55 replies to this topic

[Barry Lake]

Since Karl seems to have had some good response to his request for Alberto Ascari clues, perhaps I might try for some help also.
I am researching the life story of Tony Gaze, Australia's first entrant in world championship GPs. While he didn't have a lot of success on the world scene, his is a very interesting story.
His exploits as a Spitfire pilot with the RAF in WWII (he was at university in England when war broke out) are a greater part of his life story than his motor racing.
He did, though, own and race some very interesting cars, including owning the ex-Ascari Ferrari 500 now in the Donington Museum. He also had some success in non-championship events.
I would be interested to hear from anyone who has anything at all about Tony - including suggestions on where to track down photographs. Tony has some himself, but not enough to ilustrate a book.
For s start, however, I would like to trace the following.
Tony had just one race at Brooklands before the war. It was on June 17, 1939, at the Junior Car Club's Annual Members' Day. The race was the "One Hour High Speed Trial, embracing artificial hazards" (the chicanes).
Fane's BMW made best performance in the event, but Hunter's Alfa-Romeo set the fastest speed.
I don't think Tony would be mentioned in any race reports, but I would like to see copies of them just the same. So far I have been unable to track them down. They should be in The Motor, The Autocar, and Motor Sport.
Can anyone help?

BarryLake@bigpond.com

[Roger Clark]

Do you know which years he raced?

[Ray Bell]

Barry has posted elswhere:

As above, Brooklands, 1939
World Ch'ship races, 1952

I think he was part of the 'Kangaroo Stable' that raced Sports Cars in Europe in 1955 - may be wrong, but that's about the span of his European racing.

[Dennis David]

I found a lot more about his war exploits than I did about his racing though it seems he helped convince Lord March to develope Goodwood as a racing circuit.

------------------
Regards,

Dennis David
Yahoo = dennis_a_david

Life is racing, the rest is waiting

Grand Prix History
www.ddavid.com/formula1/

[Barry Lake]

I visited Tony last week. When he told me he didn't have many photographs, it transpires, he was referring to the ex-Ascari Ferrari.
He has a reasonable selection of other cars he raced.
The Ferrari photos he sent overseas for use in some publication or other and he didn't even get them back.
He now receives copies of them in the mail from all over the world with requests that he autograph them!
Tony turned 80 recently but is still very active and his memory is as good as ever.
He is having a new house built, which should be finished in the next year or two...

[Dennis David]

Has he told you about his war exploits? It seems his unit was quite famous and was stationed for a time at what is now Goodwood Circuit. Please include that part of his life in your book similiar to A Racing Motorist by S.C.H. Davis and inform me when the book is done I would love to add it to my library!



------------------
Regards,

Dennis David
Yahoo = dennis_a_david

Life is racing, the rest is waiting

Grand Prix History
www.ddavid.com/formula1/

[Dennis David]

Have you tried contacting the Brooklands society?

------------------
Regards,

Dennis David
Yahoo = dennis_a_david

Life is racing, the rest is waiting

Grand Prix History
www.ddavid.com/formula1/

[Barry Lake]

Yes Tony has told me about his war exploits - which is a bigger part of his life than his motor racing.
Flew with Bader, three DFCs, first to shoot down a jet with a propellor aircraft, was shot down over France and injured, smuggled over the Pyrenees by French Underground and returned to flying, first to land in Normandy on D-Day (and wasn't supposed to be there!), tested Meteors after the war and much more.
Interesting stuff, but it's a part-time project, might take some time yet...

[Barry Lake]

Do you know how I can contact the Brooklands Society?

[AUSTRIA]

Barry, try the following:
http://www.brooklands.org.uk/intro.htm


------------------

E.T.

[Dennis David]

Barry I have a contact there which I'll pass along tonight.

------------------
Regards,

Dennis David
Yahoo = dennis_a_david

Life is racing, the rest is waiting

Grand Prix History
www.ddavid.com/formula1/

[Barry Lake]

Thanks Austria and Dennis for the good tips.

[AUSTRIA]

One of my Internet-friends, very deep intrigued in the Brooklands-History, suggested as follows:

If you still need Brooklands Society details:

Brooklands Society Ltd
Rudgelands
4 Blackstone Hill
Redhill
Surrey
RH1 6BE
England

That's the membership address. If I remember correctly, the arcivist is a Mr
Hutchings. I may be wrong on that, and you may need another address for him.

also try www.hartlana.co.uk/brooklands/

This he told me. Maybe a little help more.

------------------

E.T.

[Dennis David]

... Depending of course on his location Barry could get access to the race programmes through the library at the Brooklands museum clubhouse - telephone 01932 857381.


