Old Programmes, movies and memories from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies.

[khyndart in CA]

Jan. 4. 1969.NZGP. Pukekohe.
Graham Hill drove a Lotus 49 B R 8. It was brand new for Pukekohe and featured the high rear wing which was banned after the 1969
Spanish Grand Prix at Montjuich Park in Barcelona. I drove that circuit a few years ago in a Ford Fiesta rental car and it was scary even in that, with the stone walls, curbs, change in elevation and hairpins etc. They were certainly brave drivers to race there and the stress on the rear wings was too much for these Lotus 49 Bs and Hill and Rindt were lucky to survive those crashes which are shown on Youtube. These crashes were on May 4th exactly 5 months after the Pukekohe NZGP. Jochen Rindt's Lotus 49 B R 9 that was written off at Barcelona was the same car he raced NZ.
This fine Terry Marshall photo shows Rindt powering out of the Hairpin.


I took this photo of Hill's car in the pit area and you can see how the rear wing struts were mounted to the upper suspension.



(Ken Hyndman..1969 Pukekohe photo )