27 replies to this topic

[ronmac]

Rons quiz..number..5..
...1...name 10 (of 20 )drivers and their cars..who entered for the 1951 mairehau nz road race ?
...2...which sidecar rider died racing a midget at a christchurch race track ?
...3...at the 1971 bay park international..name both drivers and cars that were involved in a first lap serious accident .in the series saloon race..
...4...who used to write articles in a nz motoring magazine..titled..( as i see it ) ?.
...5...what did they name the final stock car race at aranui speedway nz..?
...6...name 6 drivers entered in road race cars at aranui race track feb 5..1955 (not midget..sprint tq.or modified cars ) ?
...7...name 8 cars in ken smiths classic car collection..1975 ?
...8...who was the 1975 world grand prix champion..?
...9...in nz what was the retail price to the nearest $1000 for a new 1975 chrysler valiant auto car ?
...10..name 8 speedway race tracks that have been in and around christchurch nz..?

[David McKinney]

You've timed the placement of this one better for me, Ron

1. Les Moore (Alfa Romeo), Ron Roycroft (XK120), Frank Shuter (V8 Special), Jack Tucker (V8 Special), George Smith (GeeCeeEss), Bob Blackburn (Austin Seven Special), John Peek (Q-Type MG), John McMillan (McMillan Special), Pat Hoare (RA), Duncan Rutherford (Willys Special)

2. Pass

3. Ron Grable (Firebird) and Paul Fahey (Mustang) - but it wasn't really serious

4. Graeme Lawrence

5. Butchers Picnic

6. Ron Roycroft definite + guesses: Hec Green, Ron Moore, Alec Gallagher, Bruce Monk, Frank Shuter, Barry Brown

7. Pass

8. Niki Lauda (unless it's a trick question...)

9. $7000

10. Aranui, Monica Park, Templeton/Ruapuna, Tai Tapu, Halswell, Woodford Glen, English Park, Doyleston

[Ray Bell]

Question 9...

V8 or Hemi 6? Ranger or 770? Charger or sedan? Hardtop?

[ronmac]

good morning david..what took you so long..into the turkey already or still got the electric blanket on ??
..no..1..correct
..no ..2..passed
..no..3..no. i was thinking a more serious accident..with injuries....in series production race...
..no..4..correct g.lawrence.
..no..5..correct..butchers picnic..
..no..6..got 5 so far (not shuter..or monk..)
..no..7..dont know ken smith car collection..
..no..8..correct..lauda..
..no..9..correct..$7000.
..no..10..correct..on 8..


thank you...any more anybody ?? (ron )
.

[ronmac]

hi ray..the prices that they quoted was mainly those models readily obtained in nz and didnt include many that were avaliable in australia..unless by special order..so the one i was looking at was justa valiant auto..not charger..regal..station wagon..v8..or 360.. hope that you had a good xmas day..very busy i guess..ron..

[David McKinney]

OK, I'll try again

3. If you'd said the GTX race, I would immediately have said that was the one that finally ended Kerry Grant's career, after he spun and was rammed by Leo Leonard

6. Take your pick from Les Moore, George Yandle and Alec Shadbolt (but I'm still guessing...)

[ronmac]

hi david..(good morning here )although raining for a week.. better than snow.!!

...3...yes you are correct..i printed ....(the series production saloon race) as mr. leonard stated in his ...(a personal view column )

...6...yes ...les moore but not yandle or shadbolt..there are 2 more. but you.ve got 6 now anyway.thank you.. (ron)

(radio report just now..north queensland 600 mm of rain in last 3 days !! )

[ronmac]

good morning..young david mckinney has answered 8 out of 10 questions correctly already..can anyone answer number 2...who was the sidecar rider who died racing a midget car at a christchurch race track ??

and 7...can some one tell me some of the classic cars in kenny smiths collection (1975 ) ??

anybody.......

[Peter Leversedge]

I can only think of two midget car drivers killed on ChCh speedway tracks, Wild at Aranui and Baker at Templeton, just can't think of the first names righ now [ its a hot nor'wester here today and that screws with the head....... Ron knows what I am talking about ]

Edited by Peter Leversedge, 27 December 2010 - 00:42.

[ronmac]

hi peter...good to hear from you...a good nor wester would be good for a change...but not the earthquake though !!

