Great idea! I know also Jim Barclay is wanting to build a concise collection of photos of Ken's various race cars for the 2017 NZFMR. So what better way than a dedicated thread.
Jan. 6th. 1962.
As a 19 year old, Ken Smith competed at the last Ardmore Grand Prix day in the sports car races in his Cooper Holden. # 57.
He may not have had a memorable day but Ken Smith had arrived !
(Some well known names in this field including a certain Mr. H.Ganley )
The # 57 car is sure a good looking vehicle.
What is the history of it ?
( Ken Hyndman.... scrapbook )
Last edited by khyndart in CA; 03-22-2016 at 05:08 PM.
Here is a bit of history to the F5000 Lola's that Ken Smith drove as described at oldracingcars.com
First is the Lola 330 that he won the 1976 NZGP at Pukekohe with. Lola T330 (HU 8)
Invoice date 31 Jan 1973 (sold to 'Haas Racing/Hall', colour 'Red'). Haas/Hall (as #65) for Redman US 1973. This was theHall-modified car raced by Redman at R4 Mid-Ohio and is very probably the car he used for the rest of the season. The SCCA Log Book (19-845) shows that it next raced at a SCCA meeting at Riverside 9-10 Feb 1974 where the log book is signed by Mike Wallar or Wallen, then at R2 Mosport and R4 Elkhart Lake, where Larry Harley signs, and finally at R5 Ontario, R6 Laguna and R7 Riverside where the signature appears to be a "Jim Rury". The log book can't tell us whether this was Harley's race car or a spare to the T332 HU33 that his team also owned but it seems odd that a minor team such as Rogers Racing would haul a spare to each race. The absence of R1 Mid-Ohio suggests that Harley raced HU33 at Mid-Ohio and then switched to the T330, with the T332 reportedly having gone to Haas as a spare for Redman.
Bought from Richard Rogers by Ken Smith (NZ) for 1975 (first raced December 1974?) and then for New Zealand and Australian Internationals 1976; next raced Calder March 1977. To Chris Milton: raced Sept 1977 to Sept 1978. To John Blanden end of 1978: driven by Rob Butcher (Aus) from Feb 1979 to Mar 1982. To Bib Stillwell March 1988; raced at Albert Park Feb 1993, Philip Island Mar 1993; advertised Sep 1993. To Noel Robson (Melbourne, Aus) 1993: retained 2006. Raced by Andrew Robson in the Formula 5000 Tasman Cup Revival at the Australian GP meeting 28 Mar 2009.
This the Lola history for the car Ken is driving now. Lola T 332 (HU 54 )
It was first driven by Danny "On the Gas" Ongais
Lola T332
HU54
Probably the car sold to Interscope Racing for Danny Ongais to replace their "kitted" T400. Then likely to be the T332-spec spare car used by Ongais alongside his new T332C US 1976. Like to be the car "comprehensively written off" in practice at Elkhart Lake (see Autosport's F5000 review 25 Nov 1976 p25) but may well have been repaired and may be one of four T332s advertised by VPJ in Jan 1977.
This is believed to be the car deposited in the Justice Brothers Museum some time between 1977 and 1980 by Ed O'Brien, who had been closely involved with Interscope and may have part-owned one or more of Ongais's cars. The car remained in the museum until 2010 when it was acquired by NZ racing legend Ken Smith, his chief crew Barry Miller and Phil Richardson. They discovered that it had the '76-63' stamping that would have been put onto Ongais main #63 entry for the 1976 season by SCCA tech inspectors. It also had all the T332C modifications and a single post rear wing. The car was prepared for racing and made its historic debut at the start of the 2011/12 series but Smith crashed it heavily at Manfield in Nov 2011. Extensively rebuilt by Miller and Richardson for the 2012/13 series. Raced by Smith at Hampton Downs Jan 2013 and at Sydney Motorsport Park 1 Sep 2013, the first round of the 2013/14 Formula 5000 Australia Cup Series. Expected entry at the Gulf Oil Howden Ganley Festival at Hampton Downs in January 2015
(Ken Hyndman )
Last edited by khyndart in CA; 03-22-2016 at 10:07 PM.
The Lola Mk2 Formula Junior was imported into NZ in late 1961 by John Histed. It was car #3 (BRJ3) of the Lola quasi works team (Team Fitzwilliam Racing) that ran in Europe/UK in 1960.
It was sold out of NZ (by Ken?) and went to Australia and is now owned by Ned Spieker in the US.
Interestingly, this car is running at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix this May and it will line up against the NZ owned team car #1 (BRJ1) which is also racing at the Monaco Grand Prix. Both cars ran at Monaco in May 1960.
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