53 replies to this topic

[ronmac]

Who is first to answer all 10 questions,,or answers the most questions correctly..(in order ) by 20 th dec.2010..Winner receives a dvd copy of early new zealand motor racing..1940 s..1950 s..and 1960 s..(includes mairehau..waimate..southbridge..levin..) or Free ticket to Scope Classic Race Meeting 2011..(sunday ) good luck.. ron mac.

[ronmac]

Rons quiz (number one )What does golden tonsills say after..he says......Valvolene......?(2)How did jim clark describe teretonga race track when he first saw it (two words ) (3 )What city was allan moffat born in ? (4 )Which race saloon hit a power pole at the final race meeting at renwick nz ? (5)Which race driver won the D.R. Filter trophy (for big capacity saloons ) at the final waimate road race meeting ?.....(6 )Where was the very first nz open saloon car assn. championship race held..? (7 )Who was editor of nz Motoring News in march 1984 ? (8 ) Name 3 well known nz drivers who raced Hillman or Humbers in 1950 s or 1960 s ? (9 )Name the well known race driver who was commentator for the first OSCA championship race ? (10 ) name 3 sealed motor race tracks in New South Wales..,Australia.. Good Luck )

[Ray Bell]

That looks like a pretty good quiz for Kiwis, Ron...

Which leaves out all those Poms who want to go to the Scope Classic next year. Only one or two I can answer anyway!

[David McKinney]

1)
2)
3) Saskatoon
4) John Miller’s Dauphine-Chev
5) Jim Mullins (Mini-Cooper)
6) Wigram (January 1972)
7) Modesty forbids
8) Harold Heasley, Dennis Marwood, Robbie Franicevic
9)
10) Bathurst, Eastern Creek, Wakefield Park

[elansprint72]

So; now it is only a 3-question quiz! I still do not know any of the answers.

[ronmac]

Hi ray ..Thanks for the comments...No reason why any one can t have a shot ..even the poms..they can use a computer. too..and borrow some of davids answers.. I see the poms had a quiz of their own not too long ago..in england..Probably not many australasian questions..i bet.. ron.

[ronmac]

Hi david..Thanks for your reply..Best so far..but early yet.. and not all correct !!!!Good effort in getting out of your warm bed.!!Can i look forward to meeting up at ruapuna next year ??? regards Ron..

[ronmac]

Elansprint..72..Why not use some of davids answers..though worth checking on the internet or a book on nz motor racing history..sometimes experts are not always correct...That will make the experts think..regards..ron..

[GD66]

1: Y'know what I mean...

2: "Utter desolation..."

9: No idea...Rod Collingwood at a guess....

Edited by GD66, 10 December 2010 - 08:36.

[Allan Lupton]

So; now it is only a 3-question quiz! I still do not know any of the answers.

I hardly even understand the seven where we have the answers!
Of course NZ is rather "a far away country of which we know little" (N. Chamberlain, passim)

Edited by Allan Lupton, 10 December 2010 - 09:10.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by GD66
1: Y'know what I mean...

2: "Utter desolation..."....

I have an idea you're right with the first, but surely he'd seen worse than Teretonga?

It even ranks a mention on the 'Famous Amon' thread!

[ronmac]

Hi GD suxty sux..(talking kiwi there ) Two out of your 3 are correct.... I see that mr rossi is nt getting your xmas card.this year..( or ever ) regards ron.

[ronmac]

Hi allan..Are both the white beauty and the silver one yours.though not sure of the make and models..They look great anyway.Thank you for your interest..There is some great old film around..i have film of a BSA sports car winning a grass hillclimb 1947.with a stanley steamer having a go too..christchurch new zealand..yes some of my questions must seem a bit weird..but i stick to what i (think ) i know..!! regards ron (gold coast ..aussie.)

[ronmac]

Yes ray.. i heard..UTTER DESOLATION a number of times..so i believe it to be correct.. I also heard a story about a certain scott in a toilet..and a rope around the toilet..rope tied to a car and driven off.. though im sure someone will know the details. for sure..Ron.

[wenoopy]

Yes ray.. i heard..UTTER DESOLATION a number of times..so i believe it to be correct.. I also heard a story about a certain scott in a toilet..and a rope around the toilet..rope tied to a car and driven off.. though im sure someone will know the details. for sure..Ron.

