1985/1986 New Zealand Group A Racing - Discussion & Results

[Jesper OH]

As there seems to be some knowledge about the New Zealand Group A scene around this forum in general, a new threat or more seems appropriate. As usual the time line is centeret around the Kiwi summer season. I thought I didn't have anything to add but the obvious Nissan series races, but looking at my files I discovered the result of this particular Benson & Hedges 3 hour race, held on 20 October 1985 – two weeks after the 1985 James Hardie 1000 at Bathurst.

Pos.	#	Drivers	Car	Laps
1.	7	Robbie Francevic/Mark Petch	Volvo 240 Turbo	135/3h0m9.75s
2.	39	Graeme Bowkett/Wayne Wilkinson	Holden Commodore VK	135
3.	2	Ray Smith/Denny Hulme	Holden Commodore VK	135
4.	31	Trevor Crowe/Tony Longhurst	BMW 635CSi	135
5.	11	Alan Prince/Mike Hourigan	Jaguar XJ-S HE	123
6.	28	Bill McFarlane/Wayne Murdoch	Ford Capri	121
7.	45	Warren Burt/Jeff Pascoe	Toyota Starlet	121
8.	43	Bruce Drinkow/Allan Drinkow	Toyota Corolla GT	118
9.	62	Neil Allport/Rodger Freeth	Mazda 626i	116
10.	52	Roy Hiscock/Richard Gillies	Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo	116
11.	8	Danie Lupp/Robbie Ker	Holden Commodore VK	116
12.	42	Steve Willy/Dave Janes	Toyota Corolla GT	116
13.	72	Dave Barrow/Mark Jennings	Toyota Corolla GT	116
14.	54	Rupert Gardiner/Sydney Gardiner	Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo	115
15.	61	Garry Pedersen/Dave McMillan	Mazda 626i	115
16.	91	Dauntsey Teagle/Charlie Munro	Honda Civic 'S'	114
17.	71	Bryan Bate/Vallis Peet	Toyota Corolla GT	114
18.	81	Dave Slater/Ed Lamont	Ford Laser Sport	114
19.	92	Bryan Hartley/Richard Edgecombe	Honda Civic 'S'	114
20.	41	Paul Adams/Allan Woolf	Toyota Corolla GT	114

I'm sure that somebody can provide the track, and the source of this result might be from an apparently defunct Mark Petch site. DNFs/DNSs would be much appreciated, as a general synopsis of the race would be.

Jesper

[brendonwood1]

Thanks for those results Jesper. That race is Rd 1 of the 1985 Benson & Hedges series at Manfield.
The main retirement was the Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe, BMW 635CSi - as a result of a barrell roll which destroyed the car and left Baigent in hospital with a broken arm and concussion.
Also, the Anderson/Anderson Pinepac Mustang would have been a retirement as well.
Looking at the results, the first eight cars home were Group A cars. The nineth placed Allport/Freeth Mazda would be the first NZ Production car beating the Hiscock/Gillies Cordia Turbo. The cars in 11th to 13th are all Group A cars. The cars from 14th to 16th and 18th and 19th are NZ Production cars and the 17th and 20th placed Corollas were Group A cars. The Adams/Woolf Corolla must have suffered problems as it finished on the podium at Pukekohe a few weeks later.
The lead of the early laps was contested by Hulme and Baigent - and it was a clash between these two that resulted in Baigent's crash. In later years a story came out that Hulme was unimpressed by Baigent's aggressive driving in Australia and warned him that he'd hurt himself if he tried it against the wrong driver. This crash was a race incident - but that story may have been a partial reason for the crash. There are some hints that Hulme was giving Baigent some of his own "medicine". All of this was related in a biography about Ray Smith - who ran the Auckland Coin & Bullion Exchange and owned and co-drove the Hulme/Smith Commodore. I read the parts of the biography concerning Smith's racing career in a book store in Auckland a few years ago. If I ever see it cheap I'll buy it.
After the crash between Hulme and Baigent, which dropped Hulme back, the Volvo came through to win.

[John Madden]

If I rember correctly Baigent's helmet came off in this shunt. As a consequence thereafter, scutineers made you don your helmet while they tried to pull it off your head by lifting the back of it. Good job it wasn't his nomex underwear that failed.

