55 replies to this topic

[ERIKZ]

Which National Australian newsprint and magazines covered sports car races during the 1960's?

 

Erik

[cooper997]

There was quite a few, mainly monthly Australian titles back in the 1960s that covered motor sport in their pages.

Australian Autosportsman - bit obscure to find
Australian Motor Sports (& automobiles) - lost its direction in the 1960s. But can still help fill in a bit of information
Australian Weekly Autonews - short lived weekly in early 1965
Modern Motor - usually featured journalist/ race driver/ SV team owner, David McKay's reports.
Motor Manual - covered motor sport a little bit.
Racing Car News - best coverage of most events.
Sports Car World - probably easiest to find, but not as completely motor sport focused as RCN. Produced some colorful motor sport related covers though.
Wheels - sister publication to SCW covered a little bit

A couple of the Sydney newspapers would give some coverage too.

Stephen

Edited by cooper997, 24 August 2013 - 05:28.

[Ray Bell]

Autosportsman morphed into a Hot Rod magazine (not sure of the exact title), a sort of blending of the motor sport and general magazine with the hot rod mag...

 

RCN continued unhindered until about 1984, then was sold to the owner of the Prad Holden (his name escapes me at the moment) who kept it up for a while. Max Stahl, with backing from Bill Brown and Mal Biddlecombe, then repurchased the title and it went back under his control, but with Elizabeth Tuckey doing a lot of the work. It Faltered somewhat, I think, as the standard of magazines was improving and RCN wasn't keeping pace.

 

That was when Chevron (Ray Berghouse and Tom Floyd) bought it and upgraded the image for a while. But reporting the sport in a monthly magazine in the face of opposition from a weekly or fortnightly was too much and it was phased out in favour of the bi-monthly Motor Racing Australia, which didn't pretend to be trying to be first out with the news each month.

 

We also had Tasmanian Motorist for a time, and I don't remember the name of the WASCC-based magazine which reported on a wide range of events.

 

Modern Motor also gave quite reasonable coverage of major racing events, David McKay being the main writer for this ACP title. Remind me who was involved with AutoNews? That was the unfortunately doomed brainchild of Ian Fraser, was it not?

Edited by Ray Bell, 24 August 2013 - 14:55.

[cooper997]

Earlier on Autosportsman had started out as 'The Light Car' club magazine for Melbourne's Light Car Club in 1960. In that form it was short lived (6 issues I believe) becoming 'The Light Car and Autosportsman' for a couple of issues in late 1961. Then just 'Australian Autosportsman' where it's publisher was Jim Abbott, who also got Lakeland Hillclimb going in 1964. Publishing later moved to Sydney (1967?) with Jim Shepherd and Graham Howard, if I'm on the right path.

RCN was first edited from July 1961 by Gayl Holmes in newsprint form initially. She married, racing driver Ralph Sach and Max Stahl was in the seat from July 1964 issue. Some thirty years later, Stephen Knox took over and tried to take it upmarket and turned it into a quarterly. That format didn't last long.

'Australian Autonews' was a tabloid style format with Ian Fraser as editor (who had been the first editor of SCW in 1957). First issue was January 29, 1965 and I have 7 issues, the latest dated March 12th, 1965. But not sure whether it lasted any later.

'The Visor' was the West Australian Sporting Car Club magazine. There was also 'Wheelspin' from the Sporting Car Club of South Australia, plus 'Tasmanian Motorist' but all these are so limited in circulation they make Autosportsman look common.

Stephen

[Ray Bell]

Autosportsman migrated to Sydney to the Yaffa group, Graham Howard was there, Gordon Hill was the man on the hot-rod magazine (whatever it was called) and Autosportsman eventually blended into that... probably not successfully. It was in this magazine that I had my first article published.

 

RCN, I'm pretty sure, had its first issue out covering the opening Warwick Farm meeting. A full reproduction of this magazine, which was tabloid but not newsprint, was included in the 20th anniversary issue. It wasn't thirty years before Stephen Knox bought it, I reckon it was '84 and certainly by '86 Max was back at the helm.

 

There were no AutoNews issues after March 14, I had them all at one stage but termites go them along with many of my programmes. Someone here promised a few weeks ago to send me a photo of each page of the Longford report out of the final issue.

