Past 'celebrities' in Australasian motorsport

My seat belt finished second in Class A.

Hope you don't have to retract that statement!

So how come a VP Commodore driven by Mark Skaife/Jim Richards needed your belt?

Oops! Brian Wilshire racing story here....(anyone who has owned TWO Vanguard Spacemasters is OK by me!)
 

Or better still......9 VW Beetles.

Hope you don't have to retract that statement!

So how come a VP Commodore driven by Mark Skaife/Jim Richards needed your belt?

Or better still......9 VW Beetles.

I guess some of us are slower learners than others....;)

An admission, perhaps?... I'm sure you'll catch up.

An admission, perhaps?... I'm sure you'll catch up.

I remember seeing Leonard Teale racing a Honda Zot at Warwick Farm in the late 60's.

360cc? or the big bore 600!

isn't there one of those annoying ***** who does breakfast tv on 7 into racing these days?

Grant Denyer (but this is mostly about older folk....)

Edited by seldo, 09 April 2014 - 23:41.

Results from Calder early 1970s - Leonard Teale in his Corolla, also shows a bit of a mixture of cars!  Found while looking for results for Farrells to answer another posters questions.

Edited by 2Bob, 11 April 2014 - 07:59.

Kym Bonython, Speedway midgets and the past owner of Rowley park speedway SA

Kym Bonython, Speedway midgets and the past owner of Rowley park speedway SA

To me Kym was a businessman racer. Not quite a top notch racer but he was at times very good.With very good equipment . Not just speedway either but boats too. Really he brought the celebs to town as a jazz promoter, gallery owner and speedway promoter and later a member of the GP board too. I suppose he was a celeb in his own right but to many he was the 'Boss' at Rowley. And still a regular spectator until his death a couple of years ago.

What about Glenn Ridge from Sale of The Century

James Morrison who has crashed more cars than many. Reputedly actually a decent operator in a rally car despite the accident rate.

Yeah, but he's a fairly handy trumpet player.

Yeah, but he's a fairly handy trumpet player.

Celebrities list so far.

Jack Davey     Leonard Teale   Eric Bana   Shane Jacobson   Tony Greig

Grant Kenny   Stephen Bradbury   Gus Mercurio   Sam Newman   Stewart  Littlemore

Darrell Eastlakes   Ken Sparks     John Laws   Jack Elsegood    Bill Gates

Doug Mulray   Garry Wilkinson   Buddy Clark   Kevin Wolf   Paul Makin 

Wally Lewis   Rick Burnett    Brian Wilshire   Craig Denyer   Grant Deyner 

Kym Bonython    Glen Ridge   James Morrison   Laurie Donaher …

Edited by eldougo, 03 May 2014 - 06:37.

Doug....maybe remove my cheeky ref to Stewart Littlemore QC as Stewie....I would rather not face legal action at this time

and its Bill Gates...

Done .However i have sent a copy to Stewie already sorry about that .......

Please delete Ian Maurice...

I doubt he's ever seen a racing circuit.

And can we add Malcolm Fraser, who was a 'riding mechanic' in a regularity at Sandown I feel sure.

I don’t think a lap around Sandown with someone constitutes being in this thread Ray, evan the Lancia fancier.

Definitely get rid of Ian Maurice, that was just my faulty memory - right TV show, wrong person!

Done Mr M is no longer listed.

Dr John Hewson  with gloves on.

Dr Doug on the right and Gary  Wilkinson

Edited by eldougo, 03 May 2014 - 02:03.

I think it is Stuart Littlemore.

He was a presenter on the ABC TV before studying law as a mature age student. Now a QC.

http://www.drive.com...0710-2ppuo.html

 It's DR Hewson .It says in the  Wheels magazine that he, invited by Kevin Waldock that him in the middle in the top photo.

Edited by eldougo, 03 May 2014 - 06:42.

It's DR Hewson .It says in the  Wheels magazine that he, invited by Kevin Waldock that him in the middle in the top photo.

The top photo shows the back of I'm pretty sure it's Gricie, then Kevin Waldock, and Dr john Hewson, and the second photo is ....Can't remember the name of the guy on the left, although I well recognise his face, but then Gary Wilkinson and Doug Mulray

Mark Oestler? (spl)

Please delete Ian Maurice...

I doubt he's ever seen a racing circuit.

And can we add Malcolm Fraser, who was a 'riding mechanic' in a regularity at Sandown I feel sure.

There was a Stonie cartoon re Mals ride around Sandown with Moffatt. 

But not a competitor though I seem to remember reading that he was a fairly serious Sports Car [Lancia?] buff in the day.

