25 replies to this topic

[tsrwright]

I'm very sorry to see in Mentioned in Passing that Ivan Tighe has died after his recent stroke. He was very kind to me in recent years after I rang him up out of the blue looking for help with cams for the engine I was building for the Walton JAP. He built a rig to measure the valve motion of the existing cams and followers, searched his library of masters and proposed a G50 motorcycle exhaust cam as having the small amount of extra lift and duration which he thought was appropriate for hillclimb duties. After more analysis he then had his factory make the cams to my drawings. After a lot of work by Ivan I was only charged for making the cams themselves.

Although I visited him twice and heard a lot of stories about his early years at Repco he obviously only scratched the surface of a very interesting engineering and motor sport career.

It would be good to hear more of this from those who might know.

Edited by tsrwright, 30 November 2014 - 05:02.

[Lee Nicolle]

Very sad. While I have never had anything to do with him I know several that have. All positive. 

Another chap that was an innovator , we have lost too many in recent years.

Condolences to his family and friends.

[Ray Bell]

His victories in the Australian Hillclimb Championship spanned 27 years...

Quite an accomplishment!

[cooper997]

My condolences to Ivan's friends and family.

 

Here's the report from his first AHC win at Silverdale, July 19th, 1964.

 

image url

 

Stephen

[Ray Bell]

Hard to read at that size, though I have that issue of the magazine anyway...

I never realised the Mildren 1.5 Brabham ran at a hillclimb!

[275 GTB-4]

J Cutler, Dodge Phoenix, with a 49 is amazing!

[PS innerestingly, report is by Gayl Sach]

Ivan in the Tighe Vincent

http://forums.autosp...sing/?p=6985209

Edited by 275 GTB-4, 30 November 2014 - 21:33.

[GMACKIE]

Jim Cutler drove that Dodge well, considering the size of the thing.

 

Gayl Holmes was married to Raph Sach.

 

I was there that day, helping Arthur Garthon with scrutineering. When I asked Arthur what should I do about Tom Sulman's old helmet, that didn't comply, he said "Just put it back in his car".

[tsrwright]

Reads fine on my early model IPad and thank you for the post Stephen.

4000 people at a hillclimb was a good crowd even then was it not?

More info on Ivan welcome.

[tsrwright]

I note a young a young Ron Hay. Anyone else done 50 years of the AHCC?

[Ray Bell]

I think Ivan did 50 years...

I wonder what model Phoenix that was? Someone would surely have pictures!

[GMACKIE]

Ray, there's a photo - plus a few more - here :- http://www.theroarin...ight=silverdale

Edit:- There's a good shot of Tom Sulman....with his "old helmet" on.

Edited by GMACKIE, 01 December 2014 - 01:35.

[Ray Bell]

Thanks for that, Greg...

It's not the same car as Barry Sharp and Lindsay Derriman later drove either, though it's the same model... a 1963.

[cooper997]

Terry, there's a number of references to Ivan in Malcolm Preston's 'Repco - Maybach to Holden' book. One involves Ivan machining the first of the Repco Hi-power Holden cylinder heads in 1955.

 

Then in April 61 Modern Motor there's a brief piece on Ivan setting the first lap record at Lakeside in February 1961 with his Tighe-Vincent. This was a QMSC closed sprint meeting run as a shakedown to the first open meeting that was to be held the following month. Ivan was credited with a 1m19.6s lap. 

 

Stephen

[Dick Willis]

I saw quite a lot of Ivan when he was running the Kaditcha in hillclimbs, at Grafton hillclimb we used to park beside him and there was always a healthy supply of good information flowing forth. He was also a scrutineer at Queensland Historic meetings until his health prevented further participation and I always looked forward to his hints on how I could go quicker. Truly an elder statesman of our sport who will be sadly missed.

[SJ Lambert]

[Ray Bell]

I seem to remember he had an exciting moment at Sandown in that car...

At Dandenong Road Corner as I recall.

He certainly put his heart into his racing, while he wasn't afraid of the cars either. Anyone who puts a 6-litre engine into a F5000 has got to be considered at least a little brave.

[cooper997]

The following family tribute appears in Monday's Herald-Sun.