Who was it who said about Invercargill, " It's not quite the End Of The World, but you can see it from there" - or something like that. Anyway, a lot of Scotland, the land of my ancestors, is pretty bloody desolate. No wonder they invented whisky there.

Stu Buchanan

[GD66]

Hi GD suxty sux..(talking kiwi there ) Two out of your 3 are correct....

Aw shut, ya med pruck...


Who was the mystery guest commentator then ?

[Allan Lupton]

Hi allan..Are both the white beauty and the silver one yours.though not sure of the make and models..They look great anyway.Thank you for your interest..There is some great old film around..i have film of a BSA sports car winning a grass hillclimb 1947.with a stanley steamer having a go too..christchurch new zealand..yes some of my questions must seem a bit weird..but i stick to what i (think ) i know..!! regards ron (gold coast ..aussie.)

OT but do you mean this:

which is a 1912 Mors
and this

which is a 1938 Lea-Francis?

Yes they're mine.

[Patrick Fletcher]

Utter desolation was Sir Stirl ......

[wenoopy]

Who was the mystery guest commentator then ?

I'm a North Islander, so I never saw any Open Saloon Car Association races. What was Ron McPhail doing on that day? Competing, or did he have a mechanical mishap, and grabbed a microphone instead.

[GD66]

Utter desolation was Sir Stirl ......

Geez, that rings a bell, Patrick. In fact, was it "My god, what utter desolation !" ?

Damned grey matter...

[ronmac]

.allan ..both very nice..Thanks for the photos..they came out very well.. My earliest car was my first.a 1928 studebaker..duplex.. model..but thats another story..ron..

[Patrick Fletcher]

extract from Teretonga 25, page 97 [17] A phrase " What utter desolation" became famous in 1962 when the most famous racing driver in the world, Stirling Moss first saw Teretonga Park.

Edited by Patrick Fletcher, 10 December 2010 - 11:31.

[ronmac]

gd 66.. The commentator..(common) was very important in nz motor racing..( even he would tll you that..) No not me .i was racing the ex clyde collins..ex warner collins.. A40 lotus farina.. and i got 2nd..or 3rd.. (one or the other ) out of about 40 starters..ron..

[ronmac]

Thank you patrick..It appears that you may be correct.then..although i always heard it was the great mr clark..Im sure donald mc donald will confirm..and will be happy with that.. Thanks...

[Tim Murray]

extract from Teretonga 25, page 97 [17] A phrase " What utter desolation" became famous in 1962 when the most famous racing driver in the world, Stirling Moss first saw Teretonga Park.

Corroborated by the opening post in this earlier thread:

World’s southernmost race circuit turns 50

but did Sir Stirl say it in 1961 or 1962?

[ronmac]

Hi wenoopy..so you are about to give us all the correct answers..in order now...david has 3 unanswered and one not correct..so the 10 are ...?? ron..

[ronmac]

Hi tim..Thanks for the information..I see that don mc donald confirms sir stirling...thats fine..(im allowed one error each year )ha ha ....good to hear from you.tim. .........ron.

[Patrick Fletcher]

Thank you patrick..It appears that you may be correct.then..although i always heard it was the great mr clark..Im sure donald mc donald will confirm..and will be happy with that.. Thanks...

No probs Ron, I think that Jim's most famous quote from Teretonga would be "was that Fahey who pushed over my toilet!"
Just like yesterday!

[David McKinney]

i was racing the ex clyde collins..ex warner collins.. A40 lotus farina.. and i got 2nd..or 3rd.. (one or the other ) out of about 40 starters..ron..

Second, to Alec Dickie
Unless Wigram 1972 is my wrong answer...

[CarlRabbidge]

Ok Ron, a thought from the Mainland
1) Y'know what I mean, Valvoline
2) "Utter desolation" was Stirling Moss’s quote. More than likely first person Jim Clark ran into on his arrival at Teretonga was the late Keith F Douglas and he simply said "Your place?"
3) Saskatoon
4) John Miller's Dauphine-Chev
5) Jim Mullins in a Mini-Cooper
6) Wigram January 1971
7) David McKinney
8) M B (Sammy) Mills, Harold Heasley, Dennis Marwood
9) Bruce McLaren
10) Bathurst, Eastern Creek, Wakefield Park

As an aside, it was Paul Fahey who observed Jim Clark going into one of Teretonga’s famous toilets and decided to give it a bit of a nudge

Edited by CarlRabbidge, 10 December 2010 - 20:13.