------------------
Regards,

Dennis David
Yahoo = dennis_a_david

Life is racing, the rest is waiting

Grand Prix History
www.ddavid.com/formula1/

[Ray Bell]

Barry's too tight to make international phone calls. Man, there are some stories about him being tight!
Ask him the one about returning to Sydney after thrashing Renaults all over the joint, then having to drive the Renault chief in his ancient Holden....
Make him tell you

------------------
Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Barry Lake]

Ray
That was a 1964 EH Holden I bought in about 1972 for $100 to keep for "a few months" until I could afford to buy a "real" car.
It was at the time I was trying to break into motoring writing and it was to be a long time before I actually earned any real money. I owned the car for five years!
It originally had a broken spring so was down in one corner. And I put race tape over all the rust patches so it wouldn't look so obvious. But the tape came loose and used to flap in the breeze so you could hear it coming from miles away.
When it rained, water would come in around the windscreen and accumulate on top of the dashboard. When I accelerated, the water would come over the dash into your lap like a waterfall.
When I was editing Chequered Flag magazine in 1974 a big chunk of the radiator core fell out. With neither the time nor the money to do anything about it, I used to run the engine only when climbing hills, and turn it off when going down the other side.
Fortunately it was winter time and I usually was travelling home from work after midnight.
When the Chequered Flag deal went up in smoke (thanks to a poor choice of business partner) I spent a couple of years with Bavariacars preparing and occasionally co-driving a BMW 3.0 CSi racing touring car and still had the Holden through all that time.
It wasn't until I went to Off Road Australia magazine late in 1977 that I was given a car allowance that allowed me to buy a new VW Microbus and my three kids finally got to ride in a "real car".

[Ray Bell]

Come clean, Barry, the story about Jerome White and the FC trip home - You know - "You've got lots of them..."

------------------
Life and love are mixed with pain...

[buddyt]

In 1955 a second place finish at Hyeres 12- hour race in Aston Martin for drivers listed as Gaze and McKay. Your man perhaps? Only thing I have found.

------------------
"Speed cost money, how fast do you want to go?"

[Ray Bell]

That's the man, Buddyt. As I mentioned above, I thought he was involved witht he Kangaroo Stable, when a bunch of Australians went to Europe and campaigned some Aston Martins. David McKay was one, Tom Sulman another, Brabham drove with them too.

------------------
Life and love are mixed with pain...

[Barry Lake]

Thanks fellas for the Kangaroo Stable stuff. I have that pretty well covered. Tony was actually the driving force behind that episode, which fell apart when all the sports car races were cancelled after the 1955 Le Mans disaster.

Quite how my asking about Tony Gaze at Brooklands in 1939 got to be about Barry Lake's old Holdens in the 1960s-70s is a bit of a mystery but, since Ray brought it up...

That 1959 model FC Holden was the one I bought to tow my racing car in 1962.
After a year or so without a road car, getting friends to tow the Cooper to race meetings, I was running short of friends.
I had the FC for, it seems, around 12 years and it towed my Cooper MkV Norton, Jolus-Minx and Elfin-Ford racing cars all over the place.
I used to treat it like a baby because all my money went into my racing and I couldn't afford to fix or replace the tow car.
From 1970 I had begun to write rally reports for Australian Motoring News. For the first couple of years I was competing as a driver, in works-loaned Mitsubishis. When that deal ended I co-drove for others in a multitude of cars as a means of getting to follow the events.
If there wasn't a ride going, I used to hitch lifts with various people to follow the events.
One who often provided rides for me was Jerome White, who was PR Manager for Renault Australia. He always had Renault test cars and usually allowed me to drive. And, of course, we always had to hurry...
On one occasion, Jerome asked could I give him a lift home in my FC, which I had left at Renault's premises. His own car was at his home.
Half way there, he noted the low rpm I was using, the careful gear changes, and the gentle cornering and braking.
"You don't drive your own car the way you drive mine," he said.
To which I retorted, "Well, you have lots of them; I only have this one..."

[Roger Clark]

I don't know whether Barry Lake is still looking for information on Tony Gaze, but I stumbled across this today. It is from a book called Maserati 3011, the story of a racing car, by Denis Jenkinson. It tells the story of one car, the Maserati of that chassis number. It ws originally owned by Whitney Straightand later, among many others by Prince Chula for his cousin Bira to drive. THe car is interesting because it has raced almost continuously from GRand Prix races in 1934 to VSCC races today.

