Northern Sports Car Club - the early years.

[Roger Dowding]

Showing the photo again - It appears in Allan Dick's column [ pages ] in the latest Classic Driver magazine - his column is called " Burning a Grey Pipe ".
Notation with the photo [ quote ]
" Hennings Speedway in Auckland or is it Gloucester Park ? No indication which,but in the thirties and Ron Roycroft in the Riley Midget goes under one of the Sutherland Brothers who is very determined as he pumps up pressure in the fuel tank. The crowd is close ".

Allan has noted elsewhere, [ copied in notes below ] that he was unaware of car Club activity during the war - with #1, Northern Sports Car Club starting in 1942 and being formally recorded Officially as October 1943, and the racing at Huntly in 1944 and 1945. We all learn .. Sadly cannot ask people involved at that time as not many still with us.

The RGS is now owned by Mal Parsons and was originally Ron or Merv Sutherlands Car
Mal writes " Allan [ Dick ] I did some research & spent a couple of days in the huntly library a year or 3 back & was able to read the local papers report on the AGM then the first meeting at the track. Merv Sutherland is the driver of 75. I acquired the photo off the previous owner in 2002 "

- The Bugley is as it appears was when Jack Boot owned it and Ron raced for him - the car was built originally by A J Roycroft for Arthur Dexter in 1937 and looked a bit different then. There is a photo in either the Scott Thomson Roycroft book or one of Graham Vercoe's books, [ away from my archives today - will correct if required ] of the Bugley as Dexter had it in the late 1930's.

I believe that the photo is actually at Huntly where the Bugley often raced and probably 1944 at the earliest.
Jack Boot - according to his brother in law Eddie Dowding [ my late Uncle - they both were my Uncles actually married sisters ], Jack purchased the car no later than 1943 - a comment he wrote on a piece of paper that he put in my copy of the Graham Vercoe book [ It is still in there at the page with the Bugley details ].
Mal Parsons as noted now owns the Sutherland car and believes it is at Huntly in 1944 . Mal is a member of the Vintage Speedway Drivers Club.
Mal's comment when he posted the photo
" Bottom pic is taken at the Huntly speedway March 1944 (I think) I will add pic of it racing against the car i now own. Photographer unknown. " the below pic is the one Mal added ;

Allan Dick responded " l posted this photo somewhere recently . I thought it was Hennings Speedway and l thought the other car was one of the Sutherland brothers. I do not know who the photographer is either but l have had the photograph for a long time. It is the second time this week l have been surprised to learn there was motor racing activity in NZ during the war. "

Some more information - from Mal Parsons who now owns the restored car #75 the Sutherland car..
Huntly Speedway opened in 1944 as seen on this programme cover
The event run by the " Huntly Motor Racing Club " on 12th March 1944 - will try to find if Mal has the entries listings.



Mals car #75 in a group at the recent " Galaxy of Cars " in Auckland 2018



As an aside - When I sold my Austin Healey 100 - the 1953 BN1 in 1995 [ having purchased it in 1982 ] It went to one of the Elliott Boys, Lance Elliott a panelbeater of some note and restorer of a few Speedway Midgets.
Lance restored my Healey, but I have not seen the result.

As a result of being in contact with Mal Parsons I have found out that Lance passed away recently, as had his wife. Brother Roger Elliott a talented Motor Trimmer Upholsterer, ran a business in Newton beside Lance's Panelbeating workshop in Newton - From memory the two businesses were at the blind end of Abbey Street, of Gundry Street which Abbey St crossed..
Roger and Mal are still in contact. Am hoping to find out more of the #75 and other Midgets, and the whereabouts of " My ALEX the RED " the RED " LX 100 " ..
Seen here in Havelock North - outside the Motor Camp / Holiday Park that the AH Car Club of New Zealand held its Easter 1984 Rally, the car had been tidied up bodywise, but still on the 14inch Hotwire Mags and the " ID9783 " Registration that dated from 1977 when re-registered and put back on the road by Roy Cooney from Cooks Beach, Coromandel.



Side shot with my American Mate Wayne Brown in the car at the Gymkhana ..