My first race meeting was the 1955 NZIGP where Prince Bira won the race in the Maserati 250F. We used to go up by bus from Hamilton and always viewed for College corner (first corner after the start) It was a great viewing site and we had plenty to see. Unfortunately I never had a camera then so no photos to look back at.
For all info on early motorsport try this website - it is a mine of information that I am always referring to
http://www.sergent.com.au/motor/nzmr.html
Cheers Mike
Well; I am so much younger than you guys, I remember seeing stuff in colour, not Black & White!!
Motorsport in general was Cemetery Circuit Wanganui (without the H back then) about 1970....and cars was Manfield about 1973or 4 and the F5000's of Lawerence and a Tasmanian dude racing side by side lap after lap. Super exciting as they were passing each other as they went into Dunlop
Wow!...sometimes it is just weird how stuff happens. I was down visiting my parents yesterday. They still live in the house I was born in. So I was walking past my old bedroom and somehow noticed a sticker that as a youngster I had applied to the back of my bedroom door so my mum couldn't see it and tell me off! She did a huge spin-out when I attached a few to the wallpaper before this...so I had learnt my lesson. Anyway; the sticker is a rectangle with a black backround and bold yellow lettering with smaller white lettering giving additional info. I remember as a kid thinking that it was a mite boring to look at but now when I read the 4 simple letters and 4 simple numbers, they evoke a passion and excitement that strangely takes me back to my boyhood.....incredible!Originally Posted by crunch
Oh;...the four simple letters and numbers???.....POSB and 5000
As I recall The Mount circuit was two long parallel straights and two short straights which formed the circuit, so four right hand 90 degree turns.
Exactly the same as Michael Clark! Went to the Wills 3 Hour and 6 Hour in 1965. I was 15 years old and travelled from Hastings to Puke in an old Commer "mini van" with about 10 other members of our slot car club. My parents were very dubious about letting a 15 year old go away to Auckland for a weekend with a bunch of speed freaks they did not know. Don't know if they were more scared of me getting "lead astray" by the company or the bright lights of the "Big City"!
First GP was also same as Michael-'67 GP at Puke. Went with my elder brother who lived in Auckland. My most enduring memories?
The hordes of over heated cars littering the Southern Motorway. Car cooling systems were not what they are today and the traffic was bumper-to-bumper most of the way (about 2 and a half hours from the city to Puke). Over heated cars were parked on the edges of the motorway, on the median strips and (occasionally) on the motorway itself.
The potato salad my sister-in-law included with our packed lunch. For a lad from the provinces this stuff was very radical after the usual fare of lettuce and Marmite sandwiches and a taste (excuse the pun) of the gastronomic delights of the great metropolis.
Sneaking into the pits without paying. For my brother (who was employed in the security industry) this involved an hour or more of studying the possibilities and sussing out the 'weak' spots. Once in we were able to rub shoulders with all the famous drivers and get close enough to the cars to touch them. Thought we were in heaven.
F---ing up photos of the Lycoming Special. I was obsessed with that car. Even had Lycoming decals on my school bag. When I saw it in the flesh I was so excited I used up a whole roll of film on it. Decided that was not enough so took another lot. Only trouble was in my excitement I had put the exposed film back in the camera so when they were developed a week later I had 16 pictures of the Lycoming on 8 photos. Think I cried in the chemist shop.
Last edited by rf84; 01-21-2014 at 09:26 PM.
Don't despair! If you still have those photos they would be considered very arty! May well actually look good from a different aspect??
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