Personal photos of Australian motor racing '50s to '70s
#7801
Posted 19 May 2013 - 11:58
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#7802
Posted 19 May 2013 - 13:31
It certainly looks like the Cooper MG, Dick. A nice looking little car. Looks less bulbous at the front than its later form, so probably the original George Pearse body, before it was badly damaged at Southport in November 1955.Is car no. 18 the car featured in another thread recently "Discovering an Australian Cooper" ?
I am also wondering what the other racing cars seen in the background of the earlier (Austin Healey) photo are. Numbers 53, 4, 14.
Whoever made the white overalls was on a nice earner by the look of it!
Are these the photos that were supposed to appear in the new 'Mt Druitt' thread started yesterday?
Rob Saward
Edited by austmcreg, 20 May 2013 - 10:31.
#7804
Posted 19 May 2013 - 23:25
Keeping those white overalls clean is a job for 'New Persil"It certainly looks like the Cooper MG, Dick. A nice looking little car. Looks less bulbous at the front than its later form, so probably the original George Pearse body, before it was badly damaged at Southport in November 1955.
I am also wondering what the other racing cars seen in the background of the earlier (Austin Healey) photo are. Numbers 53, 4, 14.
Whoever made the white overalls was on a nice earner by the look of it!
Are the the photos that were supposed to appear in the new 'Mt Druitt' thread started yesterday?
Rob Saward
#7805
Posted 20 May 2013 - 02:44
#7806
Posted 20 May 2013 - 02:54
TR0003, brilliant Mt Druitt photos and thank you for showing them. Be great if you could post them into the Mt Druitt thread. They'll get lost in time on this mammoth thread.
Because Mt Druitt meetings were basically a monthly event, I'm struggling to pinpoint the exact meeting. All 3 photos appear to be the same meeting and the later part of 1955 fits into the scheme of things. With the #18 Pearse Cooper-MG in one of them it can't be later than the October 23, 1955 Mt Druitt meeting.
This is a bit of guesswork from having looked at various bits of Mt Druitt information. The Healey's are possibly #93 C Kennedy & #98 K Bennett. In the background, the #53 tail is making me think the ex Cobden, McKay, Brydon MG TC special. Depending on the date, the red car (that I can't work out a number) looks like Gordon Greig's Alfa-Alvis, but if I remember correctly that had a fatal mishap into the crowd at the October 1, 1955 Bathurst meeting and went on the market afterwards. The mainly covered #4 appears to me to be Stan Coffey's Cooper-Bristol 'Dowidat special' and #14 could be Jack Robinson's Jaguar special.
Edit - correction it was the Easter 1955 Bathurst with the Alfa-Alvis going into the crowd.
Stephen
Edited by cooper997, 21 May 2013 - 01:18.
#7807
Posted 20 May 2013 - 06:53
19 Alfa Alvis
4 Stan Coffey Cooper Bristol
14 Jack Robinson Jaguar Special
18 George Pearse Cooper MG -- see Bathurst book pic Page 162, same car, Graham Howard holding the flag
#7809
Posted 20 May 2013 - 09:13
I've never seen one like that before...
#7810
Posted 20 May 2013 - 11:03
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Jack Bono's super-charged 356 Porsche at Warwick Farm, 1962.
Jack [white overalls] talking yours truly.....yes, I was young once.
Thanks Rob and Tony for help with the 'photo thing'.
#7811
Posted 20 May 2013 - 13:57
What a great photo, TR.......Any more?
I recon I can make out Bob Pritchett, and Ian Heather [Snr].
Ian Jnr says they only went to Mount Druitt once and as spectators...he is checking dates....but he also said that Snr could have been roped into officiating
[PS well done Mr Mackie on the posting pics!]
#7812
Posted 20 May 2013 - 22:03
What's happened to the photos??????
