27 replies to this topic

[Jon Saltinstall]

Can anyone help please with a copy of a report of this race (which took place on June 4th 1978) from one of the contemporary Australian motorsport publications? As you might imagine, it didn't make any column inches in either the UK or European publications. Please PM me if you can help and I'll let you have my email address for any scans etc. I'll be delighted to provide an acknowledgement of your support in the next book  .

 

Thanks in anticipation of your help, as ever!

[Ray Bell]

What a race of attrition!

 

Leading lights in the class were all demolishing engines in the opening laps, so much so that by about half-distance Scotty Taylor was in the lead after Allan Grice had held a four-lap lead and had to relinquish it.

 

I'll see what I can do about putting up the Racing Car News report later in the day. It goes over several pages, while I'll possibly be able to put up the Chevron yearbook one as well.

[ellrosso]

Scotty Taylor would have been in heaven!!!!!

[Ray Bell]

Okay, here's a start for you...

 

 

 

 

I imagine some of the facts are incomplete, but the RCN report will cure that.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by ellrosso
Scotty Taylor would have been in heaven!

Nahh...

This is Scotty Taylor in heaven:



I notice, too, that the fact that he led was missed in the above report.

[brucemoxon]

Didn't Holden have a bad batch of pistons? John Harvey / Charlie O'Brien went about five laps down after running out of fuel, but still won. 


BRM

[Ray Bell]

That's right, Bruce...

 

As noted in this report:

 

 

 

 

 

I like the bit about Scotty Taylor and his crew being among the very few without air jacks for the pit stops.

[Jon Saltinstall]

Brilliant stuff - thanks Ray!

[Ray Bell]

One fact omitted from both reports is the reason for the Sue Ransom/Lella Lombardi entry's retirement...

 

My report indicates that it went into the pits as the leaders were on lap 183, but not that it retired. From the Chevron results it's clear that it retired very late in the race, but their report omits the information as well.

 

If anyone has a Chequered Flag report it might be in there, Gabriel might have even had something to do with the Lombardi pairing in the event.

[brucemoxon]

One fact omitted from both reports is the reason for the Sue Ransom/Lella Lombardi entry's retirement...

 

My report indicates that it went into the pits as the leaders were on lap 183, but not that it retired. From the Chevron results it's clear that it retired very late in the race, but their report omits the information as well.

 

If anyone has a Chequered Flag report it might be in there, Gabriel might have even had something to do with the Lombardi pairing in the event.

 

I'd have thought the first report you posted above would have been from Chequered Flag. Did you mean Auto Action?

16-year-old me was there. Charlie O'Brien's stint was mega - lap after lap at ten tenths. The big fella was on top form that day. 

 

 

BRM

[Ray Bell]

No, Bruce, that's from the Chevron yearbook...

 

Any of the others might be helpful for John.

[70JesperOH]

What is the story of the Rothmans 500 at Oran Park? Two races were held, the first in 1977 and this one, the final one, in 1978. Both held during the late stages of the ATCC, but not counting towards that championship, but long before the traditional endurance races. The '78 race held one week after the sixth round of the ATCC at Calder and two week prior to the penultimate race at Lakeside.

 

Jesper

[Ray Bell]

Oran Park was inclined to put on things like this...

 

I can't pretend to know what was going on in the background, but it's likely that available money had something to do with it. And we can't ask Allan Horsley any more.

 

Recall that in 1970 - I think it was 1970 - they put on the final round of the ATCC and it was one of those tremendous events that brought in a huge crowd? Moffat versus Jane, a battle down to the wire, in later years they featured the final of the ATCC as an event that they owned and I always took it that this was trying to relive that past glory. But in 1977 they didn't have the final round of the ATCC and maybe this was their answer?

[Librules]

Re the Sue & Lella Capri,  the Chequered Flag report states "A few laps before the demise of the Gibson's valiant effort Sue Ransom was out when the lower left control arm cracked and broke on the ABE Copiers Capri with Lella Lombardi driving.