 

Another magazine that I picked up on was Motorave out of South Australia. Strangely enough, I got a copy of this fairly amateurish effort when I went to Darwin in '98 or '99 and got in touch with the publisher and tried to help him elevate its standard and increase the level of the content. It all failed, he had no backing.

[Piquet959]

There were at one stage in the early 1970's two fortnightly newspaper type magazines.
Motorsport News was printed in Sydney. Not sure who the publisher/ printer was
The other version was Auto Action which was from Melbourne. It was printed by The Age in their Spencer st building

The interesting thug was that they oth came out on alternate weeks. For a while there it was a weekly serve of motor racing news with both Sydney and Melbourne points of view on the same or similar subjects on alternate weeks.

It took quite a bit of my spending money for quite a while keeping up with them both for probably about 3 years or so. Until Motorsport News stopped publishing then it was fortnightly with AA for quite a long time.

They seemed to lose the plot when they went weekly and the price soared which resulted in me stopping buying their paper.

AA started out covering nearly all aspects of motor racing but eventually concentrated on V8 super cars to the expense of nearly all other categories.

Cheers
Peter.

[Ray Bell]

Motorsport News (was that the name of it? Or Australian Motoring News?) was owned by Niel Allen and edited by Tom Floyd initially.

 

A little later Barry Lake conspired with Gabriel Szatmary (sp?) to produce Chequered Flag as a monthly in opposition to RCN, where he had been Assistant Editor until that time. This title changed hands a couple of times and eventually died.

[cooper997]

Brain fade made me type thirty, instead of twenty in relation to Stephen Knox taking over RCN. But July 1961 was the first issue of RCN, covering the May 21, 1961 Warwick Farm on the front page. It was reproduced in the 20th anniversary issue - July-Aug 1981. That particular issue had various previous covers emblazoned on it.

One has to be careful not to be tricked by the reproduction #1 as being an original issue. For starters it was stapled into the anniversary issue. It has a fault from the sample original on the front page lower photo, smack bang in front of McKay's Fiat. But most obviously the easiest way to tell it's a repro is the inside back cover has a then current RCN subscription advert. This page also displaying 12 of the early tabloid format covers. So the reproductions are plentiful, but the 1961 original certainly isn't.

For the record, September 1963 was the first RCN in magazine form. This issue having the Geoghegan brothers both in their Lotus' featured on it. Even these early magazine issues are pretty rare.

Also rare, is the small format RCN yearbook published in 1964. Just before Max took over the chair.

Stephen

[GMACKIE]

Did I see Gail Holmes 'flogging' RCN at Warwick Farm, [early '60s?], or has my memory failed once again?

[Ray Bell]

Probably...

 

I flogged plenty of the seventies issues at race meetings too.

 

I don't recall that yearbook at all, what's it look like?

[GMACKIE]

Does that mean Gail was "Probably" flogging RCN...........or my memory has "Probably" failed? 

[cooper997]

I wasn't there but suspect your memory is correct Greg about Gayl selling copies at circuits. In the programme for the August 27, 1961 Catalina Park meeting there's a half page for RCN.
"Racing Car News
The only NSW magazine giving a comprehensive
coverage of recent and forthcoming events.
Car Club News - Race Meetings - Hill Climbs - Sprints - Trials - Gymkhanas
Get Your Copy Today
Only 2/- or subscription 27/6 per year"

Even in the late 70's and early 80's RCN was available at a trade stand in the old pits at Sandown. So it must have been common practice to sell it at race meetings from very early on.

The RCN yearbook has on its mainly yellow cover "Racing Car News 1964 Annual - complete review of the past Australian motor sport season - Portraits of leading drivers." It also has a part illustration of what appears to be Bruce McLaren's Cooper T70. It was produced with Gayl still at the helm but would have come out only a month or so before Max took over.

In its A5 64 pages it briefly covers various Australian and state championships and events. Bib Stillwell's Gold Star, 1963 Armstrong 500, BP Rally, Mobil Economy Run, Driver profiles with photos, complete with trade advertising, etc, etc. It is a neat professional effort. But a once only publication. As Max didn't pursue the formula for 1965 and beyond. Although there was the annual magazines published in the 1970's.

