Very sad to lose The Fountain from our ranks. A man of vast knowledge and dignity, who has politely and patiently assisted us underlings with all our incomplete queries from the golden years.
As has been pointed out elsewhere, who are we going to ask now ?
I understand he had an uncompleted book about NZ's motorsport history in the works : let's hope whoever has inherited it can complete the task as a tribute to this vault of knowledge who shared his wisdom with us all.
Thanks, David.
David taken in London a couple of years ago
I knew David was unwell but to read that he had died was a terrible shock.
I had never met David and the only contact I had with him when he was in New Zealand was winning a few of his quizzes and supplying the odd article and photos for his magazine.
When he left New Zealand in 1984 he generously sent me seven Kleensaks full of magazines and other literature that he was not able to take with him. I still have it all.
It wasn’t until I joined The Nostalgia Forum that we again made contact and from then on we were in fairly regular touch. I was able to keep him informed about any new Kiwi motor sport books and he was able to help me with various questions I had about New Zealand motor sport history.
We owe David a huge debt of gratitude for amazing work he did in researching, compiling and storing the history of the sport we love. His encyclopaedic knowledge and his obviously extremely efficient filing system made him the first choice when you needed an answer to a query. And there was no question that if he could provide the answer, he would not hesitate to do so. He was very generous with his time and knowledge.
David’s ultimate purpose in gathering as much information as possible about New Zealand motor sport was to write the definitive history of the sport in this country.
I remember back in 2011 when I told him that a new book titled Racing – A History of Motorsport in New Zealand had appeared in the shops. He replied: ‘That scared me - I thought someone had beaten me to my life’s work.” He had no need to worry on that score.
Unfortunately the dreaded cancer has robbed David of seeing his “life’s work” appear in print. When he realised that the disease would not enable him to make a planned trip back to New Zealand to put the final touches to his manuscript he contacted me in October last year asking for my assistance. He wanted someone to be a collection point for information that he was seeking about minor club hill climbs and sprints. I was happy to do that but so far the response to the notices asking for help has been rather disappointing. From my own records and those of the three or four people who have replied I have sent over six hundred pages of results and reports to David. How many of those he had managed to incorporate into his manuscript I will not know until I receive the updated files.
When David contacted me in October he made mention of the possibility of ‘his health deteriorating over the next couple of years.” Sadly he never got those two years and it has been left to me and others to try and complete his “life’s work”
It is going to be difficult because there will not be a David we can call on when we need information or clarification about some obscure motor racing event or personality. All we can do is try our best to make the finished product something that David would be proud of.
My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
RIP David
The book is in good hands - there is not another person I know better than Milan to complete David's work.
Rip Dave .What A shock .Jamie A
I was saddened to learn of David's death. Although I knew he had health problems, and emails from him a month or two ago suggested he felt time was running out, it was still a shock to hear that he had died, and I offer my sympathy and condolences to his family and friends.
When I first joined the (English) Autosport Nostalgia forum a few years ago, David kindly offered to post photos on it for me as I couldn't then figure their system out. The exchange of emails revealed that both of us had become interested in motor racing from around the same time (late 1950's) and had collected news clippings, programmes, lap charts, photos etc from events at opposite ends of the North Island. So a great number of scans of these were emailed to and fro and surplus programmes and back issues of magazines were sent. Questions were asked, research done or attempted, and my knowledge, and hopefully David's too, was increased a lot.
I never met David, but I did get a surprise phone call from him one morning, and many, many emails were sent or received.
As others have said, we will miss him, his clear and concise answers. Our world, and this forum, will never be quite the same again.
Stu Buchanan
You have all said it much better than I could. We all miss David's answers to a variety of questions. I am delighted that his book is in good hands, and look forward to its completion. I knew David in the "good old days' when he was with Wellington Car Club and part of a group that were into rallying. Some of them even became responsible citizens. I met David briefly at a McLaren dinner during the McLaren Trust trip to England a couple of years ago, still the same sharp mind that I remembered. I hope that all his information has been saved and is in good hands. One of the great things that the Roaring Season has done is made a lot of that information available to us enthusiasts and pendants.