Actually Gricie almost qualifies as a 'celebrity' as he was a Queensland National Party MP for a term. And still did the odd event. Then came back and made mayhem in the ute ranks.

Probably doesn't really count but I do recall a celebrity mini bike race at Amaroo Park (early 80's??) where Simon Townsend's Wonder World reporter Edith Bliss broke her collarbone in a pile up on the top of Bitupave Hill!!

Mike Drewer was an on-air reporter with Channel 9 in Adelaide. He started racing in a Honda S600 (or maybe 800), moved on successfully to Clubmans and then to a Richards Golf F2.

He was also PR Manager for the Adelaide GP.

His son Tom has been in the US for the past 5 years racing in LMP3/2

Mike Drewer was an on-air reporter with Channel 9 in Adelaide. He started racing in a Honda S600 (or maybe 800), moved on successfully to Clubmans and then to a Richards Golf F2.

 

He was also PR Manager for the Adelaide GP.

 

His son Tom has been in the US for the past 5 years racing in LMP3/2

Drewer was on Auntie before 9. As was his wife. I can remember a ABC clip of him with the Honda at Collingrove, probably in black and white!

I feel he is still PR man for Clipsal.

And Mike is still alive!

Edited by Lee Nicolle, 06 May 2014 - 04:21.

You are right Lee. I may have been wrong about 9.

Jacquie went on to a long career on Channel 7 and has only recently retired.

You are right Lee. I may have been wrong about 9.

 

Jacquie went on to a long career on Channel 7 and has only recently retired.

Mike went commercial, as do most from the ABC. I think it was 9. He has been with GP/Clipsal for a long time now.

I said hello when I saw him wandering around the paddock on my last [free] Clipsal visit about 3 years ago. And I saw lots of other familiar faces from the past too.

Edited by Lee Nicolle, 06 May 2014 - 06:50.

Leonard Teale also use to compete at Templestowe hillclimbs; episode 123 of "Homicide" (now out on DVD) has some nice footage of him doing a timed run there in his MGB (one of two he ran - JNG-999 and JRJ-000, with a Midget later on, JWC-754). One other episode (162) has him at Calder, but not driving. At least one episode of "Division 4" also used Templestowe as a filming location.

As well as his many Redex and Ampol trial entries, Jack Davey also owned the ex-Stillwell D-type for a while (repainted red, with red interior!).

Actor Rod Mullinar (played the lead in the local private eye series "Ryan", for those with long memories) drove Formula Three in the UK briefly (according to press at the time) before taking up acting. Reportedly gave it away after one too many inversions.

Tommy Hanlon Jr was down as an entrant in an early (Philip Island) Armstrong 500, to have been driving a Goggomobil. Strangely enough, it didn't happen...

Syd Heylen (of A Country Practice) used to race "midgets" in NSW.

Originally posted by Lee Nicolle
There was a Stonie cartoon re Mals ride around Sandown with Moffatt.....

And, I believe he was one of the original "G"s in the Bee Gees

Here's Bill's car now restored and raced by Vaughan Stibbard. He recently had an off on someone elses' oil at SMS Park and hit the pit wall hard, spending the night in hospital

Justin Hemmes ran a Subaru in GTP, he won a race in the Combined Touring Car class at Oran Park's 40th Anniversary race meeting in 2003 and in a later race rolled the WRX, 4 years later he rolled at the same corner when he was a guest driver in the BMW Mini Challenge GT Performance Championship.

Edited by tracken, 20 July 2015 - 10:07.

He was a Sydney celebrity if its the same bloke,he owned the Mr. John & Merrivale clothes stores,one of my Nieces worked for him. He ended up involved in the Sydney Club industry and was involved with some seedy characters with lots of rumours on where his money was coming from.

Murray Finlay was heavily involved in Car Rallies. 

http://www.theherald...nbn-television/

Edited by Ian G, 20 July 2015 - 23:05.

Justin Hemmes has recently bought a couple of pubs one of them being the Newport Arms....  

Justin Hemmes is the Son of John and Merrivale, the "Ivy" is one of his and the Coogee Pavilian.

Come on Ray get with it. 

 Actually, I just finished reading an article you wrote about Nota being an old Ausie car and parts manufacture and that was in 1975 so some leniency should and shall be afforded.

Jay Justin the shoe salesman?

Edited by tracken, 21 July 2015 - 22:22.

Edited by Ray Bell, 21 July 2015 - 10:03.

Does owning a pub make someone a celebrity?,

No Ray it Does not,  this particular person is on the A list, and he is a mobile headline, cameras follow his every move, if you were a reporter today he would be one of your targets. ask your kids

RCN November 1975,

A sad indictment on the current state of celebrity.........