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Personal photos of Australian motor racing '50s to '70s


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#7801 Dick Willis

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Posted 19 May 2013 - 11:58

Is car no. 18 the car featured in another thread recently "Discovering an Australian Cooper" ?

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#7802 austmcreg

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Posted 19 May 2013 - 13:31

Is car no. 18 the car featured in another thread recently "Discovering an Australian Cooper" ?

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 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.


#7803 TR0003

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Posted 19 May 2013 - 22:53

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Sorry about starting a new thread due to my inexperience. I could not seem to delete. Thanks for the help. This is apparently Jack Carter in the MG Midget.

#7804 Lee Nicolle

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Posted 19 May 2013 - 23:25

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

Keeping those white overalls clean is a job for 'New Persil"

#7805 Dick Willis

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Posted 20 May 2013 - 02:44

The Jack Carter MG TC Special pictured above in post 7804 has been restored by Percy Hunter and raced in Historics by him since 1988.

#7806 cooper997

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Posted 20 May 2013 - 02:54

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Anzac Day 1954, Mt Druitt????


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 john medley

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Posted 20 May 2013 - 06:53

53 Kevin Clement Tobin V8
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

#7808 TR0003

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Posted 20 May 2013 - 08:03

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Jack Carter in the lead?

#7809 Ray Bell

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Posted 20 May 2013 - 09:13

It's a great shot of Tyresoles Corner!

I've never seen one like that before...

#7810 GMACKIE

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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'. :wave:





#7811 275 GTB-4

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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 GMACKIE

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Posted 20 May 2013 - 22:03

That could be right, as the chap that I think was Ian Snr has an arm band on.

What's happened to the photos??????

#7813 TR0003

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 00:34

What's happened to the photos??????
[/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.

#7814 TR0003

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 04:42

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All seems to be well. Here are is a line up of TR's and Healeys.

#7815 David McKinney

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 05:26

Including a 100S, so this one must be after 1954

#7816 cooper997

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 06:49

With the addition of the latest TR0003 photo featuring the David Shmith AH 100S, I'm now close to being convinced these photos are from the September 4, 1955 Mt Druitt meeting. Add the Shmith 100S to the combination of Coffey Cooper Bristol, Pearse Cooper-MG, Robinson Jaguar Special, (now) Ray Walmsley Alfa-Alvis (noting I corrected my previous post in which meeting the car went into the crowd. It was actually the Easter 1955 Bathurst), Ken Bennett AH, Walters So-Cal, Carter MG make it all fit this meeting. If it's not this meeting then it could be the August meeting. But no earlier than it, or later than the September meeting. The Shmith 100S carried #96 for the July 1955 Mt Druitt (I believe his Mt Druitt debut in the car) and the Coffey C-B was damaged at the October 10 Port Wakefield AGP meeting. So that pretty much closes up the possible meetings.

Stephen

#7817 Wirra

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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?

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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 cooper997

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 10:45

That's an interesting point Wirra. I would need to check out the appropriate AMS to see what it may or may not reveal. I know the tragic Easter 1955 Bathurst had scant information in the AMS event report and Bob Pritchett's Spotlight column. So much so that he was obviously taken to task by a reader, because he brings his reasoning for not going into much detail about that Bathurst, in a later issue's Spotlight.

One has to be mindful that the Le Mans tragedy was pretty fresh in everyone's mind at this time too.

Stephen

#7819 TR0003

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 11:01

[quote name='Wirra' date='May 21 2013, 08:12' post='6275097']
Quite some meeting, OR, is this the Westmead Speedway?

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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 275 GTB-4

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 11:33

However, comma, the article mentions William Pratley...did he also drive speedway?

#7821 David McKinney

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 14:10

If by any chance you're referring to Warwick Pratley, he would have been much older than 20 in 1955

#7822 bradbury west

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 17:12

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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'. :wave:

Any thoughts on what sort of blower he used? I am always fascinated by the inclination to use forced induction.
Roger Lund

#7823 GMACKIE

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 21:18

Any thoughts on what sort of blower he used? I am always fascinated by the inclination to use forced induction.
Roger Lund

It was a Marshall 'cabin blower', fed by a 2" SU with twin bowls. I had a drive of the car that day......scary :eek: .