Happy to scan the cover if someone wishes to volunteer to post it here.

Stephen

[Ian G]

Motorsport News (was that the name of it? Or Australian Motoring News?) was owned by Niel Allen and edited by Tom Floyd initially.

 

A little later Barry Lake conspired with Gabriel Szatmary (sp?) to produce Chequered Flag as a monthly in opposition to RCN, where he had been Assistant Editor until that time. This title changed hands a couple of times and eventually died.

 

I think Gabriel's claim to fame was the Moss/Brabham  Bathurst entry

 

http://news.google.c...pg=1160,9160653

Edited by Ian G, 27 August 2013 - 11:38.

[austmcreg]

'Australian Autonews' was a tabloid style format with Ian Fraser as editor (who had been the first editor of SCW in 1957). First issue was January 29, 1965 and I have 7 issues, the latest dated March 12th, 1965. But not sure whether it lasted any later.

'The Visor' was the West Australian Sporting Car Club magazine. There was also 'Wheelspin' from the Sporting Car Club of South Australia, plus 'Tasmanian Motorist' but all these are so limited in circulation they make Autosportsman look common.

Stephen

Australian Autonews 12/3/65 is the last one I have record of too. Ray, I have  some photos of Longford report from this, for you, must remember to send!

 

Tasmanian Motorist ran from 1964 to early 1967 and was replaced by Tas Auto News, which ran until 1970. If you think Tasmanian Motorist is rare, try finding the later one! I used to have a few of them but in a moment of madness 15 years ago swapped them for some programs. I am fortunate to have one of only three (I believe) complete sets in existance of Tasmanian Motorist, which had reasonable coverage of Tasmanian events in that period but the accuracy of reporting and style of writing left much to be desired.

 

Early Sports Car World had good racing coverage from across the country but accuracy and editing were major problems.

 

Rob Saward

[ERIKZ]

_{Thanks guys for the leads on the magazines and newsprint....time to fire up the search engines and see what we can find.}

 

_Erik

[cooper997]

Erik, if you were a bit more specific on what you are trying to achieve in relation to the 1960s Australian Sports Cars racing scene then there are some who can possibly help or point you in the correct direction with material or anecdotes.

Stephen

[ellrosso]

Rob, this is the last Tas Auto News I have - must have been very close to the end of the line I'd say. I have 5 others ranging from Longford 1968 meeting, another 1968,a 1969 and a couple from 1970. Strange though, all the pics on this 1972 are from 1969 - McCormack, Wigston's Lotus Cortina and Nelson Lattimer's Super 7

[ERIKZ]

To Stephen:

 

I'm doing some research on the Ron Thorp Cobra and here's a list of events that I'm looking for articles on.....and if you have to ask, yes I have been in contact with the current owners (Bowden's Own).

 

February 14,1965-Warwick Farms-14th OA/3rd in class

 

February 21, 1965-Bathurst Hill Climb-1st

 

March 14, 1965-Silverdale Hill Climb-1st

 

March 21, 1965-Tamworth Hill Climb-1st

 

March 28,1965-Lakeland Hill Climb-1st

 

April 1, 1965-Huntley Hill Climb-1st

 

April 11, 1965-Wollongong Hill Climb-1st

 

April 19, 1965-Bathurst-race 1: 5th/race 2: 4th

 

May 1, 1965-Oran Park-9th OA

 

May 15, 1965-Warwick Farm-race 1: 10th/race 2: 4th

 

May 23, 1965-Silverdale Hill Climb-1st

 

June 6, 1965-Caversham 6-Hour-2nd OA/2nd over 3000cc

 

August 22, 1965-Catalina Park-race 1: 7th/race 2: 6th

 

September 11,1965-Newcastle Hill Climb-1st

 

November 7, 1965-Catalina Park-race 1: 7th/race 2: 7th

 

November 14, 1965-Lakeside TT-did not start, rule infraction

 

December 5, 1965-Warwick Farm-3rd

 

December 15, 1965-Huntley Hill Climb-1st

 

January 31, 1966-Catalina Park-race 1: 5th/race 2: 4th

 

February 12,1966-Warwick Farm-did not finish

 

February 20, 1966-Bathurst Hill Climb-1st

 

March 6, 1966-Oran Park-race 1: 5th/race 2: 1st

 

March 20, 1966-Tamworth Hill Climb-?

