Austin-Healey’s and the Austin Healey Car Club of NZ and Others

[Roger Dowding]

update May 2016 .
As can be seen this thread has developed into the
" Austin-Healey’s and the Austin Healey Car Club of NZ and Others ", as better represents the content and have many more Healey related photos.
Appreciate the input from others
. Any contributions, copies of brochures, photos of Healey's or Healey related, are most welcome.. thanks for any contributions ..

The Le Mans Relay Races 1982 83 and on :
I am trying to gather information on these events held in February 1982 and 1983 [ I competed in 1983 ], the events were organised by Jaguar Drivers, initially - from what I have learn't and then Porsche Club.

Does anyone have results from particularly the 1982 and 1983 events.

I have approached the Jaguar Drivers Club and they have a VHS tape of the 1983 event, which I am hopefully getting on DVD at some stage, via the JDC. regret to say that did not happen

Any information would be appreciated, Private message me and I will give my E-mail address.




copy of the program attached
Roger

Have edited the Post to now include the Austin Healey Car Club Maioro Road, Otaua, Hillclimbs of the 1982 - 1990 with photos from 1985, 1988 and some other years.
They were held near Waiuku in Franklin County, one of the most supportive Councils for motor racing, with Pukekohe Race Track and numerous Hillclimbs and Rally Stages being run there.



The thread includes other Healey Cars as well Pre Austin Healey - hence the note
- " covers Healeys in general ### 47 "

Please Note ; This thread is not an Official " Austin Healey Car Club of New Zealand " publication - but my own story - however much information does come from AHCCNZ sources - with thanks to Mark Donaldson - founder, First President in 1972 and now the current President. Mark has a huge archive on things Austin Healey and just Healey..

[Ross Hollings]

Sure i did a couple of those,once in a Scimitar and again in my 998 Mini Cooper,seem to remember you had to do a "Dummy" plug change,and wasent an armband involved. Seem to remember the 240Z guys with Japanese headbands "Banzai"or Kamakaze on them.

[Roger Dowding]

Sure i did a couple of those,once in a Scimitar and again in my 998 Mini Cooper,seem to remember you had to do a "Dummy" plug change,and wasent an armband involved. Seem to remember the 240Z guys with Japanese headbands "Banzai"or Kamakaze on them.

Ross, yes dummy plug change, wheel change and top up oil, the Z Guys were entered [ two teams of four ] in 1983, too .. and there was a Team of 4 Scimitars that year

[Roger Dowding]

I wonder if the JDC would mind if you put it on Youtube? I can see Dad's name on the Scimitar team and I'm sure he'd love to watch it for old times' sake.

Paul, Hi,
Waiting to hear about the " Video ", currently in VHS format, I have asked to have it put on DVD, and will then try to post to TRS
as a U-tube item, no idea how long it will be.

One of the photos I have ;



By any chance would your father Keith, have any information on it, an old magazine.. see he was car 211, I was car 73, they put each team at increments of ten, first team had car one, second team car 11 - Eleven, 22 four car teams in all. there are some great names in the entries

[Roger Dowding]

If he does have any pictures it's likely to be just him and a couple of mates leaning on his car. He doesn't really have any pictures of back then. I'll ask though.....

Looked at your posts and just behind the Healeys is a Lotus Seven, - Steel Bros type, the car in yellow.. would have been one of three, later models,
No #185, 1978 Bob Harmon, # 223 1977 Rowan Shatgy, or # 225 1980 Murray Walker, the only other seven was a 1961 model of Dennis Ganley # 181
.

[Roger Dowding]

The Program and Entrants.
Le Mans Classic Relay Race 1983 - Pukekohe - Saturday, February 26th, 1983, Organised by Jaguar Drivers Club NZ.









Hope you can read the names, had an issue resizing the program -

[Roger Dowding]

Scenes from the Austin Healey Car Club pits.

Frank Karl and that " Purple " 3000 both needing refuelling ??


Barry Moon the two tone 100 and Ross Osborne with his 100/6 the changeover.


Another shot of the same two

[Roger Dowding]

Some more ;
Myself in my 1955 100.



