europe in the '50's and early '60's before going on to single seater cars. Tino had placings in World champ bike races, and then did quite well in Formula 2 in late 1960's although his few F1 efforts were unremarkable. Younger brother Vittorio raced in National Italian bike races before hitting F1 and actually won the Austrian GP in 1975, when the race was shortened due to heavy rain, and he lost it and went off the track while taking the chequered flag and drove the victory lap with the front in tatters. Both brothers were regarded as a bit 'hairy' on the track.

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Originally Posted by David McKinney

We've got a fair bit of catching up to do:)

There's a chance I'll be visiting Godzone next year sometime. Are you still in the Waikato?

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Yup still at the bookshop in Cambridge. Heading to Europe next year in May with the McLaren Trust tour to the Monaco Historics then to England. Staying on for a month or so after that. Looking forward to a good seasons racing before that.