 

April 10, 1966-Bathurst-3rd

 

April 16, 1966-Huntley Hill Climb-1st

 

May 1, 1966-Oran Park-8th

 

May 14, 1966-Warwick Farm-race 1: 11th/race 2: 2nd

 

May 22, 1966-Silverdale Hill Climb-1st

 

June 4, 1966-Caversham 6-Hour-1st OA/1st over 3000cc

 

June 13, 1966-Mallalla Race-race 1: 7th/race 2: 4th

 

July 16, 1966-Warwick Farm-race 1: 2nd/race 2: 7th

 

August 19, 1966-Surfer's Paradise 12-Hour-9th OA/1st GTS over 2.0

 

August 28, 1966-Catalina Park-race 1: 5th/race 2: 2nd/race 3: 7th

 

October 23, 1966-Fountaindale-1st

 

November 16, 1966-Grafton Hill Climb-1st

 

December 3, 1966-Warwick Farm-race 1: 6th/race 2: 4th

 

January 22, 1967-Amaroo Hill Climb-1st

 

January 30, 1967-Catalina Park-race 1: 5th

 

February 19, 1967-Warwick Farm-did not start

 

February 26, 1967-Bathurst Hill Climb-1st

 

March 27, 1967-Bathurst-race 1: 2nd/race 2: 9th

 

May 14, 1967-Warwick Farm-race 1: 10th

 

May 21, 1967-Wollongong Hill Climb-1st

 

June 5, 1967-Caversham 6-Hour-2nd OA/1st over 3000cc

 

June 25, 1967-Castlereigh Sprint Championship-1st

 

July 9, 1967-Dapto Hill Climb-1st

 

July 16, 1967-Grafton Hill Climb-1st

 

July 30, 1967-Wollongong Hill Climb-1st

 

September 3, 1967-Surfer's Paradise 12-Hour-9th-Thorp/Strong

 

September 9, 1967-Newcastle Hill Climb-1st

 

September 17, 1967-Silverdale Hill Climb-1st

 

October 15, 1967-Wollongong Hill Climb-1st

 

November 10, 1967-Wollongong Hill Climb-2nd

 

November 26, 1967-Bathurst Hill Climb-2nd

 

Erik

Edited by ERIKZ, 28 August 2013 - 02:50.

[Ray Bell]

Erikz, you have the dates back to front...

 

Given time I could look up all these things, but have you tried asking Ron himself?

[ERIKZ]

To Ray:

 

Is Ron still around?  Out here in the States, it goes month, day and then year (I know your joking here by the way....)....everywhere else is the day, month and then the year..

 

Regards, Erik

[GMACKIE]

Erik, I feel the same as Ray about those dates. Those events took place here in Australia, and to us would make more sense around the 'right' way.

 

I saw Ron a lot in the early '60s, in the 'Bargain Barn' Cobra......a handy driver.

 

Wollongong, Dapto, and Huntley are the same hillclimb, by the way.

[Dick Willis]

I believe Ron Thorp still lives at Inverell, NSW. I would have most of the mags where Ron competed in sprints and hillclimbs in 1965/6/7 as I was competing in the same clas, unsuccessfully, against him.

[Ray Bell]

I doubt there's many of those events weren't covered in RCN, Dick...

 

Yes, Ron is still at the airport in Inverell (or just out of Inverell... halfway to Elsmore hillclimb) and is still tied up with the car museum there.

[ERIKZ]

To Ray, Greg and Willis:

 

All right, I went ahead and made corrections to the date format for the events, hopefully they are a little easier to follow this time around. 

 

If Wollongong, Dapto and Huntley are the same event, what is the preferred name then so I can rename all of them as the same event? 

 

Willis....if you have any of those magazines articles, could you scan them and send me a copy when you have some spare time.  Also, Willis....what were your fond memories of Ron and his Cobra....if anyone else on this Forum has any input on Ron and his Cobra I'd be interested in what you remember.

 

Erik

[ken devine]

Ron Thorpe ran the Cobra in 2 6hr races 65 and 66, I have several photos if i can help there.There were two other magazines in WA apart from the Visor they were Western Wheels and Speedway Westside in the 70s
but their main interest was Speedway.

