If you read most histories of motor sport, you'd get the impression that it came to a sudden halt throughout the Commonwealth on September 3rd 1939. Those of you in the Antipodes are no doubt aware that this was not the case.

Discussing this with some Kiwi bloke called McKinney during the Bill Boddy Day at Brooklands a few weeks ago I realised that my knowledge of exactly what went on in the Land of the Long White Cloud was fragmentary at best. I've been engaged in a long-term project which I hope will result in a definitive book on four-wheeled motor sport between 1938 and 1945. It's 90-95% complete, but the more remote the place (no offence intended!) the harder it is to find definite information.

I have Motor Sport's reports of the two Judgeford hillclimbs on 7/2/43 and 9/1/45, but if anyone can expand on those, I'd be interested to know more: as yet there's nothing in the few wartime newspapers on Papers Past, but maybe someone might have some press cuttings from the time? David also mentioned that he thought speedway racing had continued into 1941: can anyone flesh out details on that? Any beach racing or sprints? Other hillclimbs before the end of 1945?

Incidentally, the 1943 Judgeford climb is unique: although there were other sporting events elsewhere in the world in 1943, it was the only one - apart from perhaps some outlaw American events - which featured petrol-powered vehicles. The others were all for gas-producers only!

I'm aware petrol rationing was in force between September and December 1939 and re-imposed in February 1940, so motor sport was unlikely to be a high priority - not that it stopped your more profligate neighbours across the Tasman or even in Malaya, in neither of which rationing was imposed that early (Australia late 1940, Malaya early 1941).

I also know about the proposed Centennial Grand Prix, although I've never seen a proposed date for it. Again thanks to Mr McK, I know that there were proposals to invite foreign drivers (who?): it does make me wonder if there might have been some suggestion that some of the participants in the proposed Bangkok race could have been persuaded to journey on. I've read a contemporary quote from Taruffi that he was expecting to race in South Africa in 1940: that never happened, although I've also seen Italian sources claiming that Maserati were going there (another little mystery). All this might seem far-fetched, but the Australians had definitely invited Bira (and perhaps Nuvolari) in 1939!

Anything on Thunderbolt being exhibited at the Centennial would be good too: especially a picture or two and details of how it was transported from New York - it had been in the Hall of Metals in the British Pavilion at the World's Fair for most of 1939.

Any little snippet of information might be useful: given the sparsity of reporting on the sport during the war years I've had to build up some stuff from scratch, using British, Irish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Swiss, Serbian, Portuguese, Dutch and Czech papers and magazines. That's just for Europe - add in the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Uruguay and you'll get an idea of how deep I've been going! Gradually it all slots into place ...

In due course, I'll also start threads on Australia and Malaya/Singapore/Ceylon, so please try to restrict this one just to New Zealand!