#7813
Posted 21 May 2013 - 00:34
[/quote]
Photos back again. What apparently happened was that all the photos sat in my Photobucket library in an album titled "Your photos and videos". Seeing as I have quite a few photos there I decided to tidy things up and created other albums e.g" Motor Racing"; "Family weddings" etc. As soon as I moved those photos from their original spot they disappeared off the website. You live and learn.
#7815
Posted 21 May 2013 - 05:26
#7816
Posted 21 May 2013 - 06:49
Stephen
#7817
Posted 21 May 2013 - 08:12
...I'm now close to being convinced these photos are from the September 4, 1955 Mt Druitt meeting....
Quite some meeting, OR, is this the Westmead Speedway?
Police Ban on Car Racing After l4 Hurt at Mt. Druitt
Police banned stock car racing at Mt Druitt following a smash today in which 14 persons were injured.
Four of the injured when a stock car crashed through a safety fence were treated at Parramatta Hospital for Head injuries.
Police to-night said that the races were held to-day as an experiment.
The organizers had been told that if any accidents occurred, permission would be withheld for future races.
Fourteen persons, including women and children, were injured when a car crashed through a safety fence.
The accident occurred when a car driven by Bill Boot, 42, of Parramatta, was sandwiched by two other competitors on a sharp bend.
Twenty-seven other cars in the race buffeted the three cars.
Boot's car was catapulted through the safety fence, almost 40 feet of which was ripped away.
Flying pieces of timber caused most injuries. Some pieces were hurled about 50 feet into the air.
Boot escaped with a cut hand.
Those treated at hospital for lacerations to the head were John Keenan, 9, of Wentworthville; Michael Nolan, 6, of Turramurra, Colin Curby, 17 of Hurstville; and William Pratley, 20, of Westmead.
ref:Canberra Times, 5th Sept 1955
Edited by Wirra, 21 May 2013 - 08:15.
#7818
Posted 21 May 2013 - 10:45
One has to be mindful that the Le Mans tragedy was pretty fresh in everyone's mind at this time too.
Stephen
#7819
Posted 21 May 2013 - 11:01
Quite some meeting, OR, is this the Westmead Speedway?
I don't really know but I suspect that the driver was actually Bill Booth who appears as the driver of the speedway hot-rod though he was also known to drive stock cars and certainly drove at Westmead.
From the description it appears to have been something that happened at Mt Druitt as mentioned. The sharp corner did not happen at Westmead and it would be all but impossible to destroy forty feet of speedway fencing.
Edited by TR0003, 22 May 2013 - 02:30.
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#7820
Posted 21 May 2013 - 11:33
#7821
Posted 21 May 2013 - 14:10
#7822
Posted 21 May 2013 - 17:12
Any thoughts on what sort of blower he used? I am always fascinated by the inclination to use forced induction.
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Jack Bono's super-charged 356 Porsche at Warwick Farm, 1962.
Jack [white overalls] talking yours truly.....yes, I was young once.
Thanks Rob and Tony for help with the 'photo thing'.
Roger Lund
#7823
Posted 21 May 2013 - 21:18
It was a Marshall 'cabin blower', fed by a 2" SU with twin bowls. I had a drive of the car that day......scary .Any thoughts on what sort of blower he used? I am always fascinated by the inclination to use forced induction.
Roger Lund
Still kicking myself for NOT buying it - for 500 quid.
#7824
Posted 21 May 2013 - 23:04
Supercharging was more prevelant in those days as it was cheap power, providing you could keep the engine together! The amount of hot up stuff was not available then, even for the common Holden.Any thoughts on what sort of blower he used? I am always fascinated by the inclination to use forced induction.
Roger Lund
Cabin blowers were often used as superchargers, often fed by SUs. All of which were available and with some true engineering could be made into horsepower. I look at 50s cars in particular and am amazed at the innovation, and sometimes how wrong some are, with many decades of hindsight.