...2...yes it was earle wild...top side car rider..i under stand that he had 2 ..500 cc engines on his sidecar bike..one going forward..one going backwards..i was there on that night as were half of christchurch it seems..the accident did nt seem worse than any other flip over but he died that night in hospital..( no roll cages in those days )

...7...laST question...anyone tell me some of the classiccars in ken smiths posession..1975..???

[GD66]

[quote name='David McKinney' date='Dec 26 2010, 09:22' post='4769749'

3. If you'd said the GTX race, I would immediately have said that was the one that finally ended Kerry Grant's career, after he spun and was rammed by Leo Leonard
[/quote]



Jeez, that rings a bell. Am I right in thinking Kerry Grant had had a big one some years earlier in a 2.5 Brabham ?

[Ray Bell]

That does ring bells, doesn't it?

Pretty sure he upended a 2.5 Brabham, but he survived and the car was repaired, but it always looked rough after that. BT4 or BT7 or 11?

[wenoopy]

...7...laST question...anyone tell me some of the classiccars in ken smiths posession..1975..???

Haven't been on line for a day or two, but I doubt it would have made any difference
Q7
Did Ken still have the Gilroy / McLaren Austin Ulster that he and father Morrie raced? Most other cars he had raced up to that time seemed to have been sold on. He was dealing and racing cars (and horses) but the content of his collection wasn't well publicised at that time, I thought.

Q6
As for road racing cars at speedway, this was the same day as the 1955 Mairehau road race. Still all guesswork for me!

[ronmac]

hi wenoopy...yes its a busy time of year..interesting that the aranui races for race cars were run at the same weekend as mairehau..i wondered what mr ron roycroft was doing there !..now tell me wenoopy.what questions would you have answered if david had slept in ?? he was quick off the mark again..i cant put the quiz out at midnight london time too often..the report about ken smiths classic car collection.was not all race cars..and included some great road cars..which i feel would be hard to part with..(p.s. some rivers in queensland now are up by over 12 metres..i wonder if brisbane is going to be hit by a big flood again.last time thousands of houses were badly damaged ) ron.

[David McKinney]

Kerry Grant did flip a Brabham BT4 in a multi-car incident, at Levin in November 1964

Then in January 1967, practising for the NZ GP, he had a bad one in a BT11A - was very badly burned, in hospital for months, and retired from racing

The Bay Park race Ron referred to was after he made a comeback in a "safe" car, a Torana XU-1, after five years away from the circuits.

[wenoopy]

hi wenoopy...yes its a busy time of year..interesting that the aranui races for race cars were run at the same weekend as mairehau..i wondered what mr ron roycroft was doing there !..now tell me wenoopy.what questions would you have answered if david had slept in ?? he was quick off the mark again..i cant put the quiz out at midnight london time too often..ron.

How many answers? Precious few! As the cricket commentators say - would hardly have troubled the scorer!
#2 Would have looked up in Graham Vercoe's book and read off the first 10 - hardly sporting, but McKinney would have looked up in a programme anyway.
#4 At a guess Motorman - could have looked it up
#6 Would have guessed from #2 - Roycroft + likely locals(probably wrong!)
#8 yes Lauda
#9 1975 Valiant - have to make another guess - my 74 Cortina S/W was $4500 new, about 76 the new Mitsi Lancer $5400 I think. Didn't have another new car for another 15 years, and no more since then! Times were hard! Carefully chosen 2nd hand instead!
I dumped almost all my 1970's NZ magazines sometime in the 80's or early 90's (no space) and can't remember a thing(Craft's disease).

I wouldn't lose any sleep over timing of quiz! You might need to be at your peak if the water rises too far. Have you checked the boat mooring? Those Ford blocks might have shifted!!

Stu Buchanan

[ronmac]

hi david..thanks for clearing up kerry grant.s single seater career..i did not know any of that..so now we know.. i wonder how many of kenny smiths classiccar collection would he have now..in 1975 about half were race cars..the other half road cars..if nobody comes up with the answers by tomorrow i will print out the list..i expect most would be hard to part with..but if you need money for racing.???

hi stu wenoopy..thanks for your reply..perhaps i am getting too devious ?? yes i ll check those v8 anchors..by the local weather map that you could log onto...bris loop..most of the heavy rain is just missing us now..but up north river is up to 24 metres high !!
the koala that climbs the gum tree next to my cabin poo d on my camry last night..is that a good omen for the year ?? (ron )