[KA]

Yes, MalcolmC posted a couple of pics in the 635 thread from one of the NZ magazines at the time showing the Baigent shunt:

http://tentenths.com/forum/showpost....&postcount=801

One clearly shows his helmet flying through the air after it left the car- That was definitely a very big one...

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/...2011_00000.jpg

[KA]

Another find at 'The Roaring Season', posted there by 'Peterwgpa'

A couple of pics of the Gerald Kay/Jagparts and Allan Grice Commodores at Wellington:
http://www.theroaringseason.com/atta...1&d=1333625112

http://www.theroaringseason.com/atta...1&d=1333625135

and a copy of the entry list, grid and result for the Wellington Nissan-Mobil race

http://www.theroaringseason.com/atta...1&d=1333705437

[brendonwood1]

Also, following are brief results of Rounds 2 and 3 of the series.

The Baypark round was the second round. The two Commodores of Bowkett/Wilkinson and Hulme/Smith both retired.
The Volvo led until 10 minutes from the end until Petch was overtaken by the Crowe/Longhurst BMW. The Volvo suffered from tyre wear on a circuit that was hard on tyres, and this tyre wear cost the team their second successive win.

Rd 2: Baypark
Distance:	2 1/2 hours
Starters:	unknown (guess was around 30)
Cars Eligible:	FIA Group A; NZ Assembled Standard Production 0-1300cc, 1301-1600cc, 1601-2000cc, over 2,000cc
POLE:	Francevic/Petch*	Volvo 240 Turbo
RESULTS
1st	Trevor Crowe/Tony Longhurst	BMW 635CSi
2nd	Robbie Francevic/Mark Petch	Volvo 240 Turbo

The results are incomplete I'm afraid. My only current source for the 1985 series is the Australian "Raceyear 1985" annual, which gives a synoposis of each round, but doesn't give full results.

I am assuming that the Volvo took pole, but that needs confirmation. The book doesn't say who finished third. And I cannot confirm if the Mazda 626i or the Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo was the winning car in NZ Production.

Round 3 was the six hour race at Pukekohe. There was additional interest in the appearance of the Dick Johnson Mustang, which he shared with Neville Crichton. I remember the car ran in John Andrew Ford colours in this race. John Andrew Ford was/is Auckland's largest Ford dealer, and at the time the dealership was owned by Crichton.
The race saw the Commodores hit problems again, but there was a great three-way dice between the Volvo, Johnson Mustang and Crowe BMW for the first three hours. The Volvo broke its diff at the three hour mark and the Mustang got stuck in gear causing Johnson to lose a lap. This allowed the Crowe/Longhurst BMW to cruise to the finish.
The little Corolla GT of Adams/Woolf finished third.

Rd 3: Pukekohe
Distance:	6 hours
Starters:	around 40
Cars Eligible:	FIA Group A; NZ Assembled Standard Production 0-1300cc, 1301-1600cc, 1601-2000cc, over 2,000cc
POLE	Francevic/Petch*	Volvo 240 Turbo
RESULTS
1st	Trevor Crow/Tony Longhurst	BMW 635CSi
2nd	Dick Johnson/Neville Crichton	Ford Mustang GT
3rd	Paul Adams/Allan Woolf	Toyota Corolla GT

Apologies for not having full results or confirmation of the grid for these races. If I have a chance to check through some of my NZ mags while visiting family next week I'll see what else I can find.

[Jesper OH]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

Round 3 was the six hour race at Pukekohe. There was additional interest in the appearance of the Dick Johnson Mustang, which he shared with Neville Crichton. I remember the car ran in John Andrew Ford colours in this race. John Andrew Ford was/is Auckland's largest Ford dealer, and at the time the dealership was owned by Crichton.

Would that have made the Johnson-Mustang blue? From the early 1986 Wellington 500 highligt video I remember a blue Ford Escort RS1600i - production car by the look of the wheels - in what I remember as John Andrew Ford sponsorship.
A John Andrew ex-Ruedi Eggenberger Ford Sierra XR4Ti made about half the 1987 ATCC rounds in the hands of both Chricton and Denny Hulme. I think that particular car made its southern debut at Wellington in early 1987, Steve Soper co-driving.

