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Forgotten New Zealand racing drivers


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#551 Mallory Dan

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 15:58

Who's the other Marlboro March, anyone, on the inside, and in front of the Ehrlich - Fluxie I guess. The latter the subject of another thread at the moment

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#552 arttidesco

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 16:41

I have the same race picture a few hundred yards earlier

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Wee Kenny leading from Brett, Stefan right up his chuff, and then the massed charge of EJ, Roberto, Rob Wilson, Tassin, David Sears, and Mike White

It's funny we didn't bump into each other


I suspect there maybe many other TNFers who spent time around the bottom of Paddock :-)

#553 alansart

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 16:42

Who's the other Marlboro March, anyone, on the inside, and in front of the Ehrlich - Fluxie I guess. The latter the subject of another thread at the moment


Slim Borgudd?

Eddie Jordan further ahead.


#554 arttidesco

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 16:47

Corrected Slim Borgudd in the Abba March most likely :-)

#555 tinkerwinker

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 17:05

Corrected Slim Borgudd in the Abba March most likely :-)



Tommy Borgudd, brother of the famous Ronnie Borgudd

#556 gavinevitt

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Posted 02 July 2010 - 22:04

Seeing the great photo of Rob Wilson by tinkerwinker in the March, I thought I would post this selection from Oulton Park, late season 1980. Rob was doing very well with little budget in the Ralt RT3, I think he was third in this race, but had hoped to be right with Stefan to be in line for a F2 Ralt drive the following season.
Rob and I travelled to all the North Island NZ meetings in the mid to late sixties covering events for Autonews, great days, great memories.

Apologies for the quality, 30 year old photos taken on Agfa film!
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#557 Patrick Fletcher

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Posted 04 July 2010 - 10:03

Great photos of early days top stuff!
Here is a link to some of Rob Wilson's other more recent work in the USA http://www.eaglescan.../beginnings.php

Edited by Patrick Fletcher, 05 July 2010 - 10:54.


#558 skypilot

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Posted 10 August 2010 - 07:34

David Oxton

I would think a lot of older Kiwi's remember these guys but Barry Butterworth and Trevor Morris are legends in the dirt world and how about Satan Brewer?. Not many remember him or have ever heard of him.



Okay, how about the time he finished a race cartwheeling end over end across the finish line at Western Springs back in the early 1950's. The race committee had to decide whether or not to allow him 1st Place owing to the possibility that he was no longer legitimately able to complete the race as his wheels were not in contact with the track. How about that!!

#559 skypilot

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Posted 10 August 2010 - 07:39

Who is going come up with a name ?



My opinion is that they are always remembered by those who were there. The next generation could not forget them as they never heard of them, other than by old fogies like me/us.

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#560 Bloggsworth

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Posted 10 August 2010 - 13:59

Talking of Rob Wilson, I have these in the archive

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I love the range of vehicles in the Thruxton paddock shot, then current F3 car, old style 2 axle transporter, converted old coach transporter, and a Ferrari 512BB. Not sure which I find most appealing... :drunk:



Would that be a Bedford Tickford coach, many a school bus was one of those...

#561 weta

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Posted 10 August 2010 - 19:51

What happened to Brett & Rob, and fellow South African colonist Mike White ?


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Rob's a driver coach, he's also involved in the Grand Prix Shootout! run by David Fleming

#562 Flathead

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Posted 29 November 2010 - 13:01

Ivy Stephenson


Can anyone provide a good close up photo of Ivy Stephenson in her racing days, preferably in her Buckler DD1 Climax? She was featured in a few magazine and newspaper articles at that time but I only have many times photocopies where the photos are totally washed out and unrecoverable.

e.g. Evening Star, Feb 6 1965, page 8

#563 Peter Leversedge

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Posted 29 November 2010 - 19:13

Ivy Stephenson - anyone know if she is still around and what she is up to now?

#564 David McKinney

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Posted 29 November 2010 - 19:48

I might be 'way off beam here, but I think someone said she's living a quite reclusive life these days

#565 Michael Clark

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Posted 29 November 2010 - 21:00

I might be 'way off beam here, but I think someone said she's living a quite reclusive life these days


I've also heard that

#566 ronmac

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Posted 29 November 2010 - 21:27

:D If you mean that she is off Jim Beam ..that is some really sad story..!!!

#567 Redneb

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Posted 01 December 2010 - 02:44

I've got one of her Buckler in the paddock at Pukekohe, but not with Ivy in it.