In 1951 3011 had ceased to be a front-line racing car but was still good for club races. It was bought by Leslie Boyce and Harold Spero who both drove it in a number of sprints, hill climbs and short races. In July that year they lent it to Tony Gaze to drive in a race at Snetterton. He led comfortably , against much more modern mahinery, including a brand new Connaught. Eventually the Maserati struck a bird, which smashed the wind-screen. Gaze then eased up to finish second to the connaught.

Tony Gaze raced the Maserati on a number of occassions during 1951 and 52, and Denis Jenkinson is very complementary about his driving. THe book contains three picture of him at the wheel of the Maserati, including one full page.

Cathing the bug slightly on finding this, i looked up Tony Gaze in Paul Sheldon's REcord af Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing. He was very active during 52 and 53 in an Alta and later an HWM, but I could find no mention of a Ferrari, ex-Ascari or otherwise.

[Ray Bell]

Barry hasn't been on for a few days, so I've emailed that to him. You're sure to get a reply.

[Barry Lake]

Roger
Thanks very much for that. I did already have that book, but every clue is welcome. There are sure to be some leads I haven't followed.
Tony raced the ex-Ascari Ferrari in the New Zealand and Australian races from January 1955, also in South Africa shortly afterwards. He sold the car to Lex Davison, who had a very succesful career in it in Australia.
But, yes, I am still looking for any information people might unearth in Tony, particularly photos.

[Gil Bouffard]

I thought I might be the only person (other than himself), who even knew anything about Tony Gaze. My memory banks took a hit recently when I read an article in Motorsport about Tony.

I'd have to go digging through my collection, but it doesn't seem all that long ago. To be sure it was in the last year.

Gil Bouffard

[Barry Lake]

Mention of Casimiro de Oliveira in another thread inspired me to bring this Tony Gaze thread back into play.
Our Spanish posters seem to have a lot of information on racing in Spain and Portugal, so might have some more on the following two races.

1953.06.21 Oporto Grand Prix 276.00
1 Pinto (Ferrari), 2 de Oliveira (Ferrari).
Gaze crashed on the first lap (so did Duncan Hamilton). This was Tony's infamous Portuguese "crash and burn".

1955.07.24 Monsanto Lisbon Grand Prix
Tony Gaze, possible entry in Aston Martin DB3S.

Tony's car was absolutely destroyed and burned to the ground in the 1953 race and made the front page of the newspapers.
He was hailed as a hero when the story came out that his Spitfire had been shot down in occupied France in WWII and, after partially recovering from severe facial injuries while protected by the French underground, he had escaped by walking over the Pyrenees and on to Gibraltar.

Any information would be most welcome.

[Roger Clark]

Barry,

I have a report of the 1955 race which contains a picture of tony Gaze in a DB3S. He had to stop for oil but finished eigth. I'll send it to you eventually.

I also have a picture of Tony at the 1953 oporto race, but only a brief report. It says that the race was won by Pinto Nogueira in a Ferrari.

[jarama]

Barry Lake,

I can add a little more stuff concerning these Portuguese meetings:

'53 Oporto, III GP de Portugal, 445 km.(don't know wich source is right)
1st.) N.Pinto Nogueira, Ferrari, 137'38 kmh
2nd.) Casimiro de Oliveira, Ferrari
3rd.) ?, Ferrari

'55 Monsanto, II GP de Lisboa, 299 km.
1st.) Masten Gregory, Ferrari, 133´35 kmh
2nd.) Toulo de Graffenried, Maserati 300S
3rd.) Francisco Godia, Ferrari

[Ray Bell]

Joe Fan will like to know about the latter event, you can be sure.

[Roger Clark]

My earlier posting to this thread was incorrect. It was the Portugese GP on 26th June 1955 in which Tony Gaze finished eighth. He wsa enered in the "Kangaroo" team with Les Cosh, also in a DB3S who finishe 9th. The race was won by Jean Behra from Masten Gregory.

Third place in the 1.5litre rce was taken by E Lautenschlager. Could he be realated?

On the 24th July 1955 Tony Gaze, Les Cosh and Tom Sluman were all entered in the Lisbon GP driving "Kangaroo Stable" DB3Ss. Gaze retired after 5 laps, with a locking front brake. Cosh and Sluman were 11th and 12th respectivelyof 12 finishers. The autosport report remarked on their regularity, Cosh's average speed being only 1.5kph lower than his fastest lap.

Gregory won by 0.4 secs from de Graffenried.

Autosport gave third place in the 1953 race to Valentim.

[Ray Bell]

...and darned nice of them to do so, too.
On the subject of Lautenschlager, isn't he the one who was shot in a hunting accident just before the 1914-18 war?
I have something on that somewhere, but I'd like to look at it again... anyone got any idea what books refer to that?
Barry?

