I wonder if anyone would be kind enough to post a colour photograph of the Team Lawson McLaren raced by Basil van Rooyen in 1969.
I am building a slot car of this car but currently only have B&W reference photos, I have checked the TNF archive and have all the information but sadly no colour reference.
Any help would be much appreciated.
David
Basil van Rooyen - McLaren M7A
Started by
David Lawson
, Feb 25 2004 06:51
21 replies to this topic
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#2
barrykm
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Posted 25 February 2004 - 16:20
David, no pic I'm afraid, but I can tell you it was a medium blue.
#3
Rob Ryder
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Posted 25 February 2004 - 16:48
Poor quality I am afraid, but the only picture I have.
I think I must have picked it up in the internet at some time
I think I must have picked it up in the internet at some time
#4
Reyna
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Posted 25 February 2004 - 17:31
Two more pics. The first from LAT Photographics, and the b&w from Autosprint.
© LAT Photographics
Rafa
© LAT Photographics
Rafa
#5
David Lawson
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Posted 25 February 2004 - 17:57
Thank you very much Barry, Rob and Reyna - the front and side pictures are perfect for my purposes.
All the best
David
All the best
David
#6
barrykm
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Posted 25 February 2004 - 19:33
I'm sketchy on the details but I think Basil had a rather large shunt in this car at Kyalami later in '69 and the car was pretty much wrecked. Does anyone know any more about this? Basil returned for a short while in FAtlantic a few years later and put in a few good drives. Where is he now?
#7
Hieronymus
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Posted 26 February 2004 - 05:44
Basil moved to Australia several years ago. I believe that he has a son that also competes in racing. Perhaps some of the Aussies on this forum can confirm this...
#8
Ray Bell
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Posted 26 February 2004 - 06:04
Strange... the only recollection I have of the name locally was when Basil sat in the seat of one of the Bill Patterson Toranas at Bathurst in 1977...
#9
Hieronymus
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Posted 26 February 2004 - 09:22
The last time I had contact with Basil he was in Brookvale, NSW.
#10
Ray Bell
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Posted 26 February 2004 - 11:12
How long ago was that?
No listing of his name in the Sydney phone book... unless he has different initials. Or was the spelling of 'van Rooyen' different?
No listing of his name in the Sydney phone book... unless he has different initials. Or was the spelling of 'van Rooyen' different?
#11
Hieronymus
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Posted 26 February 2004 - 11:35
Ray
I would estimate about 10 years ago. Somewhere at home I must have a letter also from Basil. Will check on this. The spelling is correct.
I would estimate about 10 years ago. Somewhere at home I must have a letter also from Basil. Will check on this. The spelling is correct.
#12
David Lawson
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Posted 26 February 2004 - 12:15
This is from the TNF Archive
http://forums.atlasf...asil van Rooyen
I hope this link works I've not posted a link before.
David
http://forums.atlasf...asil van Rooyen
I hope this link works I've not posted a link before.
David
#13
ry6
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Posted 26 February 2004 - 19:04
The car was medium blue.
His name is/was Basil van Rooyen.
I was at Kyalami when he had a dreadful accident in practice. I can't remember what caused it - either a tyre deflation or a suspension component breakage but the car left the track at full speed while going down the main straightaway.
The incident happened about 400 yards past the pits.
The car was written off and Basil amazingly was relatively uninjured!
I will dig up some old records and notes.
His name is/was Basil van Rooyen.
I was at Kyalami when he had a dreadful accident in practice. I can't remember what caused it - either a tyre deflation or a suspension component breakage but the car left the track at full speed while going down the main straightaway.
The incident happened about 400 yards past the pits.
The car was written off and Basil amazingly was relatively uninjured!
I will dig up some old records and notes.
#14
Hieronymus
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Posted 27 February 2004 - 06:00
Ray
I managed to find one letter I received from Basil. It was written in 1992. He was then domiciled in a place called "Tura Mura". At least this is what it looks like. Letter is in Basil's own hand, so this is what it looks like. Somewhere there must be more correspondance between Basil in myself. I have a address-note book where I have written down his address as in Brookvale. I presume this was a couple of years after the letter with the Tura Mura address.
