1984/1985 New Zealand Group A and E Saloon Car Racing - Discussion & Results

[brendonwood1]

The New Zealand races could probably be covered in a separate thread for the whole of the 1984-92 period. An thread to cover each year of the Australian Group A scene would be detailed enough and the NZ scene would probably get buried.

However, to get started for NZ. In 1984, Group A cars participated in the 3-round Benson & Hedges series in November and the New Zealand Touring Car Championship over December 1984-January 1985.
The Benson & Hedges series comprised 3 hour races at Manfield and Baypark and a 6 hour race at Pukekohe.
Two new BMW 635CSis were ready for the series. Kent Baigent & Neal Lowe teamed in one 635. I believe this was an ex-Schintzer 1983 chassis. I'm sure this has being mentioned in the BMW 635 thread.
Neville Crichton & Wayne Wilkinson teamed up in a black Frank Gardner built 635CSi. I believe this is the same car driven at Bathurst by Denny Hulme/Leopard von Bayern and was converted from one of the JPS team's Group C BMW 635 CSis.
There were two Holden Commodore VH SS for Denny Hulme/Ray Smith and Bruce Fowler/Kirk Stoneman.
There were two Ford Falcon XE 5.8 V8s. The Pinepac car driven by Bruce & Wayne Anderson at Manfield and Baypark and by Bruce Anderson/Dick Johnson at Pukekohe. Another Falcon was in the hands of Robbie Francevic/John Morton.
The Commodore VH & Falcon XE were not strictly Group A cars, but rather were modified Group 1 cars allowed to compete by Motorsport Association New Zealand (MANZ) in Group A specification. They only competed in the late 84/early 85 races and were not seen again.
At the opening round at Manfield, there was also a Nissan 300ZX Turbo for Leo Leonard/Gary Sprague. The eligibility of this car was questioned and it competed only once.
The other Group A cars were a Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130TC for Dave McMillan/Gary Pederson and a Toyota Corolla GT AE86 for Paul Adams/Allan Woolf.
The rest of the field for the three races was made up of NZ Production spec racers - which were not quite in Group 1 specificiation. Only cars assembled in NZ were eligible for the production class, and the Mitsubishi Cordia and Sigma Turbos were the cars to beat in the production class.
The opening two rounds were won by the Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson BMW 635CSi. From memory the Hulme/Smith Commodore finished second in both races.
The Nissan 300ZX of Leonard/Sprague finished 3rd at Manfield and then withdrew from the rest of the series. I have a memory that the McMillan/Pederson Fiat was third at Baypark.
The Corolla picked up a couple of fourths and the Baigent/Lowe BMW and both Falcons failed in both opening two rounds.
At Pukekohe, Dick Johnson joined in the fun, teaming with Bruce Anderson in the Pinepac Falcon. But the BMWs locked out the front row, with Crichton/Wilkinson ahead of Baigent/Lowe. My memory of the rest of the grid is bit hazy, but I am sure Johnson qualfied 5th and Hulme and Francevic were ahead of him.
In the race, the Baigent/Lowe BMW finally had a good run, and won ahead of the Crichton/Wilkinson car. The Adams/Woolf Corolla completed the podium. The others all suffered problems of one sort or another. Neville Crichton and Wayne Wilkinson won the series.

For the 1984-85 New Zealand Touring Car Championship, there were only three runners who contested the whole series - Bruce Anderson in the Pinepac Falcon and Leo Leonard, who drove an older model Ford Fairmont XD V8. Also, Kent Baigent contested the series in his BMW and was duly crowned 1984/85 NZ Touring Car Champion.

This takes us up to the 1985 Nissan Sport series at Wellington & Pukekohe in late January 1985, but I should probably leave that until we decide whether to start a specific NZ thread or until the 1985 Australian/NZ thread is started.

Now, it must be noted that information on New Zealand touring car racing is a bit hard to come by. I haven't found much on the internet - with the obvious exception ten-tenths and some stuff on Frank de Jong's site. There is also a good website with details on the Pinepac Mustangs: http://www.nzmustang.com/history/rac...nzracecars.htm.

I know Mark Petch, who owned several well-known NZ Group A race cars, often posts on this forum. Hopefully he and others with more detailed knowledge of the NZ scene will be able to help fill in the gaps.
My knowledge is mainly from memory. I have race reports from various races from 1985-92 in storage at my parent's place in NZ, but can't guarantee when I will next have a chance to access these reports. My memory of the period is pretty good and I do have access to various Australian annuals - particularly the Great Race annuals - which often mentioned the Wellington street race. So I'll do my best to contribute what I know/remember to the threads on NZ racing.