[Barry Lake]

No, Ray. That was Camille Jenatzy - and you probably read it in my brief piece in MRA recently.
Lautenschlager won the French GP for Mercedes, twice, yet many critics insist he wasn't much of a driver!

It all comes back to my thing about "spectacular" drivers and "winning" drivers. If the man had a fairly limited racing career and twice won the most important race in the world at the time, he rates very highly in my book.

[Barry Lake]

Thank you everyone for the added information.

It was well worthwhile dragging this old thread out again.

I hope to be vsiting Tony again in December and the more information I have, the better.

Any scans of relevant magazine articles would be most welcome. I need to know all about any race in which Tony competed - not just mentions of him.

I also hope to have complete results of his races, eventually, so any help is greatly appreciated.

Surprisingly, I had very little on that 1955 race, despite the fact that I was following the Kangaroo Stable's exploits at the time. Tony doesn't seem to have told me much about it either - although that is probably because I didn't have any information with which to "prompt" his memory.

This must be the race he was referring to when he told me he was paid big starting money to go back there because he was very promotable locally. This was on the score of his WWII walk through the area, as well as surviving the huge "crash and burn" that made the front page of the newspapers in 1953.

It just goes to prove, once again that, if you're going to have a spectacular crash, it pays to do it in front of the cameras!

[Milan Fistonic]

Barry
I guess you will have seen the Les Hughes article on Gaze in the Australian Jaguar Magazine - Edition 72.

[Ray Bell]

Goes to show, Barry... even if it was Jenatzy, I read it in a book. You should know I don't read your stuff in MRA!
So what book is it in?

[Barry Lake]

The Jenatzy story is probably in quite a few books Ray. I certainly have seen it in many places. However, as with so many other stories, it has been distorted over the years. This one, I believe, is about as accurate as you will find.

Below is the relevant part of the piece I wrote for MRA.

Camille Jenatzy was a Belgian racing driver prominent in major motor racing from 1899 to 1910 and nick-named “The Red Devil” because of his long red beard. He also held the world land speed record on three separate occasions during 1899, the final time at almost 106 km/h – perched high atop an electric car. A brave man indeed.
Jenatzy also loved hunting and had a hut in the woods. In 1913 he took a group of friends there. Unfortunately the hunting was poor and one night they resorted to a long dinner and drinking session. Just before dawn, Jenatzy said their luck was about to improve. He bet them they would be shooting within the next two hours.
They placed their bets and headed to bed. Jenatzy sneaked outside and headed off into a field making sounds like a wild boar. Windows were flung open and shots fired. Jenatzy couldn’t collect his winnings for he was fatally wounded…
The story has been told in various ways over the years since, but the above has been drawn from the original article written shortly after the event by prominent motorist of the time, St John Nixon. It is published in “The Land Speed Record 1898-1919”, one of five volumes recently published by Brooklands Books covering the first 100 years of the Land Speed Record. The contents of these books are made up of quality reprints from contemporary magazines, giving readers access to material they otherwise might never see.

For an extended version - buy the book!

[Patrick Fletcher]

Australia Day Honours List 2006
Medal of the Order of Australia [OAM]
Mr Frederick Anthony Gaze DFC
Mangalore Vic 3663
For service to the sport of motor racing.

[Jager]

I just discovered the Australian connection with Tony Gaze in my collection of Le Mans models and stumbled over this old thread while looking for more information.

This is Tony's Frazer Nash from Le Mans in 1956 (retired after 10 hours due to an accident) :

[john ruston]

Tony took two Altas to Australia in late 40's Raced,Hillclimbed and went to work in them.Details on previous Alta thread

[Doug Nye]

Take a look at this?

<http://brew.clients.ch/Gaze41Sqdn.htm>

DCN

[Hieronymus]

Got records here of Tony's races in South Africa in 1955. Finished 13th in a handicap race at Eerste Rivier on 12 March. Winner was Chris Andrews in a Studebaker Special. Enzo was quick to point out that Tony's car was not works entered. To Tony's credit... he won his second race in ZA. At Palmietfontein on 26 March.

[cooper997]

Stewart Wilson's 'Almost Unknown - the story of squadron leader Tony Gaze' has been available for a few months now. But I have only just procured a copy from Tony Johns motor books here in Melbourne today. Whether I get a chance to read it properly is another matter though.