#7825
Posted 21 May 2013 - 23:57
If by any chance you're referring to Warwick Pratley, he would have been much older than 20 in 1955
Thank you David...yes that is what I was getting at...well spotted on the age thing
#7826
Posted 22 May 2013 - 01:00
TR... is that photo of the speedway car a part of a larger pic? If so, I am absolutely busting to see the rest!
As for 'tight corner' and 'timber fence,' that would seem to be only Tyresoles where that could have happened. Any chance of a date on this? Any other newspaper reports?
#7828
Posted 22 May 2013 - 02:01
That is all the photo that there was. I see that the newspaper report was the Canberra Times for the 5th of September 1955 which is the day after the supposed date of these images which is 4th of September 1955Greg is sure to have all the details on that, Roger...
TR... is that photo of the speedway car a part of a larger pic? If so, I am absolutely busting to see the rest!
As for 'tight corner' and 'timber fence,' that would seem to be only Tyresoles where that could have happened. Any chance of a date on this? Any other newspaper reports?
#7831
Posted 22 May 2013 - 02:34
Most likely Jack Myers.
That looks like Ray Wamsley (note the spelling) bringing up the rear in the racing car shot in Tyresoles.
#7832
Posted 22 May 2013 - 03:45
Quite right. John French started in a FJ in 1957. Similar two tone.I think it's too early for John French...
Most likely Jack Myers.
That looks like Ray Wamsley (note the spelling) bringing up the rear in the racing car shot in Tyresoles.
#7834
Posted 22 May 2013 - 09:08
I find these photos kind of spooky in a way. I went to Shalvey high and used to play school sport at Whalan reserve which is where most of this is. I'm still only about 15 mins away, my folks still only 5 mins or so away.The tree lined creek and the blue mountains in the background didn't have any of this good stuff in 1975! There were bits of torn up broken tar in strange places which didn't make any sense to a 12 yr old, wish I'd know more then.
DC
#7835
Posted 22 May 2013 - 11:11
Supercharging was more prevelant in those days as it was cheap power, providing you could keep the engine together! The amount of hot up stuff was not available then, even for the common Holden.
Cabin blowers were often used as superchargers, often fed by SUs. All of which were available and with some true engineering could be made into horsepower. I look at 50s cars in particular and am amazed at the innovation, and sometimes how wrong some are, with many decades of hindsight.
In 1969, a mate of mine built a drag car out of a fully upholstered un-lightened 48/215
with a 186 motor supercharged with a roots supercharger off a Cummins truck.
The thing was registered, so we could A-bar tow it to Castlereagh, with me in the drag car, with my arms folded,
watching the steering wheel going back and forth as we went around the corners, & adding the brakes as was needed.
He fed it with Alcohol through two 2 inch SU's with needles as big as he could find.
He started by using a single belt, but it slipped so much he couldn't rev it, so he tried a chain drive.
That lasted thirty seconds, until on his first blip, the chain snapped.
He then went to three belts, & lived with the slippage.
He was in the Gas class so was competing with all the light-weighted hot-rods.
He couldn't stop the wheel spin, so undaunted, he bought an old set of tyres from Ash Marshall & stuck them on.
They stuck all right, & he put in some runs in the 15's, but he was being pretty cautious with the throttle.
On the last night before he finally gave it up as a bad idea, I was behind him in the push car, on his third run.
He lit up, just that little bit more..... the tyres did their swell up & grow routine, the car jumped up in the air as they did,
& as the thing came down, the slicks gripped the track....really gripped the track.... the diff let go,
he switched it off, & I pushed him the rest of the way along the quarter mile, & back to the pits...... & that was that.
#7836
Posted 22 May 2013 - 11:55
In 1969, a mate of mine built a drag car out of a fully upholstered un-lightened 48/215
with a 186 motor supercharged with a roots supercharger off a Cummins truck.