[Ray Bell]

Thanks, that will be a good bit of information for John...

 

And further to that, prior to the race:

 

 

So it can't have been a real comfortable trip for Lella, all things considered. Does anyone know which window was broken when she was driving?

[Ray Bell]

Looking back on that, there's a lot of errors in the typing there!

 

And while we're on the subject of Oran Park and long races for tintops, when was it that one was held and I reported that Brock and Cullen had won while the official results said otherwise?

[Ray Bell]

And just to answer my own question...

 

It was in September, 1975.

 

 

Surprisingly little was ever said about this report.

[Porsche718]

Brock seemed to be involved in a number of controversial races at Oran Park. 

 

Should I mention leaving the thermostat in the glovebox instead of the cooling system saw him disqualified on one occasion?

[Ray Bell]

You're thinking of Gricey at Surfers there...

 

Heads that were 'fettled' beyond the normal was the big one for Brock at Oran Park.

 

And the 'HX' cam one time too.

[Porsche718]

Ah yes! It all comes flooding back.

 

Something strange I noticed with the Yearbook results.

 

They have a column for "Practice" times. But the times listed have nothing to do with each finishing driver.

 

They appear to be the 19 fastest times from practice.

 

I think they probably meant to have included the fastest race laps for each finishing driver - as per Racing Car News' normal reporting style ... but something went amiss!

[Catalina Park]

I knew an Oran Park scrutineer that was wanting to catch Brock. After a race they presented Brock with a list of things that they wanted to be pulled off the car to be checked. Brock was fuming, next thing Harry Firth turned up and said that since Brock had a long trip back to Melbourne the best thing to do would be to seal the parts and the transporter doors and check them back at the workshop. You can guess how that turned out.

They got him for the heads the next year.

Edited by Catalina Park, 08 December 2023 - 09:11.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by 70JesperOH
What is the story of the Rothmans 500 at Oran Park? Two races were held, the first in 1977 and this one, the final one, in 1978.....

Here's the announcement of the race coming:



Not much of a clue in there, is there?

But note that it's only a short while after the Kleber $40,000 event at Calder, so my suggestion of Horsley seeking glory will still apply.

[70JesperOH]

Thank you for a kind of answer, Ray. Looked at the site of our lost late contributor Frank de Jong, who gave the 1978 ATCC and most other Australian touring car races that year a miss! http://touringcarrac...n TC Races.html

 

Jesper

[70JesperOH]

I don't know how the prize money would compare to the expected +5 hours grind around Oran Park. A circuit perfect for sprint racing, but the left-right, elevation, a long front straight followed by two heavy breaking points, it would be demanding on the cars.

 

Jesper

[Catalina Park]

Oran Park in those days was a little bit different, there was a couple of extra kinks in the GP extension. The slow bits were even slower. The kerbs were huge.

[Lee Nicolle]

Can anyone help please with a copy of a report of this race (which took place on June 4th 1978) from one of the contemporary Australian motorsport publications? As you might imagine, it didn't make any column inches in either the UK or European publications. Please PM me if you can help and I'll let you have my email address for any scans etc. I'll be delighted to provide an acknowledgement of your support in the next book  .

 

Thanks in anticipation of your help, as ever!

The race Harves had to go run for fuel. HDT were a bit sketchy on fuel economy in those days.

[Jon Saltinstall]

Here's the announcement of the race coming:



Not much of a clue in there, is there?

But note that it's only a short while after the Kleber $40,000 event at Calder, so my suggestion of Horsley seeking glory will still apply.

 

Horsley was certainly a fan of Lella (or at least her crowd-pulling potential); he sold tickets to various promotional events he'd organised for her when she visited Australia in 1974 for her two F5000 outings. Did he do it again in 1978? Although she was there for a much shorter visit this time....

[ellrosso]

Geez, pretty good payday for Harvs and Charlie! Good money back then.....