Labour Weekend and Bay Park

[Grant Ellwood]

Wow what wonderful footage, shame it does not have sound. I stand to be corrected but 3 TRS members in the footage? Bob Homewood in the Corolla briefly, Steve Emson in the Datsun and George Sheweiry briefly in his GTHO in the 0-6000 in race 2. Apart from the generally known cars, the red white and blue Escort Lance Newton, the red Mazda RX3 is Ron Kendall and the slowing Capri just after the start of race 1 of the big bangers was Brett Bullivant losing the first of 2 gearboxes.

The Lance Newton Escort - think that car had a turbocharged Holden 6, is it (and Lance) still around?

[John McKechnie]

The yellow HB Viva- is that the one that the Adrian Dobbe still runs now?

[seaqnmac27]

Yes, that is Warwick Gray with the 3.3L Holden engined Viva, the same that is in the Newton Escort.

[Steve Holmes]

Enjoy this short , bad quality silent film of Bay Park - Labour weekend '76

Wow, I am floored! This is amazing Jeff, thanks so much for taking the time to upload it and post it here. It never ceases to amaze me the gems that keep coming out of the woodwork.

[spinner32]

Does anyone know how to contact Adrian Dobbe? My mate and I are soon going to restore the ex Findlay/ Hasard/ Grindley et al RX3 coupe. The RX3 must have been looked after by Warwick Grey (it has his business name on the front guards) and we need a set of RX3 flares. The Viva seems to run such flares, and I was wondering if Adrian had the moulds. Thanks. Pete

[John McKechnie]

Hi Pete- will pm the address

[seaqnmac27]

At 2.39 there is also Warren Steels Datsun engined Imp.

[Steve Emson]

Excellent!
Must be a 0-4200cc race the ETC B110 coupe is in. I am not sure why I would have run it in that race.
Great period film, good times and a fun time of my life. I never minded Baypark as a circuit, however it wasn't my favorite. I don't think it was a drivers track, but more a horsepower one. It was always like a holiday being there however, sand, beaches, surf and more sand everywhere. I wonder how many engine rebuilds were required from poor or inefficient air cleaners, (Or none at all).

What do you think?

[seaqnmac27]

Steve the report gives you 2 3rds in the 0-4200 heats and 2 1st in the 0-1300 class, it also suggests you were experience severe handling issues due to some of the lines and angles you were taking.

[Steve Emson]

Steve the report gives you 2 3rds in the 0-4200 heats and 2 1st in the 0-1300 class, it also suggests you were experience severe handling issues due to some of the lines and angles you were taking.

Severe Handling issues, was just me. We never changed the car once we got it honking, however it would always oversteer if you got on the throttle during cornering. I liked a nervous car. They seem to be quick if you don't mind putting in the wheel work. If you had been sitting next to me in that car you would see that there was a lot going on. We were putting on second hand formula pacific tyres also, which possibly did not help.

[Allan]

Did I see cigarette advertising in that wonderful clip? How can this be? It (the images of cigarette brands) must be removed at once.
I often wonder where sports like motor racing would be now if cigarette advertising was still allowed. I am sure that the "smokefree" thing did not pay out anywhere near what the tobacco companies did. And yet booze can be advertised until you are too drunk to notice.

[Grant Sprague]

I Dont think Bay Park will ever leave our minds til the day we leave lol, even now we [my family] straddle around the back way of bay park to a beautiful beach call Omanu , actually 3 times in the last 5 weeks...... The back straight would be a stones throw away hypothetically,......... Steve E yep the sand was a biggy I was so aware of good air cleaners , some choose not to , could never work that out ??. Also Taupo when running down there I noticed some competitors had no air cleaners . pumice is the death sand down there...often they [we] might go into the sand trap and get a engine full of sand , & manfield a guts full of water , I wud say why not air cleaners after building such a beautiful engine ........Off the track a bit ..

[Jeff]

Found this photo recently - I think it's Bay Park in '76
Who had the AMCO mini 7 ?

[Jeff]

Old startline pic of Bay Park

[GD66]

Good stuff ! Check the CROWD !!

[seaqnmac27]

Found this photo recently - I think it's Bay Park in '76
Who had the AMCO mini 7 ?

Jeff, its probably not THE Amco Mini, rather the Mini 7 series was sponsored by Amco.

Actually having a look at the MotorAction covering Labour Weekend Bay Park 76, I will suggest it may be Cheryl Parnell in one of the Unipart Minis.

[seaqnmac27]

or maybe not

[Les Laidlaw]

At 2.39 there is also Warren Steels Datsun engined Imp.

That was the first race meeting I went to, I remember Warren building the imp, probably what got me interested in motorsport.
Years later I ended up with that imp shell and was in the process of rebuilding it and putting a rotary in the back...... never finished it as I packed up and moved to Oz

[Jeff]

Do you know what happened to the Imp after you moved Les ?
That would be an interesting find

That was the first race meeting I went to, I remember Warren building the imp, probably what got me interested in motorsport.
Years later I ended up with that imp shell and was in the process of rebuilding it and putting a rotary in the back...... never finished it as I packed up and moved to Oz