[elansprint72]

Elansprint..72..Why not use some of davids answers..though worth checking on the internet or a book on nz motor racing history..sometimes experts are not always correct...That will make the experts think..regards..ron..

I think that any fule can look things up on the interweb, seems like cheating to me. Quiz is a great idea.

[David McKinney]

I don't think Bruce McLaren would have been the commentator at Wigram in 1971 or 1972...

[ronmac]

HI carl..Good attempt........but ................................................two wrong !!!!!!!!!!! Please try again....Thanks for your interest everyone... please excuse my spelling errors...There is something interesting about the names of the two missing answers...but i.m not telling !!! Try asking an original OSCA driver.. (but not me ) ron.

[ronmac]

Hi elan sprint 72..thanks for your comments..your turn next to do a european and U.K. quiz.. !! ron.

[CarlRabbidge]

David is so right, only about a decade out.

Following todays pre lunch drinks at the new Doncaster Hotel suggestions included Dennis Simmons in Ivan Segedin's Mustang as the answer to #5 and Allan Moffat as the answer to #9

[ronmac]

Carl..nice try...perhaps you should have had a think BEFORE the pre dinner drinks.!!both wrong..Still 9 days to go yet and you are the winner so far...have a good time..wish i was there ...ron.

[David McKinney]

I can't possibly argue with Ron on OSCA matters, but my information is that the first official OSCA race was at Timaru at the end of November 1971 when Dickie in the Anglia-Corvette won the big cars' race and McPhail in the Fordina the one for smaller cars. In the last race of the day Lin Neilson in his lightweight Mini just beat the aforementioned McPhail

But the question asked about the first championship race, and that I believe was the Wigram one the following January, won by Dickie from McPhail and Neilson

[CarlRabbidge]

I can't possibly argue with Ron on OSCA matters, but my information is that the first official OSCA race was at Timaru at the end of November 1971 when Dickie in the Anglia-Corvette won the big cars' race and McPhail in the Fordina the one for smaller cars. In the last race of the day Lin Neilson in his lightweight Mini just beat the aforementioned McPhail

But the question asked about the first championship race, and that I believe was the Wigram one the following January, won by Dickie from McPhail and Neilson

Eileen happens to agree with you David she who wrote the cheques out recalls us running the Anglia in Class C and Lyn winning the final race at Timaru November1971. The circuit was a tad damp and after spinning a couple of times Gerald called me in for one of his little chats about where did the track go. I see mto recall advising him that the seal was just a vauge indication of the route to be traversed which is probably why I went rallying
Eileen also recalls that we withdrew our entry from Wigram the next January and never got our entry fee back so we agree with you that the 1st Championship race was 1972 at Wigram.

Ron You advised to ask old OSCA competitors so tonight all we got at the Northtown Tavern was arguements and no results. Team Timaru may have got older but nothing has changed.

[ronmac]

Good evening gentlemen..David i m sure you could argue and win on OSCA matters..In fact i don t really remember OSCA racing at timaru before wigram..perhaps it was a warm up..but then i m so much older than you.!! Poor carl did nt get his entry fee back..but i hope he used the tickets to get in..I see things have changed a lot now ..about 250 to 300 dollars entry fee..(and no prize money ) WOW> Yes it was the wigram CHAMP> meeting that i had in mind..and the winner of the DR.Filter trophy will surprise you...as will the commentator of the first OSCA race..at wigram..who was not currently racing at the time but had done heaps of racing in the 50 s..(your friend and mine ) not really.!! (just trying to confuse you all ) ron..

[wenoopy]

Good evening gentlemen..David i m sure you could argue and win on OSCA matters..In fact i don t really remember OSCA racing at timaru before wigram..perhaps it was a warm up..but then i m so much older than you.!! Poor carl did nt get his entry fee back..but i hope he used the tickets to get in..I see things have changed a lot now ..about 250 to 300 dollars entry fee..(and no prize money ) WOW> Yes it was the wigram CHAMP> meeting that i had in mind..and the winner of the DR.Filter trophy will surprise you...as will the commentator of the first OSCA race..at wigram..who was not currently racing at the time but had done heaps of racing in the 50 s..(your friend and mine ) not really.!! (just trying to confuse you all ) ron..