Ross Osborne - a pit stop [ not the changeover ]
The lady in the " white " overalls is Phil Ganley, was married to Dennis Ganley [ Howdens brother ] of the famous Ganley racing family, Dennis and Howdens father was a serious competitor in the 1950's



Cameron Mackay 3000 in the helmet, with Phil and another Healey Club lady
myself - yellow T shirt and Adrian Rhodens assisting in the pit stop - Adrian and Phil both ran Bugeye's in the event.

[Roger Dowding]

and more ;

Tay Urlwin in the 100 M Spec.


Team Manager Lyle Chambers talking to Tay


Ross Osborne 100 Six - The photographer John Dowding provided our support vehicle to Ford Falcon Van from his employer at the time - he was the sales and delivery Boy..


Adrian Rhodens Yellow Bugeye at the back ..

[Roger Dowding]

Wheel change - Frank Karl's Purple Healey - well known in classic racing circles in the 80's.



The Team - a lot of them at the finish, Beers out already.



The above photos, all by John Dowding, who provide the Ford Falcon service transport too !!.
Thanks John.
PS John is the son of Eddie Dowding from Northern Sports Car Club - the early years thread.

[ERC]

Interesting! As I arrived in NZ January 1983, this was one of the first events I ever attended in NZ. I was at a small meeting today and no less than three of those in that entry list were there - and had he not been at Laguna Seca, there would have been 4.

The sad thing is that as many of these older cars have increased in value, it is now too risky to race them - notwithstanding rules regarding roll cages etc.

Part of a golden age when they could round up so many Morgans, Austin Healeys and Daimler SP250s.

When TACCOC took over the Le Mans, I remember Marsden Robinson's hilarious team manager's meeting. At that meeting, we were miffed that our team of MG's all had steel wheels and 4 wheel nuts whereas the other MG team had wire wheels and could do the compulsory pit stop and wheel change so much quicker! Lots of fun though.

Frank Karl's Healey has been green for a few years now and we had some great dices at the McLaren Festival, somewhere near the tail end of the Sports GT grid.

[Roger Dowding]

Sure i did a couple of those,once in a Scimitar and again in my 998 Mini Cooper,seem to remember you had to do a "Dummy" plug change,and wasent an armband involved. Seem to remember the 240Z guys with Japanese headbands "Banzai"or Kamakaze on them.

the armband change with myself fitting the band to Barry Moon's arm. Barry was a serious peddler of a Mark two Escort in the 1970's

[John McKechnie]

Rodger-Barry Moon has just retired from his Upholstery business.
His red MK2 Escort he sold to the Golden Card sponsored racer Hilly Hill, who runs it at Historic meetings

[ERC]

It's interesting isn't it, many of those cars were only 15 or so years old. What I assume is my car was only 5 years old and was in the TACCOC team. We seem to have fixed a certain date in our head as to what constitutes a classic. The same meeting today should, by rights, be made up of cars from around the year 2000 with some from as recently as 2010.

Good point and one that is lost with some campaigners of older machinery. When I said we'd allow in 1996 MGF's and equivalents, some people were appalled, claiming we'd be overrun with 'modern' cars. We haven't been, but at least our numbers are holding up well, though the proportion of slightly newer classics increases each year.

You can't wander the scrapyards and breakers now to keep genuinely old cars on the road at a reasonable cost.

If we don't move forward, we die. What the H & C Commission have never fully addressed, is not what constitutes a classic, but what constitutes a thoroughbred. So having a set of 'T & C' rules that doesn't actually cover Thoroughbreds at all, is something that needs addressing.

[Roger Dowding]

Rodger-Barry Moon has just retired from his Upholstery business.
His red MK2 Escort he sold to the Golden Card sponsored racer Hilly Hill, who runs it at Historic meetings

John, Thanks for the info, didn't realise his Escort was still around, I had heard that Barry retired, He tried to sell the business to Cameron McKay who is one of the Red Healeys in this thread, Cameron was a near neighbour of mine in late 70's and a friend, Barry was/is a great Guy, we travelled together to a Healey Club National Rally meeting at Masterton in 1987, in his 3000 at the time, as my Hundred 4 car # 73 in the thread was unreliable.
I sold my Healey in 1995 to Lance Elliott and Panelbeater of some note, who has restored many of the Historic Midget cars. I understand my Healey was restored too!!, It needed it, was unoriginal in a number of places, Front Brakes and Suspension in particular were from an Austin A50 Cambridge, had bigger brakes on the back than the front.. scary !!

