The Bruce Wells Collection

[Steve Holmes]

John, thanks heaps for posting those captions, its much appreciated. Great to have your input here.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by John Medley
Great pics!
Some identifications:
122 Sid Howard Nota MG XPEG s/c - currently being rebuilt
71 Kevin Bartlett Lynx
53 MG Vauxhall ?Ron Davis? - as MG P won an Australian Grand Prix
35 Jaques Sapir Nota Sportsman
70 Bob Healey Riley Coupe
21 George Murray Austin 7 chassis BMC A engine
Don Glanville's MGP s/c became Geoff McGrath's now Ian Mawson's
17 Tom Rich red TR fatal at Catalina Park

The Thomas Rich accident occurred in May, 1962. That was in the Le Mans-start race on the wet track in another pic.

Other unanswered questions:

The Cusato/Seton Mercedes was a rebuilt wreck if I recall correctly. I did a story about this car for Motor Racing Australia and I'm pretty sure that's what Bo told me. It is NOT the Jane/Firth Armstrong 500 car.

The pic of the carbies and (somewhat rough) manifold on the Daimler is NOT the Geoghegan car at Bathurst. I don't know if the Geoghegans ran this car elsewhere, but that 1962 Bathurst race was for production cars only. And it was only one year before Bathurst became the home to the 500.

The pic of the Neptune team cars is almost certainly at Warwick Farm, there wasn't that much level ground in the Catalina paddock.

The Repco V8 in the '67 AGP batch is of Brabham's car, I believe.

The centre trophy is the Tasman Cup, the lower left one is the Lex Davison Trophy for the AGP.

I would think that the '62 BRM on the trailer behind the Zephyr would be at the October meeting in '62, though I was there and I don't immediately remember it, but that would coincide with it maybe being on display at the '62 Sydney Motor Show. Then again, the sheer number of EJ Holdens in the background really auger against this. Maybe the December meeting? Or even the '63 International meeting? Not later than that, I'm sure, as it was definitely a tour promoting Hill's title successes for Shell and Rubery Owen.

The Shell connection would have been the reason for the SVM ute.

[Ray Bell]

This one had me a bit foxed...



I was pretty sure it was the start of the '63 Australian FJr Championship at Warwick Farm, but the Greg Cusack Elfin Catalina is on the front row as well as Greg Cusack in his Brabham. However, reference to the race report shows that Jim Palmer is in the Elfin (while Greg is so slow away that he was fifth to the Western Crossing).

Kent Price is in the other black and Total-striped Lotus.

The Hume Weir meeting with Bartlett in the Lynx was about September '62. That would be Wally Mitchell in the Lotus 20 behind him and one of the Birchwood 18s next, likely Jack Hunnam driving.

The Nota Sportsman dicing with Jacques Sapir is likely Les Howard. I never saw this car but they were involved in a race at the same meeting.

The black Holden in this pic...



...is probably Bo Seton, but of more interest to me is the FC on the outside. If anyone has the programme it is either 33 or 35 at the August '62 meeting.

[Ray Bell]

Looking at the Bathurst 6-hour cars... apart from the Geoghegan Daimler, of course...

I feel sure the Lark is the Don Algie/Kingsley Hibbard car, that seems to fit best with what little can be seen of the names on the front. It won its class and also headed the 'Teams Prize' winning team on 99 laps.

The Citroen is the Bill Buckle/Brian Foley entry, which wasn't placed, and the Falcon is the Jane/Firth FoMoCo entry which Firth had the misfortune to put on its roof. I can't identify the MGA, but two were entered, one for John/Caldecott, the other for Owen/Wear. I'm guessing that the latter was Pedro Owen and Colin Wear.

Whoops! There were also MGA Twin Cams entered for Claydon/Gibson and two others. Is that a Twin Cam?

[EH S4]

Hi Ray, Car 35 was entered by the Bannockburn Service Station and driven by W Porter

[Ray Bell]

Thank you, that fills in another blank...

I gather you're the owner of one of the infamous 179M 225 S4s?

[seaqnmac27]

For want of a better place, I think this compliments Bruces photos

[Ray Bell]

Don't you hate it when you come back five years later and find you've made a mistake?

Originally posted by myself
The Thomas Rich accident occurred in May, 1962. That was in the Le Mans-start race on the wet track in another pic.....

It was May, 1963...

It was actually the first time I went to Catalina Park, the accident happened just before I got there that day. It can't have been 1962 as I didn't go to any race meeting prior to October, 1962.