Photos: January 1987 Wellington Street Race

[Milan Fistonic]

There were a few Corolla GTs in the race, but I'm not sure which one this is. Maybe someone here could help? These were pretty little cars, and always competitive in their class.

Attachment 31962

Car 46 at the Pukekohe race that year was driven by Bob Holden and Mark Jennings

[jimdigris]

I too vaguely recall something about the car being very fast at Bathurst, although I thought this was just its top speed down Conrod Straight, rather than its overall lap speed.

It wasn't a top ten car like Robbie boldly predicted a couple of days before the race. Though it would have just missed out scraping into the top ten in 1985 by three hundredths of a second. The Sierra's 1986 fastest race lap of 2.22.97 was a smidgeon faster than it's best qualifying lap of 2.23.05. In comparison to the fastest race lap by Alan Grice of 2.18.99. Something that may have been forgotten after all these years is the team had problems with the newly homologated larger rear brake calipers that weekend which ate into their preparation time.

In Qualifying it was in position 21.

[jimdigris]

I thought I was told, or that I read, that the OXO Supercube Cosworth raced in the early part of the 1987 ATCC by Don Smith was a converted XR4Ti. This car was rolled by Smith

I remember that roll over! I find this interesting because DJR1 and DJR2 were both built from shells bought from Don Smith. DJR1 was RHD and DJR2 LHD. Wonder if one of these was a converted XR4Ti? IIRC Don Smith bought everything off Rouse?

[Les Laidlaw]

[QUOTE=Steve Holmes;49685] I may well have my wires crossed, but I thought I was told, or that I read, that the OXO Supercube Cosworth raced in the early part of the 1987 ATCC by Don Smith was a converted XR4Ti. This car was rolled by Smith, and re-shelled. The damaged shell was sold to Mike Ceveri, and became a Chev V8 powered Sports Sedan. I did wonder briefly if this might have been the ex-Rouse car, but the 1987 ATCC kicked off in February, just one month after Wellington, so that theory seems unlikely.

No Steve, The OXO cars were built from new kits supplied from Rouse, you are correct about the Ceveri shell.
I don't know how it happened but Don Smith was the Ford Motorsport parts supplier and brought in all the Sierra parts and on sold to other teams