[David Manton]

Rons quiz..number..5..
...1...name 10 (of 20 )drivers and their cars..who entered for the 1951 mairehau nz road race ?
...2...which sidecar rider died racing a midget at a christchurch race track ?
...3...at the 1971 bay park international..name both drivers and cars that were involved in a first lap serious accident .in the series saloon race..
...4...who used to write articles in a nz motoring magazine..titled..( as i see it ) ?.
...5...what did they name the final stock car race at aranui speedway nz..?
...6...name 6 drivers entered in road race cars at aranui race track feb 5..1955 (not midget..sprint tq.or modified cars ) ?
...7...name 8 cars in ken smiths classic car collection..1975 ?
...8...who was the 1975 world grand prix champion..?
...9...in nz what was the retail price to the nearest $1000 for a new 1975 chrysler valiant auto car ?
...10..name 8 speedway race tracks that have been in and around christchurch nz..?

Hello Ron. Question 7: From memory there were the remains of several Brabhams and one of the cars Ken probably wishes had stayed in his garage: a 1955 Ferrari Mondial Spyder, one of 16 with the Scaglietti series II bodywork, although when looked at in the late 1970s there was no bodywork to speak of that had survived a very serious crash in Macau (?). The chassis, engine, gearbox and boxes of other parts were for sale when Kiwi drivers were racing there in the late 60s. The asking price was a bit steep so Ken Smith, Roly Levis and (I think) Graeme Lawrence pitched in and bought it between them as an investment. It sat in a corner at Ken's South Auckland property for years until it went to England where it was fully restored for historic racing.

[thunder427]

hi peter...good to hear from you...a good nor wester would be good for a change...but not the earthquake though !!

...2...yes it was earle wild...top side car rider..i under stand that he had 2 ..500 cc engines on his sidecar bike..one going forward..one going backwards..i was there on that night as were half of christchurch it seems..the accident did nt seem worse than any other flip over but he died that night in hospital..( no roll cages in those days )
...7...laST question...anyone tell me some of the classiccars in ken smiths posession..1975..???

ronmac, The day of Earle Wilde,s accident,he came around to my parents home,as my Father was sort of 'mentoring' Earle',if my memory is correct both Earle and my Father worked for 'A R,Mackay Ltd,Christchurch,(Rootes Group agents!!?? ),Earle as a Mechanic, My Father a 'Car/Truck saleman (Lyndsay Johnson)

The story as I know it, Earle had a couple of 'girlfriends, One which was happy for him to race 'speedway', the other was where his heart was ,said "no Speedway", Earle, the week prior to his accident had visited 'Western Spring Speedway where he had found a 'Buyer' for his 'Speedcar/midget',returning to Christchurch he proposed to his 'Sweetheart' and had come around to tell my Father/Mother of his decission, but I remember,Earle was a little dis-pleased, as 'Dickie Campbell' ,the promoter of 'Arani Speedway' and a driving 'Mentor to the young Earle,.."Son You're on the Billboard for tonight's programme,You Race"!!!!!!!!!!,Earle was not Happy but felt obligated to race,for all the wrong reason's

Earle had made a lot of the established/seasoned drivers look a little 'secondhand' that season, Dickie Campbell had tutoured the young ,eager to win, Earle.."If the Gap's not big enough, you make it bigger,they'll learn to give way if you intend to drive thru"!!!!!!!!!!!!......And he was going for 'GOLD' when the accident Occured,our family spent a very long night/vigel outside the Christchurch Hospital, praying for 'good news', saddly there was no 'Good news' that night/Morning.

There was a police enquirie,standard proceedure in the case of a race/death, this bought out a number of aligations, Sugar in gas tanks, conspracy to 'Get Earle Wilde',etc, etc, none of which was going to bring back my 'Hero'.......Earle Wilde....picture the 'Fonz' ......Blue Jeans,white t,shirt,dark shade's........I thought he was pretty 'COOL'

Our days/evenings at Aranui Speedway came to a halt,I know from kitchen table talk that Earle's 'Sweetheart'/girlfriend had a tough time of it....But Speedway was like that in those days, was great entertainment but it could all end so tragically..........................regards427/Myles Johnson

NB: on a more happy note...while on Speedway, Ronnie Moore was my alltime Speedway (to use a modern cliche 'Superstar')..To see Ronnie ride with a half lap 'handiecap', in a three lap race and win by the same amount was some of the most 'Magic' moments of my spectating Life,.....meet Roonie some years later,to get his bio'/Book autographed, invited me to his home,where we sat on a 'Lawn Bench', he answered my many questions with a happy patience, I think I was getting him out of lawn mowing duties (temporally!!)...A true Champion and a Gentleman..................regards427

Question for ronmac,,I've always wondered if Earle was at all related to Des Wild/Wilde....or was that a different spelling ??!!!!!!!!

