The 1965 and 1966 Wills 6Hr Race

[Milan Fistonic]

It would be great if you could post what details you have on the 65 race? I am wondering weather my dad Bruce McLean was driving one of the Lotus Cortina's in either of those years.

Your Dad and Barry Phillips drove a Ford Zephyr (No 32) in the 1965 Wills 6-Hour. From what I wrote in my programme it would appear they qualified seventh fastest. I can find only one mention of the car in the Motorman report and that states: Barry Phillips (Zephyr) and Graham Lucas (Peugeot 403) kept up their close dice for lap after lap. The Peugeot finished in eighth place but your Dad's car is not listed in the top 15 so they must have had trouble or retired.

He was not entered in the 3-Hour race that year but in 1966 they entered a Lotus Cortina in the 3-Hour race and were first reserve for the 6-Hour event driving a Papakura Motors entered Fiat 1500. They finished third in the Lotus Cortina behind Fahey and Palmer's Mustang and Innes and Grant's Mini Cooper. That was an impressive result as Phillips had tangled with a Jaguar in the loop on the first lap and dropped to the rear of the field with damage to front and left guard.

Their 6-Hour campaign started badly when the Fiat siezed its engine on the back straight during practice. The Motorman report states 'it required an all-night repair job to make the grid the next day.'

They retired from the race just before 7 p.m., after 4 hours racing.