Otherwise, I have read your recent posts with great exitement, brendonwood1. Most of this is new territory for me. I'm noting that dates for the various races are a bit fluent at the moment, but will have a look at http://www.progcovers.com/motor/tracks.html

Jesper

[Jesper OH]

Had a look at the programme covers site and it proved quite fruitfull. I have chosen to list all available dates for the various tracks, to not let any obscure race slip.

date	track	name of race	notes
1985-10-20	Manfeild	Benson & Hedges Saloon Car Series	B & H Series, round 1
1985-10-27	Baypark Raceway	Benson & Hedges Saloon Car Classic	B & H Series, round 2
1985-11-17	Pukekohe	Benson & Hedges Saloon Car Classic	B & H Series, round 3
1985-12-29	Baypark Raceway	Coca-Cola Bottlers International Motor Races	NZTCC, round 1
1986-01-05	Pukekohe	Mita Copiers New Zealand Grand Prix	NZTCC, round 2
1986-01-12	Manfeild	International Motoracing	NZTCC, round 3
1986-01-xx	Wigram		NZTCC, round 4
1986-01-26	Wellington	Nissan Mobil 500	Nissan Mobil Series, round 1
1986-02-02	Pukekohe	Nissan Mobil 500	Nissan Mobil Series, round 2
1986-03-30	Baypark Raceway	Baypark National Motor Races

The Wigram race dated as 1986-01-xx very likely was held on 19th January 1986. And please note the spelling of Manfeild - it's not a mistake!

Jesper

[KA]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Would that have made the Johnson-Mustang blue? From the early 1986 Wellington 500 highligt video I remember a blue Ford Escort RS1600i - production car by the look of the wheels - in what I remember as John Andrew Ford sponsorship.
A John Andrew ex-Ruedi Eggenberger Ford Sierra XR4Ti made about half the 1987 ATCC rounds in the hands of both Chricton and Denny Hulme. I think that particular car made its southern debut at Wellington in early 1987, Steve Soper co-driving.

There's a blue RS1600i pictured in the Nissan-Mobil 500 chapter of the '86 Bathurst annual- IIRC it's described as a production car.

The Wellington result includes 4 RS1600is:

#35 Phil Mhyre/Graham Lorimer- finished 11th
#48 Jim Clark/Paul Mabee- DNF
#64 Andrew Bagnall/Paul Radisich- DNF
#84 Chris Toms/Rex Rattenbury- DNF

We looked at these in the RS1600i thread- I don't have the Bathurst book to hand, but the #35 car was blue, sponsored by Lakeland Ford.
Apparently, the other 3 were all ex-BTCC Group A cars of Richard Longman origin-
#48 ex-Alan Curnow Datapost car, (resprayed yellow),
#64 ex-Richard Belcher John Jeffeys Engineering car (still in the red/blue/white Jeffreys colours)
#84 an ex-Longman/Curnow Datapost car, (still in Datapost red- now back in the UK, see pics in the RS1600i thread)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/

There are more pics from the 1986 Nissan-Mobil races in that Flickr set.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...th/2788592820/

[Jesper OH]

Notes made from a VHS of the '86 Wellington 500, showing the presence of about 40 cars for the race.

