9 replies to this topic

[Terry Walker]

Wayne Negus, a near legendary figure in Western Australian motor racing and speedway. including a stint with the Holden dealer team, and a few Bathursts, has died unexpectedly in Bali on 10 September. I last saw Wayne when I had a bit of a get-together with some old Light Car Club cronies on my 70th birthday, and he was looking and sounding well and happy.

 

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Edited by Terry Walker, 13 September 2016 - 02:12.

[brucemoxon]

That's terrible news.

 

On top of losing Ken Sparkes this week...

 

 

 

 

Bruce Moxon

[cooper997]

My condolences to Wayne's family and friends.

 

Stephen

[Terry Walker]

This is what I wrote about Wayne in the book "Around the Houses" back in 1979. Of course his racing career went on well past that,

 

WAYNE Stirling Negus is the son of Syd Negus, arguably the most successful racing driver in the history of WA. Young Wayne cut his teeth on the famous Plymouth Special after his father retired, punting this amazing vehicle around the streets.

His first venture into racing was in the Repco-Wesn, a Clubman-type sports car confected out of bits and pieces from the Syd Negus racing stores – Herald front end, Holden rear axle, Repco-Holden engine. This was none too successful a car and, after Wayne had completed his apprenticeship as a mechanic, he went into Car Club competition, running in trials and motorkhanas.

His first "real" racing car was the potent and effective lightweight Mini, which he built up himself and ran in the Under-1100cc class. This was the first true lightweight Mini in the State, with the seams removed, absolutely everything drilled for lightness, and the rear subframe scrapped and replaced by some gossamer-light tubing suspension components. This was a record-breaking car in the last year of Caversham, although Wayne once scattered an engine by selecting reverse in the esses! The car was just as good at Wanneroo Park as Caversham, but eventually he decided to sell the car – only to find no takers, despite a price-tag of only $800.

His next move was unusual – he bolted solid jarrah beams along the outside of the car, gutted the interior and went speedway racing – the first Mini at Claremont. The little green brick was a sensation, roaring around the track on the inner kerb, nerfing the "big mutha" Holdens and Falcons out of its way. Wayne Negus became the speedway "bad guy", the man you loved to hate. Fanatical Ford and Holden fans objected strongly to their heroes being sidelined by a mere Mini.

The advent of Series Production racing brought Wayne back to Wanneroo Park in an XU-1; and to Bathurst. In 1972 he and Neville Grigsby went to the Mountain, and Wayne caused a minor sensation when he raced through the pack and was challenging the leaders when he locked his brakes and his race ended on the fence at the end of Conrod Straight. He went East to join the Holden Dealer Team in 1973, as a mechanic (he is a top mechanic) but hoping to get a drive.

He didn’t get a seat in the Dealer Team, but he helped Bob Forbes build his Bathurst contender and became co-driver. It was a fantastic race in miserable conditions, and with less than twenty laps to go the Negus-Forbes Holden Torana was in the lead, and only the Goss-Bartlett Falcon GT was within reach. History records that the Torana had to stop for fuel and with 12 laps to go the Falcon took over the lead and the chequered flag, while the Negus-Forbes car was second. Wayne drove long stints in the rain, and it was one of his finest performances; fast and disciplined. It is also the best result yet at Bathurst by a Western Australian driver.

Wayne remained with the Holden Dealer Team for a time, but it became clear that he would not get a full-time drive and eventually he returned to WA, running an ex-officio Marlboro-HDT Torana L34 at Wanneroo Park. In this car he was second to Allan Grice in the 1976 Torana Challenge.

In 1977 he moved into a Holden Torana A9X, which took him to a number of wins and a third outright in the Australian Street Car Championship. The highlight of 1978 was not his outright win in the Torque Trophy for Street Cars, but his magnificent third outright behind Peter Brock and John Harvey in Round 7 of the Australian Touring Car Championship. Wayne blasted through the backmarkers and followed Brock and Harvey across the line to make it a Marlboro-HDT one-two-three. It was a very satisfying moment.

[ken devine]

That's a great report Terry,There have been tributes to him on various WA sites.

[Ray Bell]

Only about 70 or 72, was he not Terry?

He was a fun-loving person, and there's no doubt in the world that his contribution to the Bob Forbes effort at Bathurst in '74 was crucial to their success.

As a member of the HDT he knew the ins and outs of those cars and their testing, so Bob's meticulous preparation allied with the knowledge he contributed brought them the reliability most other Toranas had. It was also undoubtedly this showing by the team that led to Kevin Bartlett partnering Bob in later races.

Tragedy has struck the family before, of course. His mother died in a car crash returning from Bathurst back about 1970. At the time Syd was campaigning hard as a Senator to get death duties abolished, unfortunately efforts to convince them to wear safety belts in the family car came to nought and she died on that trip.

Please advise if further information comes through.., to his family I also offer my condolences.

[ReWind]

Recalculating from the date given here Wayne Negus was born on 11 December 1946.

[ken devine]

We spent the Easter weekend at Albany with Wayne and his friends in 1966 ,i believe Wayne was 18.He drove his newly built Repco Wesn down there so he would be 68.

[Terry Walker]

I went to the funeral today, and there learned that Wayne died in his sleep while enjoying a family holiday at Bali, a place he visited often.  There was a huge crowd, overflowing the venue, including former drivers he swapped paint with, his numerous Rotary Club and MTA friends. There was a checkered flag on a lectern, and a very moving, and funny, eulogy by his daughter, supplemented by his two sons.

 

RIP Wayne.

Edited by Terry Walker, 29 September 2016 - 09:22.

[Ray Bell]

Thank you, Terry, for a little more information...

In time we'll no doubt learn still more. And I guess the kids don't have to worry about Death Duties.