New Zealand ShellSport Saloon Series 1978 - 1985

[Steve Emson]

I think this should be on this thread. it certainly is a great looking logo.

"Steve, this is such a fantastic photo! I didn't realise you ran both the Atlantic car and ShellSport car all in the same season. I assumed you went from one to the other. Must have been a busy season for you!"

Hi Steve, Yes that is correct, I was jumping from one to the other. The year before when the Shellsport car was Blue and white,and I was racing Reg Cook & Robbie Francevic for the championship, I was also racing Dennis Marwood in the GTX series in the other white Datsun 1200 coupe. I started late in that championship and we didn,t have a LSD in the first races.
The Shellsport car had a down left 5 speed close ratio box, and the GTX car had a 4 speed close ratio unit. ( Dennis's had a 5 speed- the bugger)
One had 10inch wide slicks and the other formula ford slicks. The lap time difference was Baypark 1m o3 for the Shellsport, 1m 10 for the GTX, Puke 1m 18.0 with the chicanes, GTX 1m 25, Manfield 1m 17 Shellsport, 1m 25 GTX.
Sometimes I would come in from one race and the other car was on the dummy grid. So there you go racing some of the countries top competitors in two different classes,.....good fun.
The very best exponent of this was Jimmy Richards. I don't think many people can do what he did successfully. I have only really raced Jimmy once in similar cars. It was in a long distance race, and our battle went on and on, in what seemed like forever. I was 16 years old and I was racing the best driver in NZ. Geez he made me work for it. That was the only time I was sweating so hard, my sunglasses slid down my nose!!