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?Originally Posted by Milan Fistonic
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?
Last edited by 16bbls; 06-29-2016 at 05:26 PM.
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.
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?
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,
Last edited by John McKechnie; 06-30-2016 at 11:23 AM.
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
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!
Last edited by Ray Bell; 07-02-2016 at 05:43 AM.
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.
Last edited by John McKechnie; 06-30-2016 at 07:50 PM.
Yes, exactly and we were of the opinion it had been supplied through Bond.
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
Norris Miles
Mark Jennings
Inky Tulloch
Hal Colthart
Doug Allan
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