Richard Wright
You have all said it much better than I could. We all miss David's answers to a variety of questions. I am delighted that his book is in good hands, and look forward to its completion. I knew David in the "good old days' when he was with Wellington Car Club and part of a group that were into rallying. Some of them even became responsible citizens. I met David briefly at a McLaren dinner during the McLaren Trust trip to England a couple of years ago, still the same sharp mind that I remembered. I hope that all his information has been saved and is in good hands. One of the great things that the Roaring Season has done is made a lot of that information available to us enthusiasts and pendants.
Richard Wright
I am stunned - such a knowledgeable person on NZ motorsport. This is a great blow considering the book David was going to put together on the history of NZ motorsport.
RIP David
I am stunned - such a knowledgeable person on NZ motorsport. This is a great blow considering the book David was going to put together on the history of NZ motorsport.
RIP David
Steve - is the updated software reposting each time it is edited?
I noticed it when I corrected a typo, so had to manually delete the extra post.
Good post Richard, but as a pedant, I'd query your typing!
I never meet the man , but after reading here from you guys I wished I had ..... RIP David
Neat guy...neat memories...honour to know. Peter Bennett
Unfortunately Russ Cunningham is unable to make a posting in the memory of his great buddy David McKinney, as he has a lifetime ban from this site.Originally Posted by Grant Ellwood
Russ has been in contact with both Davids daughter Jo, also Davids sister, both of which he has also known for a long time.
David and Russ had made trips to race meetings in Europe together, they shared an intense interest in Historic Motorsport and as Grant has said, both have extensive collections of print material on this subject, much of it regarding NZ history.
On behave of Russ I would like to pass on his gratitude for all the expressions of sympathy and sorrow at the sudden passing of his great friend David.
The Encyclopedia has closed.
Mark Coulthard.
You can read a eulogy from Russ on the Autosport Nostalgia Forum at http:/forums.autosport.com/topic/192052-david-mckinney/page-2
Also photos and many other eulogies.
Stu Buchanan
Mark and Stu, thank you for the info and comments. I did visit the Autosport forum and read the both sensitive and amusing eulogy that Russ contributed. He is certainly a very capable writer and it would have been interesting to have seen a publication co-authored by both of those gentlemen -concise, but a take no prisoners style, that's for sure.
Very sad to hear this. Never met Dave nor corresponded with him, but as a former UK-based motorsports journo and someone with a great interest in and modest knowledge of motorsports history, I was in awe of Dave's breadth and depth of knowledge. HUGE respect, and sincere condolences to all who knew him.
Art Markus
The loss of David cuts deep.
It was so much more of a shock to me - as I had emailed David only 18 days ago ...and had a cheery reply from him.
I had the 250F Maserati book written by David and I finally met him about 7- 8 years ago and reading his works had already given me an insight into his amazing mind.
I visited him when he was living in Vartry Rd in Tottenham and we also had many lunches during my UK visits.
Both of us being born in NZ meant a lot of ground was covered during our annual lunches in London - when I went over for the Goodwood Revival. A a lot of time was spent rehashing our parallel childhood days in Auckland.... as well as “car stuff”.
An astounding fact emerged during one of these lunch chats: David used to stay with his grandfather on some weekends in Parnell, a near-city suburb in Auckland.I actually lived 200 yards from that very house.... however we had never met.
I went to Auckland a couple of years ago and took photos of the actual street and his late g/father’s house and sent them on to David. He was like a kid when he saw them, telling me later he had also sent them on to his sister, who I think is still in NZ??? I knew little about his family.
Amongst the many roles in his life, David worked for some time as a Parliamentary reporter in Wellington, NZ -and when I said that when my wife and I were in Wellington, we had dinner at a hotel right across the road from the Parliament buildings. David said ”Oh boy, we “lived there” after work, having a beer or 3!
One of nature’s characters and sadly missed by all who had known him ..and had benefitted from his “human hard drive” memory abilities.
RIP David
Chaps, David's service will be held at 11am Friday, which is midnight Friday in NZ time. So, we can't be there, but let's raise a glass to David on Friday wherever we are, for his amazing understanding, sympathy for and knowledge of NZ's racing history, and for sharing it with us all.
Cheers, David.
Regards Glenn Ducey.
I certainly will be Glenn. This is certainly a sad loss. Not just the loss of knowledge but the touch of humour behind them. I am one of the many on here who never met David, a great disappointment to me now, it just reminds me how much knowledge needs to be shared and gifted to others, a gift David was always willing to give.
RIP David.
Sean McBride
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