#	Car	Crew	Colour
	Alfa Romeo GTV6 2.5	LAMONT GULSON	white
31	BMW 635CSi	CROWE LONGHURST	black
72	BMW 635CSi	O'BRIEN MCINTYRE
6	BMW 635CSi	CROZ MACKINNON
3	BMW 635CSi	MORTON RICHARDS	white
20	BMW 635CSi		black
33	Fiat Ritmo		black
28	Ford Capri		red/black
64	Ford Escort RS1600i	BAGNALL RADISICH	red/blue
84	Ford Escort RS1600i	TOMS RATTENBURY	red
35	Ford Escort RS1600i	MYHRE LORIMER	blue
48	Ford Escort RS1600i	CLARK MABEE	beige
17	Ford Mustang	JOHNSON CHRICHTON	black
32	Ford Mustang	ANDERSON ?	yellow
18	Ford Sierra XR4Ti	OXTON ROUSE	white/blue
	Holden Commodore VK Evo		blue
26	Holden Commodore VK	CASTLE BILLINGTON	white
8	Holden Commodore VK		blue
5	Holden Commodore VK Evo		white/red/blue
16	Holden Commodore VK Evo	GRICE CAMERON	red
2	Holden Commodore VK Evo
	Holden Commodore VK Evo
24	Holden Commodore VK Evo		white/blue
7	Holden Commodore VK Evo		white/red/blue
11	Jaguar XJS		white
23	Nissan Bluebird	HALLIDAY CROFT	white
9	Rover Vitesse	WALKINSHAW PERCY	brown
10	Rover Vitesse	DICKSON HAHNE	brown
42	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]	BARROW JENNINGS	white/blue
41	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]	ADAMS WOOLF	white/blue
91	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]		white
	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]		red
51	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]	? LAINO	red
	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]		white/red
44	Toyota Corolla 1600 GT [TE71]		white
46	Toyota Corolla 1600 GT [TE71]	WILLY JANES	white
	Toyota Starlet		white
1	Volvo 240 Turbo	FRANCEVIC LINDSTRÖM	white/yellow/blue
4	Volvo 240 Turbo	ANDERSSON MCMILLAN	white

Jesper

[KA]

Hi Jesper- I've got the '86 Bathurst book to hand, and think I can fill in some more of that- I'll try and match them up with pics in the album on Flickr I mentioned in my last post- I'll add details in bold

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Notes made from a VHS of the '86 Wellington 500, showing the presence of about 40 cars for the race.

#	Car	Crew	Colour	Notes & pic
67	Alfa Romeo GTV6 2.5	LAMONT GULSON	white	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
31	BMW 635CSi	CROWE LONGHURST	black	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
72	BMW 635CSi	O'BRIEN MCINTYRE	red	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
6	BMW 635CSi	CROSBY MACKINNON	yellow/blue	According to the Bathurst book, an ex-Frank Sytner car leased by Graeme Crosbyhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
3	BMW 635CSi	MORTON RICHARDS	white	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
20	BMW 635CSi	KEOGH ROBERTSON	black	Jim Keogh's car from Australia- thought it was a dark red/purple colourhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
33	Fiat Ritmo		black
28	Ford Capri		red/black
64	Ford Escort RS1600i	BAGNALL RADISICH	red/blue	ex-Belcher BTCC 'John Jeffreys Engineering car
84	Ford Escort RS1600i	TOMS RATTENBURY	red	Ex-BTCC Datapost car (Racing RSi's car in the RS1600i thread) http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
35	Ford Escort RS1600i	MYHRE LORIMER	blue	Pic in the Bathurst book describes this as a 'production' car
48	Ford Escort RS1600i	CLARK MABEE	beige	think this is another ex-BTCC Datapost car
17	Ford Mustang	JOHNSON CHRICHTON	black	Johnson's car in JPS colours http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
32	Ford Mustang	ANDERSON ANDERSON	yellow	the local Anderson Bros/Pinepac car http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
18	Ford Sierra XR4Ti	OXTON ROUSE	white/blue	ex-Rouse BTCC Sierra http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
	Holden Commodore VK Evo		blue
26	Holden Commodore VK	CASTLE BILLINGTON	white
8	Holden Commodore VK		blue
05	Holden Commodore VK Evo	BROCK MOFFATT	white/red/blue	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
16	Holden Commodore VK Evo	GRICE CAMERON	red	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
2	Holden Commodore VK Evo	HULME SMITH	gold/black	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
22	Holden Commodore VK Evo	McLEAN KEMP		http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
24	Holden Commodore VK Evo		white/blue	think this is Gerald Kay's 'Jagparts' car from Australia
7	Holden Commodore VK Evo	HARVEY LOWE	white/red/blue	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
11	Jaguar XJS	PRINCE HOURIGAN	white	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817@N07/2780280349/
23	Nissan Bluebird	HALLIDAY CROFT	white	(in background)http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
9	Rover Vitesse	WALKINSHAW PERCY	brown	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
10	Rover Vitesse	DICKSON HAHNE	brown	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
42	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]	BARROW JENNINGS	white/blue
41	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]	ADAMS WOOLF	white/blue	middle of pic behind the Holden http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
91	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]		white
	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]		red
51	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]	? LAINO	red
	Toyota Corolla GT [AE86]		white/red
44	Toyota Corolla 1600 GT [TE71]		white	in backgroundhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
46	Toyota Corolla 1600 GT [TE71]	WILLY JANES	white
	Toyota Starlet		white
1	Volvo 240 Turbo	FRANCEVIC LINDSTRÖM	white/yellow/blue	http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
4	Volvo 240 Turbo	ANDERSSON MCMILLAN	white	Was this a visiting European car? http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/