I suppose the winner of the DR Filter Trophy (for Unlimited Capacity 'Saloons') might have been presented with a suitably engraved gong in the fullness of time, and might still have that trophy in his possession, seeing that it was the last Waimate meeting ever.
One quite accurate journalist/historian of that era suggests the winner could have been a Chevrolet driver by the name of McPhail, but unfortunately doesn't give the name of the winner's trophy. Close enough for the cigar? (or a politically correct substitute).

[David McKinney]

No, too late for McPhail racing a Chevrolet

I think I see where you're getting out with the Waimate race. Ron Silvester won the allcomers' class, but the overall winner was Jim Mullins in his Gp2 Mini-Cooper. That was after Neilson put the MkIII Zephyr-Corvette into to the bales, where he was walloped by Simmons in Segedin's Mustang, who in turn was rammed by Coppins in the MkII Zephyr-Corvette. Everyone else then had to queue up as officials cleared the blocked road, and it was Mullins who got to the line first

[ronmac]

hi wenoopy...you have been detective...ing..I know no such word..Just looking at it here it says only..D>R> FILTER TROPHY 1966.... Given to me as the minis were from another race but due to small entries were sent off from the front of our grid,,but did nt qualify for the large capacity saloons.race and the trophy. !!When the crash occurred..all of the cars behind the minis came to a complete stop.but as i was driving the ex peter gillum..ex allan milligan 1938 chev coupe..with the big 650 x 16 sp tyres ( S P split and perished ) i was able to drive over the gutter..around behind the power pole..back onto the road again andback to the start..finish line.. As i did nt go to the after race party and presentation..i did nt know i had won the trophy till it arrived in the mail a week later.. ron.

[ronmac]

now gentlemen...i believe there is one last question to be answered..so who can come up with the right person..not required to repeat all other answers..ok ?? the commentary was not very enlightning.. in fact we taped the commentary and we used to play it at many of the later after race do s.. We thought it was so funny there was nt a dry seat ...! in the house.. now who.. I m off to bed now.. i ll look see in the morning..ron.

[David McKinney]

Fairy nuff, Ron

Your question said who won the Trophy, not the race

I was there, but don't remember the accident at all. Must have happened somewhere else. I scrawled the numbers down as the cars crossed the line and the only Non-Gp2 numbers on my list were 63 (third overall) and 29 (fifth). As neither was in the programme I don't to this day know who they were. If it had been 62 instead of 63 I might - with hindsight - have been able to make an educated guess

Someone (Motorman?) said Silvester was the first big car home, and he was No.66 (of course)

Just think, 44 years and I didn't know you'd won. Congratulations

[my_own_shadow]

Hello guys! What about Pat Hoare as a guest commentator?

[David McKinney]

No, for the same reason it couldn't have been Bruce McLaren

[my_own_shadow]

Understood. Sorry.

Another try. What was doing Ross Jensen then?

[Henk]

Famous in the 50s... - Ron Roycroft..?

[David McKinney]

Hmmmm - very important in NZ motor racing - not very enlightening commentary

Ron Frost?

(Surely not, as a staunch MANZ man and therefore presumably anti-OSCA)

Can I have a point for naming the sponsor of the race?

[wenoopy]

hi wenoopy...you have been detective...ing..I know no such word..Just looking at it here it says only..D>R> FILTER TROPHY 1966....

Detective-ing, yeah, that sort of describes it. Looked in Scott Thompson's "The Racing Years - THe History of the Waimate 50" and there in the 9-year summary of saloon results, on a line of its own, was "Unlimited - R. McPhail" no second or third quoted. So I thought, "he's a Presbyterian Minister, he wouldn't lie, so it must be kosher!". That crafty old bugger McPhail, he's pulling another swifty on us; unless he had the trophy, he wouldn't have remembered.

As for the guest announcer, it wouldn't be the 1959 announcer, all dressed up like a pox-doctor's clerk in the 'team photo'. Or maybe it would, some might classify him in the FIGJAM category. But not a racing driver for sure.