Photo Request: Frank Radisich Photos Wanted

[Rod Grimwood]

I was in my Cooper S on the grid behind Neville Crichton in his green HQ Monaro that night.
The usual suspects were there getting in practice the night before a hill climb at Ridge Road.

John, Ran one of those meetings in Angle Box, claim to fame made final with Paul Adams, Alan Woolf, Trev McLean, Bruce Manon and Tony Rutherfod. Actually lead first lap and punctured rear and that was it. (that was long time back)
Sorry bit of thread but spent time with both Bill and Frank way back in Mazda days.

[Milan Fistonic]

From the way the driver is scrunched up against the door pillar, I think this is Frank in the Humber-Jag.

[Oldfart]

Milan, looks like the Kopuku "drags"?

[Steve Holmes]

From the way the driver is scrunched up against the door pillar, I think this is Frank in the Humber-Jag.

Wow I love this photo Milan!

[Chris Radisich]

Yep looks like him from other pics I have seen, and slides we still have from that time.

I must ask him again, but I believe he put the Jag motor in that car because he served his apprenticeship at Northern Automobiles in downtown Auckland and they were Jag dealers.

Great photo, thanks. Looks like it could be at a hillclimb somewhere. Anyone know where it might have been ?

[Chris Radisich]

Chris you mentioned the Western Springs night, they were great fun. funny seeing circuit cars skidding around on oval, and some went alright as well.

Those were some fun nights for sure. Our whole family including Frank, Robyn, Paul, Myself and our sisters Kim and Danielle all raced in some of those nights all together. That was a lot of Mazdas to prepare!

[Chris Radisich]

[QUOTE=PhotoSmith;32478]

.......a deal was finally put together to buy the Mike Rosen RT4 at the end of the International Series.....

From the Pukekohe meeting at the end of march 1982, Pauls first F/pacific race (?) car still in the colours run by Mike Rosen.Attachment 20581

I think that was probably the first race for Paul in the car. It was either there, or if there was a race at Baypark before that it would have been there. I am pretty sure we ran the whole domestic series that year, and if my memory serves me right I think Paul finished up the series runner up to David Oxton.

Later we stripped the paint and repainted it black and white, but I forget if it was during that series or later in the year after it finished. The Check Point sponsorship was from Reidrubber who continued backing Paul after the B&H series in the Toyota Trueno. It wasn't much, but it was a huge help, as was the help from other family and friends to get the car onto the grid.

I'm not sure that we were ever able to put a new set of tires on the car through that domestic series. I think we ran the whole time on Mikes used tires from the International series that we got with the car.

[fullnoise68]

You`re right Oldfart, that`s exactly where that photo was taken....... Kopuku Drags in from Mercer.

[Chris Radisich]

Hey Grant, great to hear from you.

Some friends of our family from the Motorcross days used to own that gas station at the bottom of Queen St, so I may well have been there at some time.

Frank and Ernie seemed to be always doing some sort of deal or other together over the years.

Frank was tireless in his efforts to try to scrape together enough money to get Paul overseas in the early days. The NZ Dollar was at an all time low to the UK pound, so it was a really difficult task. Without the support of the people Frank knew like yourselves, I am sure Paul would never had made it overseas, and the story might have been a lot different.

I am very proud of what our family has achieved, both in racing and outside it. Paul did us all proud by going on and having the racing career he had, and carried a little bit of each of us in the family with him all the way.

I'm not disappointed I didn't get that drive with Dad that time, as it would never have been mine anyway. I am younger than Paul, and he had much more experience and was faster than me at that time anyway, so it would have made no sense. I had fun in the racing that I did do. I enjoyed helping Paul to put together our team for the International series in NZ each year, and then being part of that team.

Great to hear you are buying Aegis Oil. It's the only oil blended in New Zealand these days, and Frank has now stepped aside (although he is still there each day actually blending the oils) and Paul has taken over running the company.

Tony is still based in Auckland. I saw him last time I was in NZ. He's still working as hard as ever doing the things he does.

Chris, I remember that toyota well , was one out of the box , gave Gary & Leo a run for thier money, was a super little car a great choice, I think we meet down at the bottom of Queen Street & along to the right , did you use to pump gas in that servo on the l/h side ??. My father sold Frank a hot mk 2 engine years gone by they wheeled & dealed, Ernie bought the Anglia off Frank that Gary raced , can also remember Frank coming down to Tauranga to help muster funds from us car dealers to support Paul UK motor racing that would have been early 80,s I gues , you will be proud of the history behind yr name , as for you not getting that drive at Bay Park , you were a little like me at the wrong end of the peck order lol. You will be happy to know I buy AEGIS products off your family business, & hey great piks enjoy my freind , Kind Regards Grant ps hows is yr uncle Tony , have bought a few cars off him in the past , sharp as a tack is Tony

[Chris Radisich]

You`re right Oldfart, that`s exactly where that photo was taken....... Kopuku Drags in from Mercer.

Sorry, didn't see that post at first. Great to know where it was.

[Oldfart]

Frank must be very proud of the 3 generation motorsport "dynasty".

[Jizim]

Glad you meantioned the March/Mazda, I was going to enquire into that also. Remember Bill Shiells (who co-drove with Frank in Mazda RX2s) playing with it/tuning at Rotorsport

Correct Rod....The other Team Car was driven by Ron Kendall and Mike Franchi (Rod Millens co driver). This RX2 I took for a strop before the race and did this perfect drift thru two factories down Barrys Point Road.....it had my LSD in this particular car. Regards, Tony Rutherford.

[BMCBOY]

Correct Rod....The other Team Car was driven by Ron Kendall and Mike Franchi (Rod Millens co driver). This RX2 I took for a strop before the race and did this perfect drift thru two factories down Barrys Point Road.....it had my LSD in this particular car. Regards, Tony Rutherford.

[Steve Emson]

That brings back more memories Michael. Yes, before the Mazda the March did have a V8 in it, and it had the original 72 March bodywork which was narrow with small front wings, and was painted metallic blue (might have been metallic green before that), with small radiator pods on each side. I forget if he ever made it into any races with the V8 in it. I rmember it sitting around forever in his racecar workshop at the back of the service station in Henderson for quite a while like that.

He later updated the bodywork to probably 76 or 77 which included the rounded sidepods and rounded nose and painted it all red when he put the Mazda in it.

Interestingly the first ever single seater that my brother Paul drove was the March with the Mazda in it. He sneaked into the seat during a test day at Baypark one day at no more than 12 or 13.

Yes Chris, I remember that. Paul was having a drive of the March, and i was having my first ever drive of a single seater also. I think it was pretty much just us there that day.

[BMCBOY]

I found these photos among Formula Pacific races at Baypark and Pukekohe in 1977