Photos: The Ian Peak Collection - Part 3

[Steve Holmes]

It's been a while since I finished uploading Part 2 of the Ian Peal Collection, so figured it was time I got started on Part 3. This part centres mostly around the 1970 racing season, in New Zealand, and at Teretonga, the worlds most southern race track.

The images Ian captures here are completely fascinating, as much for the background, including the incredible make-shift grandstands built by the local race fans, as for the cars themselves.

Most of the images were taken during the Teretonga round of the 1970 Tasman Series, which was the first for New Zealand under it's newly adopted Formula A/Formula 5000 rules. There are also some fantastic saloon car rcaing photos to accompany the single seaters.

I'll ID the drivers and cars as much as I can, but as always, appreciate and welcome input from those more knowledgeable than myself.

Anyway, here it is folks, enjoy!

[Steve Holmes]

I'll kick things off here with the Lola T142 driven by Welshman, Derrick Williams. Williams qualified about mid-pack, but came through to finish a good 6th place after several of the faster cars had dropped out.

[Steve Holmes]

This is Mike Goth's, much modified Surtees TS5, which qualified on the front row at Teretonga, alongside pole man Graham McRae. Goth eventually finished 3rd, behind McRae and Ron Grable. Note the crew member using the Surtees as a table to organise the roll-up tent front.

[Steve Holmes]

Graham McRae's beautiful black and gold Crown Lynn McLaren M10A, which took pole position and victory at Teretonga.

[John McKechnie]

This is the ultimate F5000, absolutely stunning to look at , and a total rocket ship.

[Steve Holmes]

Ron Grable was a popular figure in the 1970 Tasman Series with his much modified McLaren M10A, and its patriotic stars and stripes colour scheme. The McLaren featured a sharp nose, quite different to standard McLaren fare, and with the radiator moved to the rear. He qualified back in 8th, but worked his way forward to lie 2nd, and hunting McRae, who appeared to have the race in hand. However, the gap reduced to just 5sec, as McRae began to struggle with a sticking throttle, but then Grable also ran into trouble, as a deflating tyre slowed him, but he still finished 2nd.

Note the big Chevy Impala in the background. Did Grable send this across from the US to use while in NZ?

[Steve Holmes]

What a stunner! The beautiful Lola T190 of Swede Ulf Norinder. This was the latest and greatest from Lola, and packed with an Al Bartz built Chevy. I'd read that this car was the T190 prototype, before Norinder took it over. Is this true? Also, where is the car today?

[Steve Holmes]

And here he is, the man himself.

[Steve Holmes]

This is the Eagle of Bill Simpson, of Simpson Performance Products fame. Simpson's company is best known for their racing safety belts, helmets, gloves, etc, but I only recently found out Simpson was also responsible for coming up with the idea of fitting a driver operated parachute to the rear of a drag car.

Simpson was a non-finisher at Teretonga, after having started 10th.

[Murray Maunder]

Beautiful cars, lovely shots from a pivotal year in the Tasman series. Graham McRae was magnificent, aggressive and very hard to beat when the car was reliable. Keep those photos coming Steve.

[Steve Holmes]

Mike Campbell's Forsgrini

[Steve Holmes]

Another shot of the distinctive Grable McLaren. Maybe someone can explain what is happening in this photo? Looks like Grable is climbing either in or out of the car in the infield. He finished the main race, was this during practice?

[Steve Holmes]

The two Begg FM2's of Russell Thomsonand Geoff Mardon.

[GD66]

Pierre Phillips drove #24, Steve.

Russell Thomson drove a Begg 1600.

[Steve Holmes]

Oh yeah, sorry, you're quite right.

[David McKinney]

I'd read that this car was the T190 prototype, before Norinder took it over. Is this true? Also, where is the car today?

No, not the prototype. No.2.
It was written off after Ulf took it back to Europe

[Steve Holmes]

Great! Thanks David. Too bad about its fate, though.

[Steve Holmes]

Now, it was typical that there be a couple of short preliminary races, with the field split into two, prior to the main race. I suspect this image might be from the second preliminary race, as Graham McRae and Mike Goth shared the front row, from Graeme Lawrence and Kevin Bartlett, as can be seen here.

[Steve Holmes]

Meanwhile, this appears to be the rolling warm-up lap for the main race. Its an amazing sight to see this full field of thundering race cars, while just off to the side of the track are all those temporary grandstands, and apparently nothing in between!

[Spgeti]

The grandstands are just amazing....what neat photos