[David McKinney]

Des Wild didn't have an 'e'

[Ray Bell]

Fascinating insight there, Myles...

Speedway and road racing always had its share of tragedy those days.

[ronmac]

Fascinating insight there, Myles...

Speedway and road racing always had its share of tragedy those days.

yes ray .thanks to myles..it was interesting to hear the inside story of earle wilde which i was not aware of. (ron )

[ronmac]

thanks myles...those were the days..when saturday night was speedway night !! i used to ride my bicycle from spreydon..9 miles each way..remember them playing the record many times over..(happy days are here again ) in christchurch there was nothing to do except the pictures or speedway..no dining out or clubs ..highlight on the night for up to 10.000 spectators (apart for ronnie moore ) was the stock car ..butchers picnic..where a lot of classic cars (now would be ) were destroyed..from 1937 v8 s down to whippets and rugbys..some with wooden spoke wheels it was funny to see drivers trying to get back in the race after an accident with broken spokes digging into the cinder track..some drivers who raced at speedway also raced at mairehau..john jacobson..neil stuart rodger moore (who road raced in an austin 7 (ulster ??) i used to work with stu jarman..at brown motors..who told me once in the aranui pits.des wild was loading some bags of cash into the boot of his car and said... well there.s another lot that the tax guys wont be getting..probably helped to pay for the palm beach allard that he raced.!!(kiwi enginuity.) or (maori cunning ) ron.

[ronmac]

Last of the quiz questions..

...3...ken smiths car collection 1975...

...3 coopers..ferrari mondel..1931 model a ford..1934 ford v8 sedan..1939 ford mercury.. 1936 graham paige.. lola (front engined )

(thanks to john addison..reporter )

[thunder427]

Question for ronmac,....after riding your bike to Aranui...."Who!! did they play "Sail along Silvery moon' for at Half time/program...Who!!, would also have been the youngest person killed in a "Speedway' car,giving a 'Demonstration' at a Grass Track Meet,... Whom has a memorial Headstone at the "Bishopdale Cemetry/Christchurch...added clue's would be that I believe his Father was the Promoter at Aranui and I believe the 'Accident occured at the Rangiora horse track..........................!!??

Ronmac, was thinking back trying to put an age to Myself at the time of Earle's accident.............12/13 yrs old comes to mind,WOW!!!,seems like just the other Day,so to speak.....................regards thunder427/MJ

[Ray Bell]

Funny about speedways and music...

Westmead had a thing for "Knock on your Door"... though I'm not sure that's the actual title. Maybe "Knock and Ring and Tap"?

[ronmac]

hi thunder 427...

...1...no don t know who they played sail along silvery moon for....not me..!!

...2...young driver who died was billy philp..son of bill philp.. who worked at steel bros..in lincoln road..chch.. and rode a side car bike (with success ) and i think that he may have competed at monica park too.. i don.t..think that he was ever a promotor..but he was on the committee..of speedway assn.. for templeton speedway..the track was named the billy philp memorial speedway for a time..you are correct that billy was killed at rakaia park or horse track when a nurf rod bolt broke and the rod dug into the ground flipping the car over.giving him fatal head injuries...after that thecar was given to me..and i raced it on the estuary sand flats with clyde and warner collins..a chch motoring guy paul pannell also raced the little micro midgets at aranui with billy and half dozen others.too..

...ray bell..yes it certainly added to the atmosphere when music was blaring out inbetween races...remember the bee gees started their singing career singing at a local speedway...brisbane or redcliffe i think.. (ron )

[ronmac]

holey moley...look at all these quiz s...did i start all that ?? should i have put a patent on the idea..??rons quiz new year trivia quiz..xmas photo quiz..xmas quiz..boxing day quiz ??? if i did im quite chuffed...at least we are all keeping david mckinney on his toes !!! Good luck and a happy new year to you all ..and god bless us every one..