8 replies to this topic

[ed holly]

Have just heard that Roly Levis has passed away. Very very sad news, and our thoughts and prayers will be with Roly's family.

 

I was extremely lucky to be in Roly's company on a number of occassions as Roly owned and competed in the Brabham BT6, which I am fortunate to own, in the years September 1964, 1965, till around September 1966. In this time with the car, Roly competed in 14 Tasman races, competing against the world's best, and of course Australia's best, both in NZ and Australia. Roly was very often the first 1.5 litre car home beating the likes of Leo Geoghegan and Greg Cusack on many occassions on their home turf in similar capacity cars. In this BT6 Roly won the NZ 1.5 litre National Championship in both 1965 and 1966, coming 4th then 3rd respectively in the NZ Gold Star.

 

Later in Roly's career he had a Brabham BT18 then a BT23 which carried him to NZ's ultimate prize - the NZ Gold Star in 1967 with the BT18 and 1967 with the BT23.

 

I first met Roly at the inaugural Tasman Revival in 2006, with his daughter Vivien. Roly was very happy to see his old Brabham in such good condition and running well. Roly had a wonderful passion for motorsport, and was very kind taking such an interest in the cars that were the front line racers so many years ago, and to us, the drivers who pale into insignificance when compared to the feats that Roly and his contemporaries acomplished in those wonderful years so long ago now.

 

Roly was 88 years.

 

I will always remember at Hampton Downs in 2010 when Roly was to do some parade laps in the BT6, and his ankle denied him the ability to push the clutch in enough to disengage the clutch - he simply said - you fix the clutch and I'll fix the ankle and we'll do it next time. Well Roly did fix the ankle with an operation that was successful, sadly there was no next time.

 

We will all miss you Roly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ray Bell]

Roly was certainly a trier and a regular competitor not to be toyed with..

 

He became a close friend of Leo Geoghegan, Glyn Scott and Jim Bertram among others and always visited Jim whenever he travelled to Brisbane.

 

I don't recall him beating Leo and Greg all that often, however, but he probably did get runs on the board when they had problems or didn't turn up for those Tasman events.

 

He was also a catalyst in that tremendous finish to the 1965 AGP... unwittingly so, but it was a memorable part of the race all the same.

[David McKinney]

I don't recall him beating Leo and Greg all that often

Even once is more than most people managed in that period...

He beat Geoghegan in NZ race smore than once

[lyntonh]

Warwick Farm Creek Corner 6th September 1969

 

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by David McKinney

Even once is more than most people managed in that period...

He beat Geoghegan in NZ races more than once

 

Well, I don't know about minor races, but he never beat Leo in a Tasman Cup race in New Zealand...

 

The only time they met in a NZ round of the series Leo was sixth and Roly 13th (Pukekohe 1965). However, a few weeks later Roly did beat both Leo and Greg at the Farm. This was an outstanding result as the two of them were getting to a point where they were head and shoulders above all the other Australian 1.5 drivers and Roly arrived and matched them on their home ground.

 

However, both Leo and Greg had spins in that race. Leo was ill and spun while trying to pass Roly at Creek Corner. No other Australian races saw them meet the Kiwi on the track, I think that was something to do with speed differentials on the faster Sandown and Longford circuits which led Leo and Greg to nominate only for the 1.5-litre race at Sandown and to skip Longford.

 

1966 saw Leo take fifth at Pukekohe while Roly was eighth, though they were on the same lap. Greg never went to New Zealand for Tasman Cup races. They met again at Warwick Farm... where, just a couple of months after their previous year's meeting Greg had found three seconds a lap and spurred Leo on to get close to his times and they were both into that stratospheric speed in qualifying for this race. I don't know what was ailing Roly, but he was slower than the previous year and over five seconds behind them on the grid.

 

Roly lasted only ten laps before going out with collision damage, Greg had mechanical trouble and Leo was seventh just a lap off the outright pace.

 

At Lakeside (AGP) Leo and Greg both retired, Roly had failed to qualify.

 

That said, you can't take it away from him. He was older than either of the others and very quickly on the pace on new circuits in 1965. Not only that, he scored a great fourth place at Levin in '66 and a fifth in another NZ round, great results in a 1.5 car and from memory unmatched on this side of the Tasman.

 

There is no doubt that his friendship with Leo began with mutual respect and I'm sure Leo will be upset to hear of his passing.

[David McKinney]

As you know, Ray, and as you’ve just shown, bare results never tell the full story.

In the 1965 NZ GP, Levis qualified to start from 7th place on the grid, Geoghegan from 10th. The New Zealander was involved in someone else’s tanlge on the grid, and lost several laps making repairs before getting under way. One report says he lost ten laps, but I suspect that as he finished seven laps behind his rival in the race, this is an exaggeration

In the 1966 race Geoghegan started from 8th on the grid, Levis from 17th after problems in practice, yet the Brabham driver was ahead by the end of the opening lap. By lap 23 (half-distance), Levis was fifth and Geoghegan 11th, and although the Australian picked up some places during a later spell of rain, he did not pass Levis until the New Zealander spun a few laps from the finish. They finished on the same lap, three places but only a few seconds apart

Geogehegan never raced on other NZ circuits until he acquired the 39, but did take part in the Pukekohe Feature supporting race in both 1965 and 1966. The first year the lead swapped between the two several times over the ten laps before the New Zealander won by 5.4 seconds. The following year Geoghegan led from start to finish, though Levis moved from eighth on the grid to second place during the first lap, and stayed there till the end

However you look at it, Roly Levis was on a par with the best Australia could offer in the 1.5 class at that time

And of course my sympathies go to his family, many of whom attended all his races as children. The family as a whole were a familiar and popular part of the NZ racing scene for many years

[sterling49]

I always read the Tasman reports back in the day, and was  always impressed at how Roly took the fight to the visiting drivers, in some older and smaller engined machinery. To be on the same grid as Jim Clark...how many drivers have had that exhalted company I wonder?   My sympathies to his family, and my friend Grant, Roly was quite an inspiration from many miles away. R.I.P.

[Andrew Fellowes]

Lovely photo of Roly in BT23C-7, thanks for posting that Lynton. 

 

I got to know Roly over the last 10 years, he was a frequent spectator at historic races, condolences to his family, great gentleman that will be missed.

[cooper997]

Sad news to hear Roly has passed.

My meeting Roly was fairly brief, but interesting for me. It was the 1st of the now bi-annual Tasman Revival's at Eastern Creek in Dec 2006 that I got to meet him. He was there with the NZ contingent of drivers, including Jim Palmer, Dennis Marwood, Kenny Smith and Bill Stone. They each signed my copy of 'The New Zealand Grand Prix Annual, 1960 -61' - mainly because it was the only NZ item I had with me that day. If memory serves me correct, he was also there with family members - two daughters??

What sticks in my mind during that meeting was both Roly and Kenny Smith taking keen interest in the front LH upright area of the then late John Dawson-Damer Lotus 25. Roly had made a repair to this area of the car when it was still raced in NZ and it was Kenny that sold J D-D the car. That day at Eastern Creek, Kenny was still well pleased that he had received $50K from J D-D, having paid $8000 for it. And wondered what it was worth as it stood before us at EC in its restored state.

What surprises me is to read Roly was 88, I simply didn't realise that 7 years ago he was in his 80's then. My condolences to Roly's family and friends.

Stephen