Reading the older thread on Basil, I would like to point out that Trevor and Basil van Rooyen are not related. Van Rooyen is quite a common surname in ZA. Trevor, by the way, has also moved abroad. He lives in England.
I managed to find one letter I received from Basil. It was written in 1992. He was then domiciled in a place called "Tura Mura". At least this is what it looks like. Letter is in Basil's own hand, so this is what it looks like. Somewhere there must be more correspondance between Basil in myself. I have a address-note book where I have written down his address as in Brookvale. I presume this was a couple of years after the letter with the Tura Mura address.
Reading the older thread on Basil, I would like to point out that Trevor and Basil van Rooyen are not related. Van Rooyen is quite a common surname in ZA. Trevor, by the way, has also moved abroad. He lives in England.
#15
quintin cloud
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Posted 27 February 2004 - 06:17
Originally posted by Reyna
Two more pics. The first from LAT Photographics, and the b&w from Autosprint.
© LAT Photographics
...
Rafa
I was looking at the backgorund of the photo and not miss one thing on how close the people where sitting to the track
Now days you lucky if you are double the distance from the track.
#16
barrykm
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Posted 27 February 2004 - 09:47
Originally posted by quintin cloud
I was looking at the backgorund of the photo and not miss one thing on how close the people where sitting to the track
Where the specatators are in this pic, on the outside of the approach to Leeuwkop corner at Kyalami, the ground fell down and away from the edge of the track, so there is something of an illusion here, but your point is still very valid though, they were still pretty close.
#17
quintin cloud
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Posted 27 February 2004 - 11:31
Originally posted by barrykm
Where the specatators are in this pic, on the outside of the approach to Leeuwkop corner at Kyalami, the ground fell down and away from the edge of the track, so there is something of an illusion here, but your point is still very valid though, they were still pretty close.
At leeukop when I was there and the track was still in it's old configuration the dorp off was very slight but today is quiet alot more as they have track going down behind the people in the pictue as well as there is also a off road track there as well.
#18
Barry Lake
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Posted 27 February 2004 - 14:23
I have contact with Basil van Rooyen and his son (who is a budding race engineer, not driver).
Anyone want me to ask him anything?
Anyone want me to ask him anything?
#19
ry6
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Posted 28 February 2004 - 12:50
Basil's big crash was on the Friday before the Republic Trophy Races at Kyalami - late May 1969.
From a report at the time - It appears that when he passed the pits on his first quick practice lap the people in the pits could see the tyre moving on the rim!
As he started to brake for Crowthorne the tyre "deflated" (even more?) and the car spun.
Huge crash at 150 mph.
The car broke in two - the engine went one way and the rest of the car another way.
Basil was flung into the bank when the seat belts broke.
He damaged four vertebrae and had some kidney injury.
The car does not appear to have been repaired, nor do parts appear to have been used to built some other "special".
Evidently Basil bought the car direct from Bruce McLaren although Jo Bonnier was interested too.
McLaren decided to sell it to Basil because Basil offered to help him with advice, gear ratios etc for the Kyalami Grand Prix, as well as the use of his Superformance facilities in Joburg.
Mr Lawson and STP were acknowledged as backers of Basil's effort.
First time out in the car he won the Cape South Easter at Killarney, Cape Town.
For the 1969 SAGP earlier that year BvR set a creditable grid time 1 min 21.8 which was 9th on the grid.
A great effort by a privateer.
I do not know how he fared in the race - a note I have is that he retired on lap 12 with brake failure.
BvR was a top class driver - and if I am right was the first driver to race with advertising signage in RSA when his Ford Mustang wore Lucky Strike colors.
He was a pilot of Lotus-Cortina, Mustang, Ford Capri V8, Chev Firenza V8 (CanAm) and lastly a Fiat 125 with a Ferrari engine. His cars were always immaculate and always competitive.