[ERC]

Didn't Lance Elliott race Minis? He resprayed my Allegro Equipe that got scuffed during the shipping to NZ.

Barry Moon raced in the ERC Series with his Escort and as is often the case, I got him to recover some household upholstery. Last saw him at the January Festival.

Frank Karl retired from Air NZ earlier this year and I think the Healey was being refreshed by RaceFX when I last called in.

I think Rob Douglas still owns his Daimler SP250.

[Roger Dowding]

Interesting! As I arrived in NZ January 1983, this was one of the first events I ever attended in NZ. I was at a small meeting today and no less than three of those in that entry list were there - and had he not been at Laguna Seca, there would have been 4.

The sad thing is that as many of these older cars have increased in value, it is now too risky to race them - notwithstanding rules regarding roll cages etc.

Part of a golden age when they could round up so many Morgans, Austin Healeys and Daimler SP250s.

When TACCOC took over the Le Mans, I remember Marsden Robinson's hilarious team manager's meeting. At that meeting, we were miffed that our team of MG's all had steel wheels and 4 wheel nuts whereas the other MG team had wire wheels and could do the compulsory pit stop and wheel change so much quicker! Lots of fun though.

Frank Karl's Healey has been green for a few years now and we had some great dices at the McLaren Festival, somewhere near the tail end of the Sports GT grid.

ERC, I know what you mean, my 100/4 # 73 had been modified and ran Hotwire Mag wheels, 4 stud, so the same slow wheel change. for the Plug change we all had fitted under the bonnet a bracket that had a " Spark Plug " in a threaded mounting, so you didn't break a plug on the car. Rules are a guideline, i am sure.. use of lower case i. OK. ..

Frank's Healey, ran at Ohakea Reunion, was there, way back when, thinking 1982 !, he at one time ran a F5000, that was a recreation by Race R/X, Andy Culpin.

[Andrew Metford]

Frank's Healey, ran at Ohakea Reunion, was there, way back when, thinking 1981, he at one time ran a F5000, that was a recreation by Race R/X, Andy Culpin.

The RFX5000.

[Roger Dowding]

In 1982 the Austin Healey Car Club of New Zealand, organised its first Hill Climb, the event at Otaua, which the club ran annually until 1990. the MG Car Club took over the event and I am unsure if it still runs.
Reg Whittaker a local Waiuku guy, initial R O W, was known in the AHCC as " Reg of Waiuku ", was a local school teacher and had lived in the area all of his life, he knew the locals and was able to get consent from those effected by the event.
After each run the road was opened so locals could come and go from their properties, then closed for the next run.
The local Tavern provide the Scrutineering area in the car park, as before opening time 7;30 a.m on, and was the site of the prizegiving and story telling.

I have photos from several years of the event, some undated, and was involved as competitor in 1983, Marshall most other years and organiser of permits Road Closure etc for the last few years, 1988 - 1990. R O W was always helping, as did his brother Bruce and the members of the AHCC including Ross Cammick.

Was going to start a new thread, but thought as It is AHCC related would start here.
just a few shots to begin - years unknown.

Healey in front is the Clerk of Course car - Peter Nelligan who now lives in Wellington NZ and he and Diane still have the car [ update Nov 2019 ]


On the road by the start


A beautiful Lotus -*** the Eleven X1 - rebuilt / restored by Peter Bruin - car is ex the Ganley family Father Jim, sons Howden and Dennis who also ran a Jarvie bodied Ford 10 Special .. the car now back with the Ganley family in its 1960's Ganley livery


Whose is it, What is it ??


John Wigston's single seater is a well known car - comments required.


There are some 70-100 photos to follow as I get them sorted.

These may a bit smaller than TRS can take - may have to upsize just like Macca's !!

[Andrew Metford]

Roger, the Otaua Hill Climb is alive and well, and has been for at least the last 15 years I've been a member of the MGCC. The MGCC ( Auckland ) still organise and run it, in fact the 2015 edition was run just a couple of weeks ago.