[brendonwood1]

Also, just to clarify, the Benson & Hedges series was not the NZ National Championship. It was a 3 race long distance series and from 1984-86 was contested by both Group A and NZ Production cars. The Pukekohe 6-hour race was the jewel in the crown so to speak - the Bathurst of New Zealand touring car racing. The last series was held in 1986. And prior to 1984, the series was for production racers with very limited modifications. For 1987 the Pukekohe race became a 500km stand alone endurance race and there was no Benson & Hedges series. The Pukekohe race in 1987 was held a week after the Wellington round of the World Touring Car Championship.
There was a New Zealand Touring Car Championship - held every year from 1984 to 1991 in support of the Formula Atlantic series.
The Nissan-Sport series was started in 1985 - with two races at Wellington and Pukekohe. This series became the Nissan-Mobil series when Mobil came on board as a joint sponsor from 1986 onward. The series was contested from 1985-1993, with the Nissan-Mobil 500 at the Wellington street circuit taking over from the aforementioned Pukekohe 6-hour race as New Zealand's premier long distance race. The Wellington street race was held twice in 1987 - as part of the Nissan Mobil series in January and as a round of the World Touring Car Championship in October.
There was one other Group A series that was held as a one off in 1986. The Simpson Global series was for Group A cars only and was comprised a series of 3 hour races at Manfield, Baypark and Pukekohe in late November following the completion of that year's Benson & Hedges series.

[Jesper OH]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

The New Zealand races could probably be covered in a separate thread for the whole of the 1984-92 period. An thread to cover each year of the Australian Group A scene would be detailed enough and the NZ scene would probably get buried.

However, to get started for NZ. In 1984, Group A cars participated in the 3-round Benson & Hedges series in November and the New Zealand Touring Car Championship over December 1984-January 1985.
The Benson & Hedges series comprised 3 hour races at Manfield and Baypark and a 6 hour race at Pukekohe.
Two new BMW 635CSis were ready for the series. Kent Baigent & Neal Lowe teamed in one 635. I believe this was an ex-Schintzer 1983 chassis. I'm sure this has being mentioned in the BMW 635 thread.
Neville Crichton & Wayne Wilkinson teamed up in a black Frank Gardner built 635CSi. I believe this is the same car driven at Bathurst by Denny Hulme/Leopard von Bayern and was converted from one of the JPS team's Group C BMW 635 CSis.
There were two Holden Commodore VH SS for Denny Hulme/Ray Smith and Bruce Fowler/Kirk Stoneman.
There were two Ford Falcon XE 5.8 V8s. The Pinepac car driven by Bruce & Wayne Anderson at Manfield and Baypark and by Bruce Anderson/Dick Johnson at Pukekohe. Another Falcon was in the hands of Robbie Francevic/John Morton.
The Commodore VH & Falcon XE were not strictly Group A cars, but rather were modified Group 1 cars allowed to compete by Motorsport Association New Zealand (MANZ) in Group A specification. They only competed in the late 84/early 85 races and were not seen again.
At the opening round at Manfield, there was also a Nissan 300ZX Turbo for Leo Leonard/Gary Sprague. The eligibility of this car was questioned and it competed only once.
The other Group A cars were a Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130TC for Dave McMillan/Gary Pederson and a Toyota Corolla GT AE86 for Paul Adams/Allan Woolf.
The rest of the field for the three races was made up of NZ Production spec racers - which were not quite in Group 1 specificiation. Only cars assembled in NZ were eligible for the production class, and the Mitsubishi Cordia and Sigma Turbos were the cars to beat in the production class.
The opening two rounds were won by the Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson BMW 635CSi. From memory the Hulme/Smith Commodore finished second in both races.
The Nissan 300ZX of Leonard/Sprague finished 3rd at Manfield and then withdrew from the rest of the series. I have a memory that the McMillan/Pederson Fiat was third at Baypark.
The Corolla picked up a couple of fourths and the Baigent/Lowe BMW and both Falcons failed in both opening two rounds.
At Pukekohe, Dick Johnson joined in the fun, teaming with Bruce Anderson in the Pinepac Falcon. But the BMWs locked out the front row, with Crichton/Wilkinson ahead of Baigent/Lowe. My memory of the rest of the grid is bit hazy, but I am sure Johnson qualfied 5th and Hulme and Francevic were ahead of him.
In the race, the Baigent/Lowe BMW finally had a good run, and won ahead of the Crichton/Wilkinson car. The Adams/Woolf Corolla completed the podium. The others all suffered problems of one sort or another. Neville Crichton and Wayne Wilkinson won the series.

For the 1984-85 New Zealand Touring Car Championship, there were only three runners who contested the whole series - Bruce Anderson in the Pinepac Falcon and Leo Leonard, who drove an older model Ford Fairmont XD V8. Also, Kent Baigent contested the series in his BMW and was duly crowned 1984/85 NZ Touring Car Champion.