[brendonwood1]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Would that have made the Johnson-Mustang blue?
Jesper

Hi Jesper,
The Mustang was still in its Australian green livery, but with John Andrew Ford stickers on it. I'm afraid I don't have a photo available.
Brendon

[brendonwood1]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

.

Thanks to the "Bathurst 1986/87" annual that I had amongst the pile of books stored at my parent's place, I can add the two results in bold for the second and third round of the 1985 B&H Series.

After retirements of the leading Commodores, it was the Jaguar XJS of Mike Hourigan and Allan Prince which finished third at Baypark. This car was largely standard except for good brakes and suspension.
They tweaked the motor after this race and did not finish another race during the 1985/86 season.

Also, the Pukekohe 6-hour race saw Graeme Crosby and Lew McKinnon join the series in a BMW 635CSi. The "Bathurst 1986/87" annual describes the car as an ex-Frank Sytner car. For some reason I thought the engine/gearbox from the destroyed Kent Baigent BMW ended up in this car. That may have been the case later on.
At Pukekohe the car finished fourth after an early stop to replace a half shaft.

[KA]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

Also, the Pukekohe 6-hour race saw Graeme Crosby and Lew McKinnon join the series in a BMW 635CSi. The "Bathurst 1986/87" annual describes the car as an ex-Frank Sytner car. For some reason I thought the engine/gearbox from the destroyed Kent Baigent BMW ended up in this car. That may have been the case later on.
At Pukekohe the car finished fourth after an early stop to replace a half shaft.

Now, which 'ex-Frank Sytner' 635 was the Crosby/MacKinnon car?

Frank apparently bought the 3 CC Motorsport/BMW GB cars, then sold them on- one to Mike Newman in the UK who ran it in the BTCC 1985-7 (and I think may still have it?), one to O'Brien before Bathurst '85...
(the red 'State Coal' car in the NZ races)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/
...and I thought the third (the spare) went to Europe (Belgium?)- pretty sure this one was LHD- the other two being RHD, as shown in the pic of the O'Brien car.

The pic clearly shows the Crosby car as another RHD 635- so was this Sytner's 1985 BTCC car sold on to NZ? (don't recall if the Sytner car was LHD or RHD)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606882601980/

[Graham Clayton]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

After retirements of the leading Commodores, it was the Jaguar XJS of Mike Hourigan and Allan Prince which finished third at Baypark. This car was largely standard except for good brakes and suspension.
They tweaked the motor after this race and did not finish another race during the 1985/86 season.

brendonwood,
I had no idea that there was a NZ privateer Group A XJS - thanks for the information!

[MalcolmC]

Originally Posted by Graham Clayton

brendonwood,
I had no idea that there was a NZ privateer Group A XJS - thanks for the information!

I scanned this info for someone a couple of years ago when a restoration was rumoured, but I haven't seen the car return to the track.
http://s1179.photobucket.com/user/NZ...rary/PandH-XJS

[Graham Clayton]

Originally Posted by MalcolmC

I scanned this info for someone a couple of years ago when a restoration was rumoured, but I haven't seen the car return to the track.
http://s1179.photobucket.com/user/NZ...rary/PandH-XJS

If the car is restored, it should be brought over to Australia to race against the Garry Willmington XJS of the same era, which is now competing in historic Group A racing.

[E36ST]

Originally Posted by MalcolmC

I scanned this info for someone a couple of years ago when a restoration was rumoured, but I haven't seen the car return to the track.