TIGHE Ivan James Passed in Brisbane on Nov. 29, 2014 Formerly of Blackburn. Dearly loved son of Rona and Joseph (both dec. ). Loving brother of Lorraine (Lanie), brother-in-law of Jack (dec. ) and uncle of Pam, John, Kevin, Suzanne and families. Rest in Peace The motors have stopped running.

Stephen

[2Bob]

Sorry indeed to hear about Ivan.

 

The Blandon and Catford book on Elfins has a picture of Ivan in his Mono Mk IID 6754.  The car was run later by Bob Minogue and then by me and now by Norm Faulkner.  When I got the car it was fitted with an 1100cc Ford for F3 racing.  It had a steel crankshaft which I understood at the time was made by Ivan.

[Shane Bowden]

I seem to remember he had an exciting moment at Sandown in that car...

At Dandenong Road Corner as I recall.

He certainly put his heart into his racing, while he wasn't afraid of the cars either. Anyone who puts a 6-litre engine into a F5000 has got to be considered at least a little brave.

Ray I think you may be thinking of Maurie Quincey who went aviating in a silver Elfin 600 at Dandenong Rd.

 

Regards Shane

[DavidI]

Ivan was a greatly respected elder statesman even when I started in hillclimbs in the early 90's. A lot of young blokes would pay no attention to this diminutive white haired gent in the King Gee overalls shuffling about....until he hopped into a racing car and went quicker than almost everyone else. He used to complain about being "too slow" in his older age, when there were still only a couple of people going quicker.

I had more to do with his sons Peter (who gave me a set of Mallock plans as thanks for a drafting job I did for him) and Dean (who gave me some memorable moments when he drove his father's Chevron at Mt Cotton and I was the start line official).

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Shane Bowden
Ray I think you may be thinking of Maurie Quincey who went aviating in a silver Elfin 600 at Dandenong Rd.

Wasn't Ivan involved in that one, though?

Edited by Ray Bell, 02 December 2014 - 01:33.

[Lee Nicolle]

I seem to remember he had an exciting moment at Sandown in that car...

At Dandenong Road Corner as I recall.

He certainly put his heart into his racing, while he wasn't afraid of the cars either. Anyone who puts a 6-litre engine into a F5000 has got to be considered at least a little brave.

I suspect a few 5000s had 6 litres when playing Formula Libre. 

With a Chev it is an extra 9/16 of stroke and change the pistons. Though generally just use a std 350 crank dimensions and end up a real 5820 or so.

Todays 5000s with their later model heads etc have more mumbo than with a 70s headed 6 litre.

[Ray Bell]

He was running it as 6-litres in the eighties, maybe even the nineties...

It was definitely in the alloy head era.

[SJ Lambert]

Sorry indeed to hear about Ivan.
 
The Blandon and Catford book on Elfins has a picture of Ivan in his Mono Mk IID 6754.  The car was run later by Bob Minogue and then by me and now by Norm Faulkner.  When I got the car it was fitted with an 1100cc Ford for F3 racing.  It had a steel crankshaft which I understood at the time was made by Ivan.

[SJ Lambert]

Ivan & Vern had a big tilt at the 72 F2 title, but Larry Perkins was very strong in the final 4 rounds. Article supplied by Elaine Hamilton.

[tsrwright]

 

Ivan, 2010, when he was doing some cams for me. I had been to several well known camshaft companies wanting something developed and they all said they could copy something but couldn't start from scratch. I asked Ivan what to do and he said there was a bloke he used in Chicago who could work it all out by computer for a few thousand dollars. He said you could get nearly as good by working off something that worked already and modifying it to suit the new application and that's what he did for me.  I asked him how they did it at Repco and he said they plotted and adjusted the profile full height on the drawing office wall and worked off that.

 

He had a 'private' workshop above his main factory floor which seemed to be very quiet when I was there.  I understod he had made and sold a lot of cam grinding machinery as well as doing this work himself.

 

Reading the bits and pieces above confirms my interest in a lovely bloke -  I wish I had known him  more -  but I do have some of his cams and they seem to work very well.

 

RIP

 

Terry Wright

Edited by tsrwright, 03 December 2014 - 12:55.