Still kicking myself for NOT buying it - for 500 quid.


#7824 Lee Nicolle

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Posted 21 May 2013 - 23:04

Any thoughts on what sort of blower he used? I am always fascinated by the inclination to use forced induction.
Roger Lund

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.

#7825 275 GTB-4

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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 :blush:

#7826 Ray Bell

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 01:00

Greg 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?

#7827 TR0003

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 01:58

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Long distance view Mt Druitt

#7828 TR0003

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 02:01

Greg 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?

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 1955

#7829 TR0003

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 02:04

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More racing cars.

#7830 TR0003

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 02:06

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Is that John French followed by Tom Geoghegan?

#7831 Ray Bell

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 02:34

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.

#7832 TR0003

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 03:45

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.

Quite right. John French started in a FJ in 1957. Similar two tone.

#7833 275 GTB-4

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 08:58

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Anzac Day 1954, Mt Druitt????


Ken Bennetts in the Black Healey...

#7834 Jacer

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 09:08

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Frank Carter centre photo with white overalls and hat.

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 lyntonh

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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.

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#7836 275 GTB-4

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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 Ray Bell

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Posted 22 May 2013 - 11:57

Great story, Lynton...

The kind of thing this place is famous for.

#7838 Graham Clayton

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Posted 23 May 2013 - 00:25

[quote name='Wirra' date='May 21 2013, 01:12' post='6275097']
Quite some meeting, OR, is this the Westmead Speedway?

Posted Image

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:

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#7839 The Chasm

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Posted 23 May 2013 - 06:23

I believe this photo was taken at Leyburn in 1949 - can anyone identify the car - it is not an "MG K3".

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#7840 David McKinney

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Posted 23 May 2013 - 08:44

The radiator shell looks more like a Magna shape than a Magnette, but I'm not an MG expert :)

#7841 Ray Bell

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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".

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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 David McKinney

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Posted 23 May 2013 - 16:23

He was surely in his K3 Magnette by then?

#7843 The Chasm

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Posted 23 May 2013 - 21:16

Somewhere on TNF yesterday, I read a post that suggested Tubman's K3 was "delayed" by some form of strike, and he ran a Magna instead of the entered K3. I need to do a search again.

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 john medley

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Posted 23 May 2013 - 22:08

Could it be the car that Gordon Stewart built on the old MG chassis that J F Snow didnt use, L J Duff drove at Nowra, went to Queensland?

#7845 The Chasm

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Posted 23 May 2013 - 23:41

Is that a registration label on the left side aeroscreen - I see "12" ?.

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.
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#7846 Ray Bell

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Posted 24 May 2013 - 00:23

You have there Keith Thallon in the SS100 in the top pic, the second is Kleinig blasting away from the start and the 1911 Regal Underslung chassis charging up into second place! (I've seen the movie, that's what happened)

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 The Chasm

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Posted 24 May 2013 - 00:38

I do not know where Gordon Stewart or Ken Tubman were based, but I take from your suggestion they were NSW based.

That would certainly suggest it was not a "Victorian based" MG Magna then.

#7848 Ray Bell

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Posted 24 May 2013 - 01:12

Gordon Stewart was in Sydney, in the Southern Suburbs I think (Hurstville area?)...

The redoubtable Ken Tubman was in Maitland, he was a chemist. Hence he was often referred to as "The Maitland Chemist".

#7849 GMACKIE

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Posted 24 May 2013 - 19:11

Gordon Stewart was at Blakehurst [or Carss Park, to be precise].

#7850 Ray Bell

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Posted 27 May 2013 - 10:34

One from Terry McGrath...

I will allow him to detail everything, but I think he has some questions about it. A nice pic, I think:

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