From a report at the time - It appears that when he passed the pits on his first quick practice lap the people in the pits could see the tyre moving on the rim!
As he started to brake for Crowthorne the tyre "deflated" (even more?) and the car spun.
Huge crash at 150 mph.
The car broke in two - the engine went one way and the rest of the car another way.
Basil was flung into the bank when the seat belts broke.
He damaged four vertebrae and had some kidney injury.
The car does not appear to have been repaired, nor do parts appear to have been used to built some other "special".
Evidently Basil bought the car direct from Bruce McLaren although Jo Bonnier was interested too.
McLaren decided to sell it to Basil because Basil offered to help him with advice, gear ratios etc for the Kyalami Grand Prix, as well as the use of his Superformance facilities in Joburg.
Mr Lawson and STP were acknowledged as backers of Basil's effort.
First time out in the car he won the Cape South Easter at Killarney, Cape Town.
For the 1969 SAGP earlier that year BvR set a creditable grid time 1 min 21.8 which was 9th on the grid.
A great effort by a privateer.
I do not know how he fared in the race - a note I have is that he retired on lap 12 with brake failure.
BvR was a top class driver - and if I am right was the first driver to race with advertising signage in RSA when his Ford Mustang wore Lucky Strike colors.
He was a pilot of Lotus-Cortina, Mustang, Ford Capri V8, Chev Firenza V8 (CanAm) and lastly a Fiat 125 with a Ferrari engine. His cars were always immaculate and always competitive.
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#20
T54
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Posted 28 February 2004 - 23:11
In case the pictures were needed to make a model of the car, many years ago I designed a M7A with side fuel tank for the French kit maker Heller, later re-released in Japan. It is in 1/24 scale and is quite decent with lots of details. It should not be too difficult to find one?
Regards,
T54
Regards,
T54
#21
David Lawson
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Posted 29 February 2004 - 15:27
T54
I've got that kit as well as the Heller Brabham BT33 and Lotus 49B, thanks for the information but the version I'm doing is in 1/32 scale.
Do you know if Heller ever did a Lotus 48 kit, I know they did some F2 cars at the end of the 60s.
David
I've got that kit as well as the Heller Brabham BT33 and Lotus 49B, thanks for the information but the version I'm doing is in 1/32 scale.
Do you know if Heller ever did a Lotus 48 kit, I know they did some F2 cars at the end of the 60s.
David
#22
T54
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Posted 29 February 2004 - 16:24
The only Heller racing car kits prior to 1975 were all in 1/24 scale and were all done from my plans of which I retained copies. I had a deal with my friend Gerard Crombac in which I had access to the Sport-Auto photo files as no factory plans were available then, and there were no manufacturing licencing organized like today.
The only F2-F3 made were the Brabham BT15 and the MATRA MS5. The F1 were a Brabham BT27, a Lotus 49B and the M7A. Sports cars included a 330P4 coupe, a 512M, Porsche 917K and 907 (from which they derived a completely bogus 908!) a Renault R8G and a brace of Alpines, an A110 1440 and an A210 LM twin-cam.
I chose the models myself and did everything for the pattern and mold makers, down to ezploded views of the kits, and also supplied the assembly instructions. It was fun and paid well, so that I could feed the money-machine for real racing.
Sorry, but then 1/32 scale was not really popular except for club slot car racers...
T54
The only F2-F3 made were the Brabham BT15 and the MATRA MS5. The F1 were a Brabham BT27, a Lotus 49B and the M7A. Sports cars included a 330P4 coupe, a 512M, Porsche 917K and 907 (from which they derived a completely bogus 908!) a Renault R8G and a brace of Alpines, an A110 1440 and an A210 LM twin-cam.
I chose the models myself and did everything for the pattern and mold makers, down to ezploded views of the kits, and also supplied the assembly instructions. It was fun and paid well, so that I could feed the money-machine for real racing.
Sorry, but then 1/32 scale was not really popular except for club slot car racers...
T54