[275 GTB-4]

Which National Australian newsprint and magazines covered sports car races during the 1960's?

 

Erik

 

Erik, do a search on RCN...for example

 

http://forums.autosp...ws-magazine/?hl= racing  car  news

[cooper997]

Erik,

Well at least it's just one car you're researching and not the whole 1960's Australian Sports Car racing scene. Is that list, as provided by Bowden's?

It has certainly helped by telling us what you are trying to achieve, as Dick has mentioned he competed against Ron's Cobra. Unfortunately another former keeper of the car, John Blanden passed away in 2004.

If you provide us with an email address, either here or via pm, a little digging can be done.

Stephen

[Dick Willis]

Erik, that is rather a tall order to scan and email a multitude of magazine articles as you requested, I will have to think of an easy way, any suggestions ?

[GMACKIE]

Huntley hillclimb [probably what it's most commonly called] is near Dapto, which is near Wollongong. The hillclimb is the access road to Huntley Colliery.

[ERIKZ]

Yes, it is a tall order on my part....you'll have to pardon me on that part.  Instead of scanning and emailing the whole article, I just need a summary of any part mentioning Ron and his Cobra unless it is rather minor (For example....Ron passed Bob on the outside of turn two....if it is as minor as that, it is not worth the effort).  If the race results are the only thing in the article I would need those to reference what I have written down and also to check and see if I have the dates and events correct. 

 

I guess, the only other things that I have questions on would be what Ron was like?  What was it like to race against the Cobra?  How did you set up your car differently to race against Ron and how hard did you have to push him so he would make a mistake?  How come none of the other competitors ended up buying a Cobra?  Any tall tales or good stories?  You can PM me or email at the following address if you would like:

 

erikzurbriggen@q.com

 

Regards, Erik

[ERIKZ]

I'll check the RCN link....

 

Ken I'd be interested in seeing those pictures when you have a chance.

 

Huntley Hill Climb it is.....thanks Greg.

 

Correct, the race list/dates is from Bowden's Own.....

 

Erik

Edited by ERIKZ, 28 August 2013 - 03:01.

[cooper997]

I have just sent Erik the Feb 65 Warwick Farm programme entry lists and Mar 65 RCN sports car race report.

Edit 1 - April 65 Bathurst Easter Monday entry lists and May 65 RCN race report sent

Edit 2 - May 16, 1965 (note correct date) Warwick Farm entry lists and June 65 RCN race report sent.

Edit 3 - May 2, 1965 Oran Park report from June 65 RCN sent.

Edit 4 - August 22, 1965 Catalina Park entry lists and Oct 65 RCN race report, plus November 7, 1965 Catalina Park entry lists and Dec 65 RCN race report sent.

Happy to start by dealing with the race meetings Dick. Not much point things getting doubled up.

Rather than tedious scanning I used the iPad, quick photo and quick copy/attachment process.

Stephen

Edited by cooper997, 30 August 2013 - 01:57.

[Ray Bell]

A photo using any digital device is quicker and easier than a scan...

 

I use camera to take the pic, then I use Irfanview to crop and reduce its size.

[ERIKZ]

Stephen and Ray, you are both on the right track with the camera/ipad....instant satisfaction, simply outstanding!!  I guess I'm still in the stone ages with the scanner.

 

Erik

[Dick Willis]

My brief Ron Thorp impressions; I ran against him in 1965 in a few hillclimbs, the Cobra then was in basically  äs bought" "condition, at that stage although we were both running in the same class, ie. sports/racing over 1500ccs. In 1966 Ron obviously decided to have a big go in the championship, both in class and outright. and the Cobra was fitted with a set of downdraught Webers and fat  Halibrand wheels etc. He was a quiet ruddy complexioned chap who didn't say a lot but got about his business very effectively .He had started racing in the early 1950s in a Ford V8 special then later graduated to the Masling Humber or AER Humber, by the early 1960s he had the ex Tom Sulman Aston Martin DB3S. He was usually entered under the name of Ron Thorps Bargain Barn, some of our Wollongong TNF people may be able to elaborate on that more. Later, in his Inverell days he became interested in Bristols and had either a 401 or 403.

