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Thread: Photos: The Roderick MacKenzie Collection - Part 1

  1. #1

    Photos: The Roderick MacKenzie Collection - Part 1

    Name:  1968 SANDOWN TASMAN PIERS COURAGE .jpg
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    I’ve been aware of Roderick and his amazing collection of historic Australian motor racing photos for some time. But a message from him offering to share his images with Roaring Season members came completely out of the blue. I’m incredibly chuffed by this.

    Rod has had many of his photos published, and you’ll likely recognise some of them from the various publications he has contributed to. He has taken thousands of photos over the years, and continues to this day.

    This particular chapter focuses solely on the Tasman Series, from the years 1968, when modern day Formula 1 teams and drivers still travelled down-under, through to 1972, by which time both Australia and New Zealand had adopted Formula 5000 as their premier single seater category. I should clarify, that these images are from Tasman Series events, and aren’t strictly limited to Tasman Series races. In amongst the collection are also sports car and touring car photos.

    Here are a few words from the man himself:

    “Freelancing to motorsport magazines provided me with the ‘best seat in the house’ to witness the spectacle of International drivers and World Champions competing against the best of the Australian and New Zealand drivers in the initial Tasman Cup races for 2.5l F1 cars. This series was effectively a de facto Formula 1 Championship.

    “These days you don’t get four or five World Champion drivers (Clark, Stewart, Brabham, Hulme, and Hill) and various internationals in current Formula 1 cars racing FOUR! times in a month for the Tasman Cup preceded by four races in New Zealand.

    “This fantastic scene evolved into a very similar feast of colour, personalities, speed and thunder for the F5000 Tasman races. International drivers, state of the art cars and the fiercest competition in speed and power from “stock block” engines giving 500 plus horsepower battled for wins.

    “The noise and speed and atmosphere can’t be matched - with record crowds coming to circuits to see the “open wheelers”, with Production and Improved Production Touring cars – these were the forerunners to today’s V8 Supercars – GTHO’s and Monaros with embarrassingly large motors – purely as support racing for the real racing cars!

    “Tasman Series racing had a gladiatorial feel for the spectators who watched drivers battling others who not only battled their competitors but their own cars at the same time. Spectators saw the top line drivers of those times.

    “Add to this the noise from engines, with no regulations about noise pollution to worry about! The attack on your senses was an aural delight and rainbows of colour for your eyes.

    “Just try to imagine the thrill standing less than a metre from these beasts as they charged through the ‘esses’ at Warwick Farm or into Peters Corner at Sandown.
    Then take photos of the action.

    “I saw my access as a privilege and took it pretty seriously that I obtained the best photos I could so that others could see what I saw from trackside. I at least met expenses, and had a lot of fun. I only did photos on weekends – I had a family and career to attend to.

    “I used to contribute to Sports Car World and the Australian Motor Racing Annuals, the annual Shell Book of New Zealand Motor Racing, some occasionally to Wheels and later on to Australian Motoring News - which eventually became Chevron Publishing with Australian Competition Yearbook from 1971, Australian Motor Racing and now some photos appear in Australian Muscle Car and the HSRCA and some other websites.

    “I have never really stopped taking racing photos and I am renewing acquaintances in the Motoring press again and mainly now attending Historic meetings. This gives access to a lot of the great cars and drivers from the sixties and seventies again.

    “I have a reasonable collection of photographs from the mid - sixties on, and now want to share them with people who would like to understand what we experienced.

    “Today’s racing is good, but when you see the variety of cars and drivers from yesteryear, I wonder what can be done to recapture the atmosphere and racing that brought tens of thousands of spectators to the tracks regularly”.

    These are simply stunning images, and quite evocative. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Rod for sharing these with us. I know you’ll all enjoy them.

  2. #2
    First out of the gates is this simply stunning image of Jim Clark, sliding his gloves on, and getting ready to climb aboard his Lotus 49 at the Surfers Paradise round of the 1968 Tasman Series. This is the first of the Australian races of the 1968 series. Clark won the race from team mate Graham Hill.

    Name:  1968 TASMAN SURFERS PARADISE JIM CLARK.jpg
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  3. #3
    Hill, Frank Gardner, and Leo Geoghegan squabble over second place on the opening lap, while Clark bolts away in front. Gardner finished well down, while Geoghegan slipped to fourth at the finish, behind an impressive Piers Courage driving a 1.6 litre McLaren M4A against the more powerful Tasman cars.

    Its amazing how barren the Surfers track is here.

    Name:  1968 SURFERS PARADISE TASMAN HILL GARDNER GEOGHEGAN  first l.jpg
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  4. #4
    Same spot as above. Pedro Rodriguez leads BRM team mate Richard Attwood. It wasn't a good race for the BRM's.