This takes us up to the 1985 Nissan Sport series at Wellington & Pukekohe in late January 1985, but I should probably leave that until we decide whether to start a specific NZ thread or until the 1985 Australian/NZ thread is started.

Now, it must be noted that information on New Zealand touring car racing is a bit hard to come by. I haven't found much on the internet - with the obvious exception ten-tenths and some stuff on Frank de Jong's site. There is also a good website with details on the Pinepac Mustangs: http://www.nzmustang.com/history/rac...nzracecars.htm.

I know Mark Petch, who owned several well-known NZ Group A race cars, often posts on this forum. Hopefully he and others with more detailed knowledge of the NZ scene will be able to help fill in the gaps.
My knowledge is mainly from memory. I have race reports from various races from 1985-92 in storage at my parent's place in NZ, but can't guarantee when I will next have a chance to access these reports. My memory of the period is pretty good and I do have access to various Australian annuals - particularly the Great Race annuals - which often mentioned the Wellington street race. So I'll do my best to contribute what I know/remember to the threads on NZ racing.

I found some additional information in the Bathurst 1985/86 book, that has a summary of late 1984/early 1985 Kiwi races. There's no dates for the races, but most, if not all, seems to have been held after Bathurst 1984 and before the opening 1985 ATCC rounds. I'll see what I can source in terms of results and reports between brendonwood1 and the Bathurst book.

I think I'll leave the current combined 1984 Australian and New Zealand thread, while future years will be dealt with separately year-by-year. Perhaps the Kiwi editions should be late 1984/early 1985 etc. to reflect on the running of the races. Any ideas in this regard would be much appreciated.

Jesper

[brendonwood1]

Yes, I had a look at a couple of books that I had here. The Bathurst '85 and Raceyear '85 books had brief summaries of the late 84/early 85 races.

The Benson & Hedges series as previously mentioned was held in late October/early November 1985.

So, here is a summary of those races.

BENSON & HEDGES SERIES

Rd 1: Manfield
Distance:	4 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:	Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson	BMW 635 Csi
RESULTS
1st	Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson	BMW 635 Csi
2nd	Bruce Fowler/Kirk Stoneman	Holden Commodore VH SS*
3rd	Leo Leonard/Garry Sprague*	Nissan 300ZX Turbo
4th	Paul Adams/Allan Woolf	Toyota Corolla AE86 GT Liftback
5th	Dave McMillan/Gary Pederson	Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130TC*
NZ Production Results
1st	drivers to be confirmed	Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo
* indicates that this needs confirmation
Major retirements: Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe BMW 635CSi; Denis Hulme/Ray Smith Holden Commodore VH SS; Bruce Anderson/Wayne Anderson Ford Fairmont XE 5.8 V8

Now, my memory must be faulty. I thought a Commodore finished second in the first two races and I thought that was the Hulme/Smith car. However, the Bathurst '85 confirms that the Hulme/Smith Commodore had a poor series with an untraceable fuel fault, so it can't have finished.

Now a couple of other notes. I thought the Nissan was driven by Leonard/Sprague, but I read an article in NZ Classic Driver recently profiling NZ saloon car racer Rod Collingwood which mentioned his involvement with the car. Not sure if Rod drove it at Manfield or in some of the NZ Touring Car Championship rounds however. I'll try to find and re-read the article.

Also, I need to confirm with those more knowledgeable than myself or those with access to contemporary reports that I have the finishing order correct.

[brendonwood1]

On to the second round. The Bathurst '85 book confirms it was a 2 1/2 hour race, not 4 hours as I previously thought.

Rd 2: Baypark
Distance:	2 1/2 hours
Starters:	unknown (guess around 25-30)
Cars Eligible:	Same as Manfield
POLE:	Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson	BMW 635CSi
RESULTS:
1st	Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson	BMW 635CSi
2nd	Bruce Fowler/Kirk Stoneman	Holden Commodore VH SS*
3rd
4th	Paul Adams/Allan Woolf	Toyota Corolla AE86 GT Liftback
NZ Production Results
1st	drivers to be confirmed	Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo
*indicates this needs confirmation
Major retirements:	Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe BMW 635CSi; Denis Hulme/Ray Smith Holden Commodore VH SS; Bruce Anderson/Wayne Anderson Ford Fairmont XE 5.8 V8

I am not sure who finished 3rd. It was possibly the McMillan/Pedersen Fiat.