 

In the 1966 NSW hillclimb champs Colin Bond in the Lynx Peugeot was the man to beat for outright honours finishing with 50 points and FTD at every round he contested but Ron finished second on 42 points outright while in the sports car category he won the class at every round bar one when I pipped him at the Newcastle round ,Ron 49 points to my 46.

 

In 1967 I had moved to another category but Ron came third outright behind Colin Bond and Peter Cohen, points 59, 50, 45.He won the sports car category with FTD at every round he contested with 60 points to second placed Tom Sulman on 50.

 

As I was running in the same class as Ron he was naturally my target but at time I couldn't believe how far ahead of me he was and knocking on the door of FTD particularly at Bathurst when the track was a little damp, obviously some conditions suited the Cobra well while at others his advantage wasn't as great.

 

No doubt Stephen and Ray will be able to relate Ron's racing exploits with the Cobra much better than I can.

[Dale Harvey]

Erik,if you have time go through the thread called Personal Photos of Australian Motor Racing 60's,70's etc. I have posted a photo of Ron in the Cobra at Newcatle hillclimb. (King Edward Park). If you can wait I can email it to you when I return home, but that won't be till early October.
Dale

[Dick Willis]

Dale, have a good time touring Europe/UK, lucky bugger !

[ken devine]

Erik if you look up the Old Race photos website i have a couple on there from Caversham under sportscars.

[Catalina Park]

I remember reading a story about Ron and the Cobra possibly about 20 years ago.
I seem the recall that he ran it open in hillclimbs and with the hard top on the circuits.

[Wirra]

General impression as a spectator at that time - I remember Ron and the Cobra as kinda ‘missing the boat’. Up until the mid ‘60s sports cars were mainly modified British production sports cars (Sprites, Healey, Jags, Morgans, etc) or low cc sports racing cars (Lotus 11, 15. etc). When Ron appeared with the Cobra he would have been in a position to beat most of those but as it was the bigger V8 sports racers (Elfin 400, Lolas, etc, even the 250 LM) were arriving on the scene and outright victories were never a possibility. I must say, in those circumstances, I never really thought much of it as a race car.

 

It was great to see it at the Goodwood Revival last year.

 

http://vimeo.com/50899788

Edited by Wirra, 28 August 2013 - 11:06.

[Ray Bell]

Matich's Lotus 19 had been top of the sporties pile from early '62, even late '61, along with Bib Stillwell's Monaco...

 

Ron's car was always remarkably 'road going' in appearance and very much unlike the factory 7-litre car that appeared here just once at the end of '65.

 

He proudly claims that he was the only person to ever win an endurance race with their wife as co-driver, this being the 6-hour at Caversham in 1966. Careful though, that was his first wife, Marie, not the present one. Actually, it's a while since he told me that and I'm not sure whether she was in on the winning drive.

 

The race reports only mention her being in the '65 race, when he competed against the 250LM. There's no mention of her at all in the '66 and '67 races and in the '65 report she's simply mentioned in the preamble. There's no note of when she actually drove the car, but judging by the laps lost over the second hour that might have been when.

[ERIKZ]

Thanks Ray, Dick and Wirra on the Ron Cobra history.

 

To Dale....no rush on the project so when your back in town in October, you can go ahead and send the Newcastle photo.

 

To Ken...thanks for the lead on the photos....I currently have a few of Lindsay Ross photos, Bruce Wells photos and also some of Autopics photos of Ron's Cobra.

 

Erik

[Dale Harvey]

We will read the brochure while we are waiting to hear back from you Chas...

http://www.brisbane....l_track_map.pdf

Dale, have a good time touring Europe/UK, lucky bugger !

Yeah,thanks Dick, having a good time,will be at Goodwood in a couple of weeks. In Paris at the moment.
Dale.

Edited by Dale Harvey, 28 August 2013 - 21:08.

[ellrosso]

Erik, I've actually got a colour shot on the ORP site which may not have been on there when you bought those prints. Its from Warwick Farm, Tasman series meeting, 1965. Only a wide shot from the spectator area

but quite good atmosphere. Thorp is chasing 2 other sportys, one of which is the J&S Hunter GT (probably of no interest to you, but quite a few TNFr's will know it). Ron's son bought a few prints off us a few years back too.