    Name:  1968 SURFERS PARADISE TASMAN BRM PEDRO RODRIGUIEZ.jpg
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  5. #5
    Dramatic drag race start for the Sports Car supporting event. Frank Match, in the gorgeous SR3 and Chris Amon in the Ferrari P4 light the rear bags off the line. Note the spare wheel strapped to the rear of the Ferrari. The Ferrari wasn't designed to carry a spare, but was required to do so during its Australian visit, when competing in Australian Sports Car events. Sure looks ungainly.

    Name:  1968 TASMAN SURFERS PARADISE SPORTSCAR START SR3 P4.jpg
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  6. #6
    Richard Attwood, looking none-too pleased about something. Maybe this was after the Tasman Series race when his BRM broke down?

    Name:  1968 SURFERS PARADSE TASMAN R ATTWOOD.jpg
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  7. #7
    Next of the Aussie 1968 Tasman rounds was Warwick Farm. Boy do I love this image! Stirling Moss leans in to chat with Jim Clark as the cars line up on the dummy-grid. Simply stunning photo!

    Name:  1968 TASMAN  WARWICK FARM CLARK TALKS TO STIRLING MOSS WAITING - Copy.jpg
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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Holmes View Post
    Same spot as above. Pedro Rodriguez leads BRM team mate Richard Attwood. It wasn't a good race for the BRM's.

    Name:  1968 SURFERS PARADISE TASMAN BRM PEDRO RODRIGUIEZ.jpg
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    The double Lefts of Repco Hill, Looking out towards I am guessing either Nerang or Mudgeeraba or in between the 2. Mt Tambourine on the right.

  9. #9
    Great to see Rod's photo appear on TRS. He has some gems.

    The photo of Piers holding the booklet is from the Feb 25, 1968 Sandown Tasman/AGP programme. It's the Bill Patterson motors advert on the rear, giving it away. Patterson being a former driver and Holden dealer. Surfers was 2 weeks earlier, with its programme having a BMC Mini advert on the rear cover.

    I believe Piers was #18 at those 2 meetings, just to complicate things a little 46 years later.

    Stephen

  10. #10
    Thanks Stephen, yes you are correct about the Courage shot. Rod had even labelled the photo as such, and I still f%@&ed it up! Ha ha ha. I've removed it from the above post, and will place it correctly with the other Sandown images.

  11. #11
    More from Warwick Farm. Denny Hulme spins his F2 Brabham in practice, while Rodriguez and Hill negotiate a way past.

    Name:  1968 WFARM TASMAN HULME SPINS PRACTICE 2.jpg
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  12. #12
    Think that might be Attwood in the BRM, Steve, Pedro had a silver helmet with black stripe.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Holmes View Post
    Dramatic drag race start for the Sports Car supporting event. Frank Match, in the gorgeous SR3 and Chris Amon in the Ferrari P4 light the rear bags off the line. Note the spare wheel strapped to the rear of the Ferrari. The Ferrari wasn't designed to carry a spare, but was required to do so during its Australian visit, when competing in Australian Sports Car events. Sure looks ungainly.

    Name:  1968 TASMAN SURFERS PARADISE SPORTSCAR START SR3 P4.jpg
Views: 3550
Size:  123.8 KB
    I hadn't realised Chris had raced a P4 downunder. How great to see that run. Any evidence of how it performed

  14. #14
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    In 1968 Amon ran it at the final Longford Tas
    178mph on Flying mile

    May have been 183.6mph...memory lapse
    Last edited by Ellis; 03-25-2014 at 09:15 AM. Reason: add info

  15. #15
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    It managed 182.2 mph down conrod at Bathurst with Bill Brown driving. I don't think Amon beat Matich in any of their encounters that season.
    Dale.

  16. #16
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    Bill Brown also drove it in one race at Longford in 68, a handicap. Top speed is listed at 180 mph and 182 mph but I beleive it was above the timing systems capabilities.

  17. #17
    In fact CA holds the lap record at Longford - and will forever, just as he'll always hold the LR for F1 cars on the old Spa.

    There is another track where he'll hold the lap record for eternity as well...who will win the race to answer?

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Clark View Post
    In fact CA holds the lap record at Longford - and will forever, just as he'll always hold the LR for F1 cars on the old Spa.

    There is another track where he'll hold the lap record for eternity as well...who will win the race to answer?
    Clermont - Ferrand

  19. #19
    Also from Warwick Farm, Jack Brabham and Jim Clark chat in the pits.

    Name:  1968 TASMAN  WARWICK FARM  CLARK AND BRABHAM TALK.jpg
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  20. #20
    Moving on to the next round of the Tasman Series, and this is the opening lap in the Sports Car race. What a great shot this is, looking back down the front straight, as Amon in the Ferrari leads Matich and the rest of the field.

    Name:  1968 SANDOWN TASMAN AMON P4 FERRARI MATICH SR3 REPCO V8.jpg
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