The car was back on the circuit at the Wigram Revival meeting at Ruapuna last weekend & looking outstanding. There was also further mention of it here:

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...t=47720&page=3

[brendonwood1]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

Ok, thanks to Dick Johnson's column in Chequered Flag Dec 1985, I can confirm that Johnson took pole for the 1985 Pukekohe 6-hour race.
Johnson comments in his column that at the 2/3rd race distance they had a 70 second lead, only for the gearbox to jam.
Apologies for how bitty this is turning out - I keep finding small bits of info and adding them.

[Jesper OH]

Adding small bits had made a major contribution to the various BTCC pages and will hopefully do so here too. I had little knowledge except for the Nissan Mobil 500 races before these threads, but am pleasantly surpriced that New Zealand appears to have had it's own unique Group A community.

Jesper

[brown dog]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Adding small bits had made a major contribution to the various BTCC pages and will hopefully do so here too. I had little knowledge except for the Nissan Mobil 500 races before these threads, but am pleasantly surpriced that New Zealand appears to have had it's own unique Group A community.

Jesper

Jesper, there is certainly still a lot of interest in these cars here, and a lot of nice machinery over here. A new series started last year for historic touring cars, which covers early 80's Group A up to late 90's Super Tourers, and is getting pretty decent fields. There has been some talks about making a trip to Australia with our cars to race over there, and vice versa. Gp.A is alive and well down under!

Conrad
'

[brendonwood1]

Finally, there was in December-January there was a four round New Zealand Touring Car Championship held over December 1985-January 1986.

Round 1 was at Baypark and was won by Trevor Crowe (BMW 635CSi) from Graeme Cameron in the Petch Volvo.
Round 2 was a Pukekohe in support of the New Zealand Grand Prix. The evolution version of the Commodore VK was homologated and Graeme Bowkett took pole and won ahead of Crowe and Cameron.
Round 3 was at Manfield. Francevic was back in the Volvo and diced throughout with Bowkett in the Commodore before the Volvo got through to win.
Round 4 was at Wigram in support of the Lady Wigram Trophy meeting. There were two heats, with Crowe and Bowkett winning one heat each.

Of interest, David Oxton debuted the ex-Rouse Sierra during the series. Although the Raceyear annual doesn't mention this, I remember that Oxton got at least one pole.

Again, I only have brief results.

This takes us through to the 1986 Nissan Mobil 500 series at Wellington and Pukekohe. Extensive results for both races are available on Frank de Joeng's website and Wellington race highlights can be found on Youtube.
I will post up a report on this series when I return from my NZ trip in a few weeks time.

[brendonwood1]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

Finally, there was in December-January there was a four round New Zealand Touring Car Championship held over December 1985-January 1986.

Round 1 was at Baypark and was won by Trevor Crowe (BMW 635CSi) from Graeme Cameron in the Petch Volvo.
Round 2 was a Pukekohe in support of the New Zealand Grand Prix. The evolution version of the Commodore VK was homologated and Graeme Bowkett took pole and won ahead of Crowe and Cameron.
Round 3 was at Manfield. Francevic was back in the Volvo and diced throughout with Bowkett in the Commodore before the Volvo got through to win.
Round 4 was at Wigram in support of the Lady Wigram Trophy meeting. There were two heats, with Crowe and Bowkett winning one heat each.

Of interest, David Oxton debuted the ex-Rouse Sierra during the series. Although the Raceyear annual doesn't mention this, I remember that Oxton got at least one pole.

OK, thanks to The Dunlop Book of New Zealand Motorsport by David McKinney (c.1987), I can confirm that Graeme Bowkett won the championship and David Oxton took pole for the Baypark round in the ex-Rouse Sierra.
Also, I have the wrong results for the Baypark round.
Round 1 at Baypark and was won by Trevor Crowe (BMW 635CSi) from Graeme Bowkett (Commodore VK) and Graeme Cameron in the Petch Volvo.
Bowkett's Commodore would have been in pre-evolution form for the Baypark race.

Also, can add that Denis Hulme (Commodore) was 3rd at Manfield and Trevor Crowe was 4th.

[brendonwood1]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

Finally, there was in December-January there was a four round New Zealand Touring Car Championship held over December 1985-January 1986.