#568 hatrat

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Posted 01 December 2010 - 06:24

I might be 'way off beam here, but I think someone said she's living a quite reclusive life these days


Last I heard she was out Maraetai way in a bit of semi rural isolation.

#569 RileySpecial

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Posted 24 January 2011 - 22:46

Flathead, this must be the photo you mean. And another nice article of Ivy. Let me know if you want to see more, I have scrapbook filled up with Ivy


http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/


http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/



#570 hatrat

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Posted 25 January 2011 - 00:19

[quote name='RileySpecial' date='Jan 25 2011, 09:46' post='4799719']
Flathead, this must be the photo you mean. And another nice article of Ivy. Let me know if you want to see more, I have scrapbook filled up with Ivy

I understand that Betty Dewar (shown as pit manager and assistant mechanic in the second photo) died in late November 2010 - she was a long time friend of Ivy.

RileySpecial : Do you have any photos of Ivy in her Lotus 23?



#571 wenoopy

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Posted 25 January 2011 - 09:11

Flathead, this must be the photo you mean. And another nice article of Ivy. Let me know if you want to see more, I have scrapbook filled up with Ivy

I understand that Betty Dewar (shown as pit manager and assistant mechanic in the second photo) died in late November 2010 - she was a long time friend of Ivy.

RileySpecial : Do you have any photos of Ivy in her Lotus 23?


I have a Dec 1959 photo(slide) of Ivy in the Buckler in the paddock at an Ostrich Farm Road hillclimb. Not a clear close-up, but recognisable under the helmet. Also another oddity, the cockpit/dashboard of the Lotus 23 showing the labels in Swedish. Not sure who was owner at that stage, but a little cross-checking with programmes would tell me. Send me a personal message if you want.

#572 RileySpecial

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Posted 25 January 2011 - 10:18

Sorry, no photo of the Lotus 23B, only an article with a photo with ivy behind the steering wheel. Might be of interest. The third one is Ivy in front of the riley Special; must be in '55 or '56. I am the lucky owner for some years now, still racing with it. By the way, Ivy bought the lotus from Bill Caldwell somewhere in the '60 (?).

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#573 RileySpecial

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Posted 25 January 2011 - 10:39

Wenoopy, this article is showing the results from the Austrich Farm Road hillclimb, witch matches your slide from Ivy. She finished on the 3th place if I read well....

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#574 Flathead

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Posted 25 January 2011 - 18:20

Thanks to all those who have posted up magazine and newspaper cuttings, some of which I have not seen or have only received in very poor quality. It is so sad that a girl with so much life and dedication has to age along with the rest of us.

That Buckler DD1 was an English prototype and destined as a private entry for Le Mans, except that the co-owner got killed in another car on the way to see it race at it's debut at Silverstone. My memory is of the car with it's English Buckler aluminium body, when driven by Adrien Liddell. By the way it had and still has an Aston Martin DBS gearbox and Lagonda diff with inboard rear drums and De Dion rear end.

I think the photo below was taken at Great Auclum speed hill-climb near Burghfield. West Berkshire, England, a venue which became a bit of a legendary testing ground for the nearby Buckler works, who also supplied the recovery and rescue services there.

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Edited by Flathead, 25 January 2011 - 18:53.


#575 275 GTB-4

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Posted 26 January 2011 - 10:09

This great little book looks like a terrific source of info about Kiwi race drivers!

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#576 wenoopy

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Posted 26 January 2011 - 10:16

Wenoopy, this article is showing the results from the Austrich Farm Road hillclimb, witch matches your slide from Ivy. She finished on the 3th place if I read well....

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By coincidence, I started keeping a motor racing scrapbook(s) in November 1959, as a 17-year old schoolkid, and the above cutting is on the first page. This hillclimb was effectively the same day as Bruce McLaren's win in the USA Grand Prix at Sebring, and I recall that we heard the GP result on the radio before we went out to Ostrich Farm Rd.

My photo of the Lotus 23 was from the 1969 Pukekohe NZ GP meeting when Ross West owned it. Ivy's ownership started a few months later. Before the Lotus she drove the ex-Cottle / Dawson / Oxton / Bill Caldwell Lola.


#577 275 GTB-4

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Posted 31 January 2011 - 02:30

This great little book looks like a terrific source of info about Kiwi race drivers!

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The rear of the publication is interesting as well...

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#578 wenoopy

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Posted 31 January 2011 - 05:01

This great little book looks like a terrific source of info about Kiwi race drivers!

