Matamata Round the houses.

[Rex Bentham]

I sure remember the dual wheel Dodge, imagine trying get past, it must have 8 feet wide! Also Rod Coppins Mark II battling with a
Mini Cooper, maybe Brian Innes? How good was that when the Motor Racing came to our hometown, seem to remember there was
so much anti feeling from the residents about noise, damage to property etc that it was canned after the 2 meetings. Nothing
changes! Does anyone recall the Matamata Airfield grass track meetings? Must have been 1956-57? You couldn't see much of
the racing, only the start, the rest of it was under a huge cloud of dust. By the end of the day the cars had dug a trench around each
corner. Some great old cars tho', I think the Lycoming was there on one occassion. My first introduction to motorsport.

[Oldfart]

I was there ,first time I ever saw a car with dual wheels, a Dodge or ???plus around the fuel tanks at Mt Maunganui was the same time Frank Matich in a Lotus 19 ?? and a Brabham?? cleaned up. Archibald in a Mk2 Jag also ran I think

Colin Lumsden in the Dodge Kingsway? I remember him coming out of the Loop at Puke, standing on it and the back of the car was hidden totally by tyre smoke!

[Milan Fistonic]

I was there ,first time I ever saw a car with dual wheels, a Dodge or ???plus around the fuel tanks at Mt Maunganui was the same time Frank Matich in a Lotus 19 ?? and a Brabham?? cleaned up. Archibald in a Mk2 Jag also ran I think

The 3.8 Jaguar that ran at the Mount the year Matich competed (1963) was driven by John Ward from Gisborne.

[jim short]

So did Archibald race there at all I think perhaps Jim Palmer may have won instead of Matich???? Met Matich at a cycle Fair in LA about 17yrs. ago joined a group to ask about his cycle helmets{headway brand} when my turn came I asked hin about racing around the fuel tanks at the Mount ,He was pleased to remember!!

[David Manton]

So did Archibald race there at all I think perhaps Jim Palmer may have won instead of Matich???? Met Matich at a cycle Fair in LA about 17yrs. ago joined a group to ask about his cycle helmets{headway brand} when my turn came I asked hin about racing around the fuel tanks at the Mount ,He was pleased to remember!!

The driver of the silver 3.8 Jaguar at the Matamata and Mt Maunganui street races was Chris Keehan, from Central Hawkes Bay, a popular member of the local Car Club. Chris and other club members shared car rides and motels to keep costs down while trekking to race meetings from HB. I've got a photo somewhere of group members sharing a meal before Sunday racing started at Matamata. Included in the photo is Angus Hyslop's race engineer/mechanic Bill Hanna, Nigel ? (raced a fast dark green Fiat saloon), the Cooper single-seater driver Bruce Webster and a young motoring writer from The Napier Daily Telegraph. It was an extremely cold Winter morning!

[David McKinney]

The dual-wheel Dodge was a DeSoto. Ended up with a Corvette engine and disc brakes, IIRC

Ray Archibald raced his Mk2s at Ardmore, Ohakea and Pukekohe (GP meeting as well as 6hr)

[jim short]

Well I must have seen Ray at Ardmore as I only missed the first year 54 ,I clearly remember Tom Clark big Mk 7 Cantwell running out of petrol in blue XK 140 ,Bob Gibons in the pale blue D Type plus the two Ferrari sport cars that I have so many debates over the years NOT the same Jenson had a 3.4 motor . a 860, whartons was a 750, different bonets and grills ,yet most reports say they were the same ,strange I do remember Ray he had the whole front covered with tape looked ugly I think??

[Oldfart]

There were also grasstrack at Waharoa in the 60s or 70s, I am not sure when but as we did not live there for long it had to be between 64 and 70. I remember the first Hillman Imp I had seen racing, apparently faster in 3rd than top according to the commentator. Lycoming was there with Jim Boyd.
Of course there was Raglan grasstrack around the same period

[Milan Fistonic]

There were also grasstrack at Waharoa in the 60s or 70s, I am not sure when but as we did not live there for long it had to be between 64 and 70. I remember the first Hillman Imp I had seen racing, apparently faster in 3rd than top according to the commentator. Lycoming was there with Jim Boyd.
Of course there was Raglan grasstrack around the same period

This meeting at Waharoa was held on March 4 1961.

[Roger Dowding]

This meeting at Waharoa was held on March 4 1961.

Some great names in the entry lists .. Would #98 R W Williams Ford V8 - be Rob Williams from Glen Eden ??
- that's where his Panelbeaters was in the 1960's

[jamie]

Hi Gang Raced there 2 times good fun Jamie A

[Oldfart]

Thanks for that programme Milan, clears up a few things with Bucklers too!
Do you have any programmes for Mid 60s at Waharoa? I know they happened, and of course Raglan too!
Sometimes my spelling is so crap! Changed now. My english teacher at school would be turning.

[Rex Bentham]

Well done Milan, some great names and cars on that programme, thanks for having the foresight to keep a piece of paper most of us
threw in the bin the next day! My apologies for calling it Matamata Airfield (as it is now) back then it was always called Waharoa
Aerodrome.

[Milan Fistonic]

Well done Milan, some great names and cars on that programme, thanks for having the foresight to keep a piece of paper most of us
threw in the bin the next day! My apologies for calling it Matamata Airfield (as it is now) back then it was always called Waharoa
Aerodrome.

The Car Club calls it the Waharoa Aerodrome but the Piako Aero Club disagrees.

"The Piako Aero Club once again welcomes the Hamilton Car Club to Matamata Airfield. We hope this day will be as successful and safe as all previous meetings. G. Fromm, President, Piako Aero Club.

[Milan Fistonic]

Thanks for that programme Milan, clears up a few things with Bucklers too!
Do you have any programmes for Mid 60s at Waharoa? I know they happened, and of course Raglan too!
Sometimes my spelling is so crap! Changed now. My english teacher at school would be turning.

Sorry that's the only Waharoa programme, but I do have this one from another Hamilton Car Club Grass Track Meeting held in 1970.

[Steve Holmes]

Outstanding thread. I'm really enjoying this. Thanks Milan for your postings. You never cease to amaze me with what you have in your collection.

[David McKinney]

No, it's Kerry Grant

[rogered]

Are You Sure????

[Milan Fistonic]

Are You Sure????

Yes he is sure!

Agnew drove a Spitfire numbered 23 in 1965.

Grant drove the Spitfire pictured, numbered 31, in 1964.

[khyndart in CA]

Roger,
I remember being at that Waharoa Meet in 1961 with my schoolmate Hylton Cameron as we watched his brother Kelvin Cameron
compete in the Sports Car race in his Minstral TR 2 # 24.
I also remember Denny Hulme talking over the speaker system at the lunch break about his racing experiences during the 1960
European season as a joint winner of the Driver to Europe programme and the sad loss of his co-winner and friend George Lawton.

Thanks for the memory. ( Fun times close to home !)
Ken H