Just type Cobra into the Advanced Search will bring it up (or 7579). Actually, would any TNF'r know who was driving the Hunter GT at that meeting? Any help appreciated. I'm thinking Ian Hindmarsh

but I've got no way of checking.

Edited by ellrosso, 29 August 2013 - 08:28.

[Ray Bell]

There's no mention of either Hindmarsh or a Hunter GT in the RCN report, nor in any of the sporty car races on that day...

 

What was the other car?

[ellrosso]

Ray, shots of Clark, Brabham etc (and Baillie in Galaxie) from the same spot, same lighting etc, so I'm assuming all shots were taken on the same day. He's a Tassy boy so I'd say on the big one off trip to W Farm for the Tasman series round. No idea who the other red car is.

[cooper997]

Lindsay, best I can see is that this is from Event 1 Sports Car Race 'B' . #43 Sydney Speed Shop (dvr: Ian Hindmarsh) Hunter Coupe 2598 Grey. Although not easy to decipher, I think the red car shows #18 on it. So listed as J Wallace (dvr: entrant/ R Flack) Holden Special 2498 Red. Then #42 Ron Thorp's Bargain Barn ( dvr: R Thorp) AC Cobra V8 4727 Green

Stephen

[Ray Bell]

Good photo...

 

It looks like Ron might be lining up to lap them...

 

Though the report on the 'B' race doesn't mention him at all, while the main sports car race has a lot of mention of him without saying where he was placed! I'd say these cars carried over into the main race.

[Lee Nicolle]

Autosportsman migrated to Sydney to the Yaffa group, Graham Howard was there, Gordon Hill was the man on the hot-rod magazine (whatever it was called) and Autosportsman eventually blended into that... probably not successfully. It was in this magazine that I had my first article published.
 
RCN, I'm pretty sure, had its first issue out covering the opening Warwick Farm meeting. A full reproduction of this magazine, which was tabloid but not newsprint, was included in the 20th anniversary issue. It wasn't thirty years before Stephen Knox bought it, I reckon it was '84 and certainly by '86 Max was back at the helm.
 
There were no AutoNews issues after March 14, I had them all at one stage but termites go them along with many of my programmes. Someone here promised a few weeks ago to send me a photo of each page of the Longford report out of the final issue.
 
Another magazine that I picked up on was Motorave out of South Australia. Strangely enough, I got a copy of this fairly amateurish effort when I went to Darwin in '98 or '99 and got in touch with the publisher and tried to help him elevate its standard and increase the level of the content. It all failed, he had no backing.

I vaguely remember Motorave. It lasted only a few months. The SCCSA also for a period sold Wheelspin as a proper magazine. I have 1 or 2 from about 69 and it covered speedway, circuit and even drags.
It soon reverted back to the club magazine. Though the ones I have were good quality for the period.

There has been a few others come and go on the SA scene over the decades. As recently as the last few years. Though the names and publishers escape me.And in the last 10 years I seldom ever buy them now, or programmes. Everything got too expensive and something had to go.

[Lee Nicolle]

There were at one stage in the early 1970's two fortnightly newspaper type magazines.
Motorsport News was printed in Sydney. Not sure who the publisher/ printer was
The other version was Auto Action which was from Melbourne. It was printed by The Age in their Spencer st building

The interesting thug was that they oth came out on alternate weeks. For a while there it was a weekly serve of motor racing news with both Sydney and Melbourne points of view on the same or similar subjects on alternate weeks.

It took quite a bit of my spending money for quite a while keeping up with them both for probably about 3 years or so. Until Motorsport News stopped publishing then it was fortnightly with AA for quite a long time.

They seemed to lose the plot when they went weekly and the price soared which resulted in me stopping buying their paper.

AA started out covering nearly all aspects of motor racing but eventually concentrated on V8 super cars to the expense of nearly all other categories.

Cheers
Peter.

I think you will find that was the 90s. The Fiction never started until the late 70s and MN was in the 90s until recently. It was an online for a while, then became 'paid' and I think has disappeared.
I bought the Fiction right through the 80s and 90s the when MN was around usually only bought one or the other. Though for a period had both delivered.