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This was one of a number of pictorial books written by Tim Chadwick, who sadly died on March 17 2010, after his Mercury Cougar failed to take a bend near Pio Pio, South Waikato NZ. He was an artist, high school art teacher as well as a life-long car enthusiast. Some books consisted of his own paintings or drawings of cars etc and others were photo collections on themes like Big Rigs, Motorcycles etc. - with quite full descriptions as in the sample.Many of the photos are from events in the Southern half of the North Island but overall it has a good coverage of all NZ.

There is an entry in Wikipedia for Tim.





#579 Marc Sproule

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Posted 31 January 2011 - 07:18

I have a number of pics of Dave Oxton in Alan McCall's Tui BH2 in my Formula Atlantic set. Here are three....

http://www.flickr.co...57623186773769/

http://www.flickr.co...57623186773769/

http://www.flickr.co...57623186773769/

This is my Atlantic set....

http://www.flickr.co...ith/4617360247/

All my sets....

http://www.flickr.co...81980@N03/sets/





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#580 Patrick Fletcher

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Posted 01 February 2011 - 10:13

Ivy bought the lotus from Bill Caldwell somewhere in the '60 (?).

I thought that Ivy purchased her 23 from Ron Rutherford around 1968\9
E&EOA


#581 wenoopy

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Posted 01 February 2011 - 10:28

As suggested to Flathead here is picture of Ivy Stephenson Buckler at Ostrich Farm Road Hillclimb taken on December 13 1959.

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Deterioration of colour slide (over 51 years) has made it a little spotty, but a good image-manipulation programme, which I do not have, would probably make quite a difference.

Personally, I think this body is a great improvement over the original.

#582 David McKinney

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Posted 01 February 2011 - 10:50

I thought that Ivy purchased her 23 from Ron Rutherford around 1968\9
E&EOA

No, it went first to Ross West for the 1969 season, then Ivy

Wenoopy:
Agree entirely about the AMW body. In fact I seem to remember the NZ Herald (Auckland daily newspaper) made a similar comment when the car first appeared thus clad


#583 wenoopy

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Posted 01 February 2011 - 10:55

I thought that Ivy purchased her 23 from Ron Rutherford around 1968\9
E&EOA


Ivy must have bought the Lotus 23 from Ross West in March 1969. According to programmes I have, Ross West was entered in the Lotus 23 and Ivy in the Lola at the 8 March 1969 Northern SCC meeting, and Ivy entered the Lotus 23 at the March 30th Auckland CC meeting. Attached photo of #37 Lotus cockpit is from 1969 GP meeting at Pukekohe.

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West entered the car in 3 Pukekohe and Baypark meetings in November/December 1968, so must have bought it from Rutherford before that.


#584 Patrick Fletcher

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Posted 01 February 2011 - 11:35

West entered the car in 3 Pukekohe and Baypark meetings in November/December 1968, so must have bought it from Rutherford before that.

Ivy sure had very nice cars .. in keeping with the thread did Ross West race after selling the 23 to Ivy........


#585 GD66

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Posted 01 February 2011 - 11:46

Not in NZ to my tortured memory Patrick, :wave: , yet I have a nagging feeling he may have had a gallop in Formula cars in the US. I did see Ron Rutherford at Bay Park in the yummy 23B, in a striking turquoise livery, during the '67/'68 season when Ross West was galloping his Lotus Super 7 having graduated from a Healey 3000/6. But I can't recall seeing Ross race in NZ after he sold the car to Ivy. BUT David will know... :smoking:

#586 David McKinney

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Posted 01 February 2011 - 14:16

Not in NZ to my tortured memory Patrick, :wave: , yet I have a nagging feeling he may have had a gallop in Formula cars in the US. I did see Ron Rutherford at Bay Park in the yummy 23B, in a striking turquoise livery, during the '67/'68 season when Ross West was galloping his Lotus Super 7 having graduated from a Healey 3000/6. But I can't recall seeing Ross race in NZ after he sold the car to Ivy. BUT David will know... :smoking:

No pressure then
Yes, Ross raced in FF in the US after that
(And wasn't the Healey a four?)
There's another TNF member who would know the answer to both...


#587 wenoopy

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Posted 02 February 2011 - 00:23

Not in NZ to my tortured memory Patrick, :wave: , yet I have a nagging feeling he may have had a gallop in Formula cars in the US. I did see Ron Rutherford at Bay Park in the yummy 23B, in a striking turquoise livery, during the '67/'68 season when Ross West was galloping his Lotus Super 7 having graduated from a Healey 3000/6. But I can't recall seeing Ross race in NZ after he sold the car to Ivy. BUT David will know... :smoking:


Ross West also raced the Kato special in 1964-65 season, a nice-looking under 1500cc sports car, then sold it to Dave(?) Holloway. I have a recollection that one of the early owners of the Kato acquired it on the "you bend it , you buy it" sales principle. Possibly Ken Kaye.

Edited by wenoopy, 02 February 2011 - 00:26.


#588 David Manton

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Posted 02 February 2011 - 00:49

Ross West also raced the Kato special in 1964-65 season, a nice-looking under 1500cc sports car, then sold it to Dave(?) Holloway. I have a recollection that one of the early owners of the Kato acquired it on the "you bend it , you buy it" sales principle. Possibly Ken Kaye.


Ross, former motoring editor of The Waikato Times (he succeeded a young Howden Ganley in that role) swapped an immaculate MGTF for the Kato Special (which was a lovely looking car and great to drive and to work on)...

#589 Andrew Fellowes

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Posted 20 April 2015 - 20:39

I don't know where Graeme/Grahame Harvey operated from, but after turning left from No 1 Great South Road Otahuhu into Portage Road the next corner would take you into Saleyards Road. That would sound quite nautical if you were into cryptic crosswords!

 

 

I am guessing that Grahame Harvey's first race in the BT21A was at Bay Park, 30th December 1967 where Autosport describes his car as near new, this implies raced before and logically by someone else. Does anyone have any contemporary reports that might shed more light please?

 

A/S goes on to say he tangled with Ken Smith in the ex Lucas Lotus 41B which resulted in a broken leg for Grahame. Also involved were Graham McRae and Peter Ransom. 



#590 twotempi

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Posted 20 April 2015 - 22:31

"On the subject of forgotten drivers it is worth noting thatJohn Richards also raced the ex John Scurrah Lotus replica with the Mays headed Consul engine around this time ,this car afterwards finding its way to the Palm Court racing team that was discussed on here earlier"

For what it's worth.  I think that Palm Court was a caravan park on the Great South Road in Papatoetoe ( not Papakura ) just south of Puhinui Road. 



#591 Allen Brown

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Posted 21 April 2015 - 14:17

I am guessing that Grahame Harvey's first race in the BT21A was at Bay Park, 30th December 1967 ...

 

According to some web site called OldRacingCars.com, his first race in the Brabham was Pukekohe on 9 November 1967.  



#592 wenoopy

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Posted 22 April 2015 - 10:36

"On the subject of forgotten drivers it is worth noting thatJohn Richards also raced the ex John Scurrah Lotus replica with the Mays headed Consul engine around this time ,this car afterwards finding its way to the Palm Court racing team that was discussed on here earlier"

For what it's worth.  I think that Palm Court was a caravan park on the Great South Road in Papatoetoe ( not Papakura ) just south of Puhinui Road. 

 

The caravan park, at 630 Great South Road, was (and still is) Meadowcourt Caravan Park. Must be very valuable real estate nowadays.

My recollection from the time was that Palm Court Motors started or took over 4 car yards around Auckland about the same time as the racing team was talked about. One was at 727 Great North Road, at the bottom of the Bullock Track, next to Western Springs, a yard which Merv Neil (Motors) had run previously.

I think the car yards disappeared about the same time as the racing team, perhaps part of the same house of cards.

 

Stu Buchanan



#593 nexfast

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Posted 28 July 2018 - 12:49

Resuscitating this thread looking for information on Toby Easterbrook-Smith who shared a car with Bryce Clinkard in the first New Zealand Grand Prix back in 1950. Could he be the Winston Herbert Barnett Easterbrook-Smith born in 1922 and deceased in 1981 who was a lecturer of English at Hamilton Teachers College and an amateur potter?

 

He was the brother of Geoff (Geoffrey Leonard) Easterbrook-Smith who also raced extensively in New Zealand between the forties and the early sixties (in particular in hill climbing and sprints). I'm also wondering if Geoff would be the eponymous gentleman who was NZ Ambassador to the UN in Geneva in the mid-seventies.



#594 MarkBisset

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Posted 05 September 2019 - 04:32

Back to 1963...

Lionel Bulcraig, Aston Martin DBR4/250 3 litre at Waimate

https://primotipo.co...artin-dbr4-250/