Tasman Cup book now available

[Ray Bell]

I trust it's okay to mention this in this blatantly commercial way, though I have no pecuniary interest in the book myself...

Tony Loxley, whose Full Throttle Publishing produced F5000 Thunder has his newest book about to be available for shipping. He has advance copies in hand and he tells me two weeks should see the bulk shipment through Customs etc.

The book is...



This series ranked second only to the World Championship in the FIA's listings in the sixties, it ran from 1964 to 1975 and finally Tony Loxley has managed to complete the work with almost 500 pages, perhaps 1,000 photographs (everybody lost count!), inclusions from all sorts of people:



Including, unfortunately, writings from three people who died before the publication date... Eoin Young, Sir Jack Brabham and...



...while Peter Windsor's Frank Matich chapter was based largely on interviews before Frank's death.

Peter also wrote about the driver he, and many others, loved most:



Among the many who wrote of their own experiences competing in the series was...



...while both sides of the Tasman Sea and both the 2.5-litre and the F5000 eras are fully covered...



Not race by race, but by representing the memories of the highlights and the low moments through the lenses of top photographers and the writings of competitors, photographers, writers and others.

The book doesn't neglect the lesser competitors nor does it forget the achievements of the locals who dared to challenge the International drivers who came here hoping to clean up. Nor even those who were simply racing for their own enjoyment and thus making up the numbers.

My personal contribution is about just one race. But that race was outstandingly the best race I ever saw, it was loaded with speed, slipstreaming battles with passing and repassing, heroic acts, disappointment and, unfortunately, tragedy and death. It was a race that saw the lap record fall time after time, the race record eclipse the previous lap record and through it all the irony of the star of that race having his last openwheeler race of his career.

Advance orders are building with the publishers and also some of the bookshops. At under $A100 a copy, it is tremendous value too. And if you missed out on buying the F5000 Thunder book three years ago there will be a package deal with a discount attached.

New Zealand distribution has been organised, but advance orders direct can be made by contacting Laura - sales@printciplesource.com.au

[Ray Bell]

And another teaser...

[Ray Bell]

A couple more... there's plenty to choose from...





The book has a good balance between photos and stories, some of the stories are (as with F5000 Thunder) quite revealing. There's new stuff in this book, stuff that's coming out finally after up to 50 years.

One story I really liked was about the incident between Jack Brabham and Roly Levis, which cost Brabham the Grand Prix win at Longford, something that really should have come out before.

Also the events preceding and after the Tresise crash, details brought forth from different sources that paint a much more complete picture than what was reported at the time.

[Ray Bell]

The launch tomorrow night, being held in conjunction with the HSRCA Social Night at the Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club in Ryedale Road at West Ryde, is obviously going to attract so many people that the club are making special arrangements to expand the space available.

There will be a talk from Alan Hamilton, whose racing life extends back to the early sixties and includes an enormous range of cars as well as a bit of European racing, while the list of guest drivers includes:

Kevin Bartlett
John Harvey
Warwick Brown
Bruce Allison
Spencer Martin
Niel Allen
John Leffler

Some of the other luminaries coming along are:

Peter Molloy
Will Hagon
Mike Raymond
Pat Burke
Bob Britton

Most of these contributed to the book, which will also be on offer in a package (as well as singly) with the F5000 Thunder book at a bit of a discount.

7:30pm is the scheduled starting time... I hope some of you can come along...



.

[Ray Bell]

Add to the list:

Bob Muir

[Steve Holmes]

Thats really a superb looking book Ray, thanks for posting. I will be adding one of these to my collection.

[Ray Bell]

Did you also get F5000 Thunder, Steve?

[Terry S]

I was just reading a blurb on this book and it made the statement:
"5 drivers died on Tasman Cup weekends"

This set me thinking, and I can name 4 but not the fifth:
Lex Davison
Bryan Faloon
Timmy Mayer
Rocky Tresise

Can someone help please?
I expect it may be someone obvious, and I will kick myself.

[Terry S]

I was just reading a blurb on this book and it made the statement:
"5 drivers died on Tasman Cup weekends"

This set me thinking, and I can name 4 but not the fifth:
Lex Davison
Bryan Faloon
Timmy Mayer
Rocky Tresise

Can someone help please?
I expect it may be someone obvious, and I will kick myself.

[khyndart in CA]

Terry,
Bill Caldwell died during the 1966 Tasman race at Teretonga.





(Ken Hyndman )

[Kwaussie]

[QUOTE=khyndart in CA;52310]Terry,
Bill Caldwell died during the 1966 Tasman race at Teretonga.


Very sad at Teretonga that day.
I was standing beside Brian Tallboys on the media deck and I can remember that he asked me why had the race been curtailed. Not knowing much at the time I said that something very serious must have happened and as it transpired it was a very grave incident.
About a month later I was told that B.Tallboys the deputy PM of the day made a number of calls that helped the SSCC through the inquests that were undertaken.

[briteyes]

I have a copy of this. It is a well produced book and well worthwhile adding it to any book case.

[Ray Bell]

It certainly appeared to be a pretty grim scenario at Teretonga that day...

[Kwaussie]

Everyone was very sad and although I did not want to go to the prize giving that night I did go and the speech of condolence for the young spectators, Bill Caldwell and the club that Jackie Stewart and the follow up by Jim Clark made was so appropriate it did make the next morning a lot easier to manage.