I was fortunate to work with Jack back in the late 1970s. An interesting character and a great person. His Christmas card list was a thing of immense satisfaction and sadness to him as many of those who would send cards to him one year did not survive to send one the next. Well known and well liked by the motorsport fraternity and sadly missed.
Alrighty, time for another update. This is another photo from the 1965 NZIGP event at Pukekohe in which Bob Jane raced his MkII Jag against the Kiwi tin tops. This appears to be lap 1, with Jane being harassed by Rod Coppins and (I think?) Robbie Franicevic.
In the Euan Sargison collection there is a photo taken of those same cars taken from what looks like the top of that shed! could that be euan on top there? Fahey is out of shot out front!
Good question Steve. But you're right, there are a couple of very well known photos taken right at this moment by Euan from what could be the top of that building.
Stunning shot this, capturing Ivan Segedin in the Fleetwood Motors Mustang. Just check out the quality of this photo, and the level of detail Jack had managed to capture. Just so impressive!
This is at Renwick. It,s great that the stang looks just like that today!
Originally Posted by Steve Holmes
Stunning shot this, capturing Ivan Segedin in the Fleetwood Motors Mustang. Just check out the quality of this photo, and the level of detail Jack had managed to capture. Just so impressive!
This must have been same meeting, same tape, same bonnet restraint, and same stance.
Yep, I reckon you'd be right there Rod. Was Renwick where it made its race debut?
Don't think so Steve, I believe it was the Gold Leaf 3hr. 65 But then again as I am a tosser who knows nothing...
Thanks Rhys, you're probably right about that race date, just thought I read somewhere it made its debut at Renwick. Should really just get off my arse and go look!
I think the "tosser" is right. but i would be interested to know how it got on in both races? Anyone recall? Any photos from the Puke race exist? I would be very surprised if it lasted the 3 hr distance??!! Who and what won that one. Anyone remember?
Well I have some photos I took at that event, but can't remember outcomes. I suspect it should be in the posts Grimmy did from the Shell albums?
Yep, you're right Rhys. The Mustang was on pole, was leading after 2 of the 3 hours, but the brakes cooked and it retired.
Welcome back Rhys. I was racing one of my XKs at that Renwick meeting and remember the nose lifting antics of the Mustang caused much amusement. What did impress everyone was the A40 of Kerry Grant, not to memtion his driving of same, as he harried the Mustang along. Can't remember if he passed it or not. I think this was the time I elected to sit a trade exam in Blenhiem, so when the time drew near I just drove the XK from Renwick to Blenhiem and returned after the exam. Had to teach an SP 250 driver a thing or two on the way home to CH CH. Nice bit of road those Conway Flats. Where have those days gone.
Thanks Dave, I always really enjoy your stories and input into these threads.
What a monster! Robbie Francevic powers up the big 427ci Fairlane at Bay Park, chased by Rod Coppins in the ex-Geoghegan Mustang. I can only imagine the noise this car must have produced!
is this thing still MIA or does somebody know what happened to it?????????
One of our members on here (can't remember who though now?) told me it was converted back to a road car, then later stored in a shed which caught fire and burnt to the ground, taking the Fairlane with it.
That would have been me, car was crushed with a bulldozer & buried along with a lot of other stuff in the Charlton Auto Yard Gore, area in Question is now part of southland Tractors display yard, if your travelling south for SFOS today and want to shed a tear or two in memory!Believe me it was stuffed before it was crushed, the heat had buckled/lowered the roof & everything was heat treated, I managed to salvage the front 4pot calipers after making up some special jigs to pull the pistons out & PDL got most of the top loader bits when they were racing PDL1 &2. On strip down we found the needle rollers in the layshaft had been replaced with bronze bush's, obviously a 'quick' fix between meets that never got addressed. that said it was a car I would have liked to replicate, but never managed to talk anyone into doing so, would have been a lot more interesting than some of the other stuff Ive had to fix recently...
Thanks Steve, I only just joined roaring season , lots of these pics I have never seen , I was a kid about 9 or 10 when I went up north with Mum & Dad to be in the action , My other brother Gary , Wayne & sister Sharon were flown up to be with our aunty &uncle , & were to join up with us after opening round at Puke , at Mt Maunganui. I have some pics I can add later .
I saw some where my old sparing partner Steve Empson is here I have a few pics to add to the fiat 128s castrol GTX days we were good at leaning hard over the front seats [changing corner wieghts lol] with lose belts as to try & keep them from tipping over , as I did at private testing at Levels I dont think I ever told Steve about that , fun years they were. Great stuff Thanks Grant Sprague
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