The thing was registered, so we could A-bar tow it to Castlereagh, with me in the drag car, with my arms folded,
watching the steering wheel going back and forth as we went around the corners, & adding the brakes as was needed.
He fed it with Alcohol through two 2 inch SU's with needles as big as he could find.
He started by using a single belt, but it slipped so much he couldn't rev it, so he tried a chain drive.
That lasted thirty seconds, until on his first blip, the chain snapped.
He then went to three belts, & lived with the slippage.
He was in the Gas class so was competing with all the light-weighted hot-rods.
He couldn't stop the wheel spin, so undaunted, he bought an old set of tyres from Ash Marshall & stuck them on.
They stuck all right, & he put in some runs in the 15's, but he was being pretty cautious with the throttle.
On the last night before he finally gave it up as a bad idea, I was behind him in the push car, on his third run.
He lit up, just that little bit more..... the tyres did their swell up & grow routine, the car jumped up in the air as they did,
& as the thing came down, the slicks gripped the track....really gripped the track.... the diff let go,
he switched it off, & I pushed him the rest of the way along the quarter mile, & back to the pits...... & that was that.
Just a terrific story Lynton...
#7837
Posted 22 May 2013 - 11:57
The kind of thing this place is famous for.
#7838
Posted 23 May 2013 - 00:25
Quite some meeting, OR, is this the Westmead Speedway?
I think I can clear up the confusion regarding this article.
The "stock car racing" at Mt Druitt was not the speedway style crash-and-bash racing, but rather the "stock" road-going cars that were raced at the time. Here is a 1953 article that clearly states this:
#7839
Posted 23 May 2013 - 06:23
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#7840
Posted 23 May 2013 - 08:44
#7841
Posted 23 May 2013 - 13:19
Originally posted by The Chasm
I believe this photo was taken at Leyburn in 1949 - can anyone identify the car - it is not an "MG K3".
The number on the car wasn't used at Leyburn, according to the programme...
There was a Magna there, Ken Tubman was the driver, I don't have a photo to compare.
#7842
Posted 23 May 2013 - 16:23
#7843
Posted 23 May 2013 - 21:16
The "Wikipedia" page on the Leyburn AGP has Tubman in a K3 numbered 34 - we should correct that to Magna perhaps.
I would like to know which Magna it is though - from who could Ken Tubman have borrowed a MG Magna with streamlined body for the 49 AGP ?.
#7844
Posted 23 May 2013 - 22:08
#7845
Posted 23 May 2013 - 23:41
The much larger RH Aeroscreen was a defence against the stones ?.
There used to be lots of Leyburn photos about on TNF, but they have all gone ?.
Here are 2 more from this collection - both Leyburn I think.
#7846
Posted 24 May 2013 - 00:23
For the discussion on the Magna vs the K3, the information came from Stephen (cooper997) who posted this a couple of years ago:
Ken Tubman was originally #16 and became #34, his handicap was originally 11min 30sec and became 17 min. There was other changes too.
He also points out that the programme notes that the K3 was entered, but had to change cars:
"No. 34. - KEN TULEMAN (sic) (N.S.W.) was to bring up the 100 m.p.h. ear-splitting supercharged K3 MG Magnet (sic), but strike hold-ups changed his plans and he now drives the MG Magna the fastest of its type in N.S.W.
Ken competed at Lowood last year and is always ready to come north with his racing equipment to enjoy the Queensland sunshine."
That possibly makes it sound like it was Gordon Stewart's car, right?
#7847
Posted 24 May 2013 - 00:38
That would certainly suggest it was not a "Victorian based" MG Magna then.
#7848
Posted 24 May 2013 - 01:12
The redoubtable Ken Tubman was in Maitland, he was a chemist. Hence he was often referred to as "The Maitland Chemist".
#7849
Posted 24 May 2013 - 19:11
#7850
Posted 27 May 2013 - 10:34
I will allow him to detail everything, but I think he has some questions about it. A nice pic, I think: