Early Australian utes in road races
#1
Posted 14 May 2009 - 08:13
There is a photo in the Early Holden racing thread of an FJ ute on row 2 at Symmons Plains from the very early 60s, there was a Holden ute that won a 3 lap event at Goomalling in 1953, and I believe in 1955 Len Lukey took what I presume to be a Lukey Muffler's sidevalve Mainline ute out for a run a couple of times such as at Altona.
Doug Whiteford's Black Bess was of course built on a 1934 ute chassis.
How many other instances of this practice occurred?
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#2
Posted 14 May 2009 - 09:08
Edited by Catalina Park, 14 May 2009 - 09:09.
#3
Posted 14 May 2009 - 09:21
#4
Posted 14 May 2009 - 23:18
And ofcourse Gricey raced the Akubra sponsored ute in production cars that Catalina would be reffering too.
The CAMS rules banned utes, wagons etc for a long time, even now I dont know how Mr Grice got that one through.
#5
Posted 14 May 2009 - 23:32
And what was the racing number... 8 3/4?
#6
Posted 15 May 2009 - 01:45
Originally posted by Lee Nicolle
.....And ofcourse Gricey raced the Akubra sponsored ute in production cars that Catalina would be reffering too.
The CAMS rules banned utes, wagons etc for a long time, even now I dont know how Mr Grice got that one through.....
Not hard, I wouldn't think...
Times had changed and there was truck racing going on at the time as well, CAMS (for a change) must have moved with the times.
They probably classed it as a sports car, anyway, just as the Mini Moke had been at Surfers in the 12-hour.
#7
Posted 15 May 2009 - 03:04
The boot is too big for a sportscar!!!Not hard, I wouldn't think...
Times had changed and there was truck racing going on at the time as well, CAMS (for a change) must have moved with the times.
They probably classed it as a sports car, anyway, just as the Mini Moke had been at Surfers in the 12-hour.
#8
Posted 15 May 2009 - 03:17
Sorry, couldn't resist it. I owned a Morgan once.
#9
Posted 15 May 2009 - 10:04
The Grice one raced at Bathurst. This one was at Winton and entered by Pedders Suspension and driven by one of the Pedders Bros.And ofcourse Gricey raced the Akubra sponsored ute in production cars that Catalina would be reffering too.
The CAMS rules banned utes, wagons etc for a long time, even now I dont know how Mr Grice got that one through.
The reasons for CAMS allowing the utes to race was purely for commercial reasons. (I am sure that the coffers of CAMS needed a top up)
#10
Posted 15 May 2009 - 10:49
Originally posted by Catalina Park
.....purely for commercial reasons. (I am sure that the coffers of CAMS needed a top up)
Spot on...
And maybe not only CAMS.
#11
Posted 15 May 2009 - 16:48
"..Gricey raced the Akubra sponsored ute in production cars ... "
And what was the racing number... 8 3/4?
That's a very big head, even for an Australian.
#12
Posted 15 May 2009 - 19:00
I recall racing against a Commodore Ute in the Winton 24 hour in the early 90s.
Yep and I actually passed the V8 VP ute with my little 4cyl 1800cc Gemini that was little modified