Round 1 was at Baypark and was won by Trevor Crowe (BMW 635CSi) from Graeme Cameron in the Petch Volvo.
Round 2 was a Pukekohe in support of the New Zealand Grand Prix. The evolution version of the Commodore VK was homologated and Graeme Bowkett took pole and won ahead of Crowe and Cameron.
Round 3 was at Manfield. Francevic was back in the Volvo and diced throughout with Bowkett in the Commodore before the Volvo got through to win.
Round 4 was at Wigram in support of the Lady Wigram Trophy meeting. There were two heats, with Crowe and Bowkett winning one heat each.

Of interest, David Oxton debuted the ex-Rouse Sierra during the series. Although the Raceyear annual doesn't mention this, I remember that Oxton got at least one pole.

Thanks to the Dunlop Book of New Zealand Motorsport and the Bathurst 1986/87 yearbook, I now have extensive results of the NZ Touring Car Championship. So I have now put it in table form as follows:

29-12-1985 Baypark Park Round 1 New Zealand Touring Car Championship

Pole: David Oxton Ford Sierra XR4Ti

Results:

1st Trevor Crowe BMW 635CSi

2nd Graeme Bowkett Holden Commodore VK

3rd Graeme Cameron Volvo 240 Turbo

4th Graeme Crosby BMW 635CSi.

The Sierra's turbo blew on the warm up lap, so Oxton was a did not start.

05-01-1986 Pukekohe Round 2 New Zealand Touring Car Championship

Pole: Graeme Bowkett Holden Commodore VK Evo

Results

1st Graeme Bowkett Holden Commodore VK Evo

2nd Trevor Crowe BMW 635CSi

3rd Graeme Cameron Volvo 240 Turbo

4th Graeme Crosby BMW 635CSi

5th Charlie O'Brien BMW 635CSi

Oxton qualified the Sierra second for this race and ran second until a half-shaft broke.
The race saw the Evolution Commodore VK take pole and win on its World Debut.

12-01-1986 Manfeild Round 3 New Zealand Touring Car Championship

Pole: Robbie Francevic Volvo 240 Turbo

Results

1st Robbie Francevic Volvo 240 Turbo

2nd Graeme Bowkett Holden Commodore VK Evo

3rd Denis Hulme Holden Commodore VK Evo

4th Trevor Crowe BMW 635CSi

Mark Petch and Robbie Francevic agreed that the "order had to be restored", so Francevic was back in the Volvo for this race. This was the most exciting race of the series, with the Francevic and Bowkett exchanging paint several times in their battle for the lead.

19-01-1986 Wigram Round 4 New Zealand Touing Car Championship

Pole: Graeme Bowkett Holden Commodore VK Evo* (needs confirmation)

Results Heat 1

1st Trevor Crowe BMW 635CSi

2nd Graeme Bowkett Holden Commodore VK Evo

3rd David Oxton Ford Sierra XR4Ti

Results Heat 2

1st Graeme Bowkett Holden Commodore VK Evo

2nd Trevor Crowe BMW 635CSi

3rd David Oxton Ford Sierra XR4Ti

Many teams skipped this race due to the fact it was just a week before the Nissan Mobil 500 at Wellington. Oxton finally found some reliability and finished both heats on the podium.

[VolvoGroupA]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

Thanks to the Dunlop Book of New Zealand Motorsport and the Bathurst 1986/87 yearbook, I now have extensive results of the NZ Touring Car Championship. So I have now put it in table form as follows:

[TABLE]
29-12-1985 Baypark Park Round 1 New Zealand Touring Car Championship
Pole: David Oxton Ford Sierra XR4Ti
Results:
1st Trevor Crowe/Tony Longhurst BMW 635CSi
2nd Robbie Francevic/Mark Petch Volvo 240 Turbo
3rd Alan Prince/Mike Houringan (Jaguar XJS)
4th Paul Adams/Alan Wolf (Toyota Corolla GT 1.6)
5th Warren Burt/Jeff Pascoe (Toyota Starlet 1.3)
The Sierra's turbo blew on the warm up lap, so Oxton was a did not start.

Found results on Autosport October 31, 1985.