If you're very quick Tony Johns still has a couple of Tony Gaze signed copies available. They were signed yesterday (Friday) at the Victorian Historic Racing Register's meeting where Tony Gaze was guest speaker. He and wife Diana (formerly Mrs Lex Davison) were down in Melbourne to attend the V8 Supercars round at Sandown. Diana's grandsons, Alex & Will are both drivers in the series. Will winning the race today for Holden. Tony, despite his 89 years was apparently in fine form recalling many tales from his war and racing exploits.

Contact Tony Johns via email johnst@netlink.com.au if ypu would like to chase up the book. But be quick for a signed one.

[Eric Dunsdon]

I don't know whether Barry Lake is still looking for information on Tony Gaze, but I stumbled across this today. It is from a book called Maserati 3011, the story of a racing car, by Denis Jenkinson. It tells the story of one car, the Maserati of that chassis number. It ws originally owned by Whitney Straightand later, among many others by Prince Chula for his cousin Bira to drive. THe car is interesting because it has raced almost continuously from GRand Prix races in 1934 to VSCC races today.

In 1951 3011 had ceased to be a front-line racing car but was still good for club races. It was bought by Leslie Boyce and Harold Spero who both drove it in a number of sprints, hill climbs and short races. In July that year they lent it to Tony Gaze to drive in a race at Snetterton. He led comfortably , against much more modern mahinery, including a brand new Connaught. Eventually the Maserati struck a bird, which smashed the wind-screen. Gaze then eased up to finish second to the connaught.

Tony Gaze raced the Maserati on a number of occassions during 1951 and 52, and Denis Jenkinson is very complementary about his driving. THe book contains three picture of him at the wheel of the Maserati, including one full page.

Cathing the bug slightly on finding this, i looked up Tony Gaze in Paul Sheldon's REcord af Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing. He was very active during 52 and 53 in an Alta and later an HWM, but I could find no mention of a Ferrari, ex-Ascari or otherwise.

Tony's best race in that wonderful old car was the 103 mile Formula Libre race which supported the 1952 British Grand Prix where he finished a superb 4th behind three Formula 1 Ferrari's. Among the cars he defeated that day was the OSCA of one of the Maserati's previous owners Prince Bira. The following month Gaze finished second to Reg Parnell's V16 BRM in the Formula Libre race at Turnberry. The year was rounded off with a handicap race victory at the September Goodwood meeting. A few years ago at one of the Silverstone festivals Tony Gaze was kind enough to sign my copy of D.S.J.'s book on Maserati 3011. Tony Gaze was certainly one of the better known drivers of the 1950's and a 'household name' to this young fan!.

[cooper997]

Just a quick update on Stewart Wilson's 'Almost Unknown - the story of squadron leader Tony Gaze' book. As I mentioned in my post from August, Tony Johns Motor Books had a couple of signed copies available. He now has a few more copies with Tony Gaze autograph. So if you would like a signed edition contact Tony Johns via email johnst@netlink.com.au

It's probably appropriate to mention the Gaze/Davison motor racing dynasty will be celebrating today's Bathurst 1000 win for Will Davison (grandson of Lex & Diana) & Garth Tander in their HRT Commodore.

Stephen

[Weslake&TaylorLtd]

For the attention of Barry Lake

Some time ago you requested help to track some photos of tony gaze from his early 50's race days ,I have photos and race history when he raced in europe in 1951-53 raceing the car he ordered from Geoffrey Taylor his GP-f2 ALTA, If you are interested maybe we can exchange some history,

regards

Weslake&TaylorLtd

[terry mcgrath]

I don't think barry has been active on this site for 3-4 years he has dropped of the historical scene still I believe doing moden motoring journalism

For the attention of Barry Lake

Some time ago you requested help to track some photos of tony gaze from his early 50's race days ,I have photos and race history when he raced in europe in 1951-53 raceing the car he ordered from Geoffrey Taylor his GP-f2 ALTA, If you are interested maybe we can exchange some history,

regards

Weslake&TaylorLtd

Edited by terry mcgrath, 06 December 2009 - 12:01.

[terry mcgrath]

I will ammend what I wrote below he did post on the 5 sept 2009 but very few over last few years might pay to send him a personal message
regards terry

Barry Lake

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Find Member's Posts Posted on: Sep 5 2009, 13:36

I don't think barry has been active on this site for 3-4 years he has dropped of the historical scene still I believe doing moden motoring journalism

[Alan Cox]

Very best wishes to Tony Gaze - 90 today.

[Gabrci]

Best wishes indeed - a very respectable man.

[cooper997]

Many happy returns for your 90th, Tony.

Stephen

[Patrick Fletcher]

If you can get ABC1 on Monday night June 28 tune in! Tony Gaze on Talking Heads 6:30pm AEST