Northern Sports Car Club - the early years.

[Roger Dowding]

Bob Gibbons came up from Wellington for the event. He was prominent in hilll-cimbs and chased the championship around the country.

Ralph Watson chose him to drive the Lycoming in circuit racing events. He was a very steady, safe and "scientific" type of driver and I recall watching him timing competitors starting distances with a stopwatch, relative to wheel-spin and traction. Coincidently this was probably at the event depicted here, when I would have set up the timing and communications gear I had specially built for the club.

Bob Gibbons later acquired a genuine 1,100cc twin Cooper 500 type car, specifically to extend his hillclimb endeavours with some success.

From the Lycoming story that appeared in the Magazine " Sports Car Talk "
- published by the " Sports Car Club of New Zealand Inc " back in the 1980's.
I have three editions of the " Annual " Magazine and the article on Ralph Watson and the Lycoming appears in the 1986* Edition.



It includes these two photos of Bob Gibbons in the Lycoming at the 1959 New Zealand Grand Prix meeting at Ardmore.
Photographer credit on the photos. " Barry Makay ".



The events entered with the Lycoming up to and including 1959 and beyond Driven by Ralph Watson then Bob Gibbons- before it was sold to Malcolm Gill, later going to Forrest Carden and then Jim Boyd.





Photos Posted before - this brings them into the recent " conversation ".. and saves going through pages of the various threads.

Numerous NSCC run events are listed
Thanks Trevor Sheffield for your information some of the above appears in your own book from the Late Ralph Watson records which were very detailed.