Quote Originally Posted by GD66 View Post
I reckon that's it Steve. The Nova was definitely black first time out in Dec 1967, but Spinner Black's Camaro wasn't at that meeting.
As far as I recall, the Nova then went back to Australia, but was used seldom if at all until its' return to Bay Park, painted blue : I tend to agree with the Labour Weekend theory. By then the jig was up, the Nova was heavy and underbraked which Norm had offset first time out with piles of bravado and lashings of opposite lock. Next time out, and for the subsequent Dec '68 meeting, it seemed it was no longer much fun to be steering the old girl. Didn't stop Norm making a legion of fans with his thrilling driving and effervescent personality. Great days...
Yes thats right, Blacks Camaro didn't arrive until 1968. Beechey raced the Nova in NZ at the 1967 Bay Park Xmas meeting, then took it back home where it received its 1968 war paint, and it was raced quite intensely throughout the first half of 1968, with his Camaro making its debut in late July at Warwick Farm. The Camaro then raced at Calder, then at Catalina Park, and then its final race with Beechey was the 1968 ATCC at Warwick Farm in early September.

The ATCC race was the last time Beechey raced the car, and for whatever reason, he reverted back to the Nova for the late 1968 NZ events. I've never quite understood this, the Camaro was the better car, perhaps the NZ track promoters wanted the Nova instead because it had been so popular with the Kiwi punters the year before? And if he did race it at the Labour weekend Bay Park meeting, was it left in NZ for the next couple of months before the Bay Park Xmas meeting?