[brendonwood1]

Finally on to the third round:

Rd 3: Pukekohe
Distance:	6 hours
Starters:	unknown (guess around 35-40)
Cars Eligible:	Same as Manfield
POLE:	Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe	BMW 635CSi
RESULTS:
1st	Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe	BMW 635CSi
2nd	Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson	BMW 635CSi
3rd	Bruce Fowler/Kirk Stoneman	Holden Commodore VH SS
4th	Paul Adams/Allan Woolf	Toyota Corolla AE86 GT Liftback
NZ Production Results
1st	drivers to be confirmed	Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo
*indicates this needs confirmation
Major retirements:	Denis Hulme/Ray Smith Holden Commodore VH SS; Bruce Anderson/Dick Johnson Ford Fairmont XE 5.8 V8

The Bathurst '85 report gave a brief report on this race.
After suffering electrical problems in the first two races, Baigent arranged for a new motor to be flown in from Germany. With this fitted in time for the last practice session, Baigent took his first pole for the series, edging out Crichton.
I'd love to get confirmation, but memory has Hulme, Francevic, Johnson, Fowler, McMillan and Adams next up.

In the race itself, the Baigent/Lowe BMW won by half a minute from the Crichton/Wilkinson BMW. The Crichton car led most of the race, but a jammed wheel nut at the final stop allowed the Baigent car ahead. Lowe in turn did a marathon three and three quarter hours at the wheel. He pitted for the final stop a few laps early and Baigent wasn't in his overalls ready to take over.
The Fowler/Stoneman Commodore was reliable, but 16 laps behind the BMWs (on a 1m 30 second lap, that is over 22 minutes behind....).
I'll need confirmation, but I think the Corolla of Adams/Woolf was fourth, rather than third as I noted earlier in the thread.

The Hulme/Smith Commodore suffered fuel starvation problems and the Anderson/Johnson Falcon broke an axle.

[brendonwood1]

The best source of results and information on the New Zealand scene would be the local Motor Action/New Zealand Motoring News newspapers. Unfortunately I was too young to buy these at the time and they only come up for sale rarely.
If any New Zealand forum members have these magazines, it would be great if they could confirm the results of these races.

I'd be interested in acquiring any Motor Action/New Zealand Motoring News newspapers should anyone have them for sale.

Another good source for New Zealand motorsport results is the book New Zealand Motorsport by David McKinney, which was published about 1987. I have a copy of this book in storage at my parents place in NZ. If I ever get a chance I'll pull it out and see what it can add to the results.

I would personally be interested in getting the results of the NZ Production classes in these events as well.
Pretty sure that a Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo won the class all three races, but I can't remember who the drivers were. Competition to the Cordia in the over 2,000cc NZ Production class was from stablemate the Tredia Turbo and the 1600cc Mirage II Turbo.
The 1400cc turbo-charged Mirage I Turbo would have been the quickest car in the 1600-2000cc class.

I know the Cordia Turbo raced in Group E racing in Australia and the Mirage Turbos were raced in a one-make series in Japan. But did the Tredia Turbo race anywhere other than in NZ? Also, did any of these Mitsubishi turbo models race in any other country, in any spec?

Now, as to the Group A cars, here is a summary.

Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson; BMW 635CSi. A new Frank Gardner built car, debuted in this series. Crichton used this car in the ATCC series and the 1985 Bathurst 1000 before it was sold to Archibald Motors for Trevor Crowe to drive.
Photo here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606711071500/

Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe; BMW 635CSi. An ex-Schnitzer car. The Bathurst '85 book suggest that the car was three races old when acquired by Baigent. Used throughout the NZ summer races and the 1985 ATCC and Bathurst 1000 by Baigent. Destroyed in a major crash at Manfield in 1985. The shell or engine may have been used in the Crosby/McMinnon BMW that competed in the 1986 Nissan Mobil series.
Photo here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606711071500/

Denis Hulme/Ray Smith; Holden Commodore VH SS. This car was the 1983 Pukekohe 6 hour winning car. Originally built as a production saloon, it was upgraded to somewhere close to Group A specs for the 1984 series. May have raced in some rounds of the 1985 New Zealand Touring Car Championship, but I have no idea what happened to it after this. May have been turned back into a road car. Photo of the car here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7606711071500/

Bruce Fowler/Kirk Stoneman; Holden Commodore VH SS. This car was the ex-Neville Crichton 1983 B&H series winning car, upgraded to Group A specs for the 1984 series. The team did well in the series, but I don't think the car was raced again after Pukekohe. Like some other former NZ production and touring car races, it may have be converted back to a road car.

Bruce Anderson/Wayne Anderson/Dick Johnson; Ford Fairmont XE 5.8 V8. I believe this car was built in 1983 and ran initially in the 1983/84 New Zealand Touring Car Championship, before being upgraded to Group A specs for the Benson & Hedges series. Was probably the most powerful car in the series, but suffered from problems with standard brakes and axles. Raced by Bruce Anderson in the 1984/85 NZ Touring Car Championship and by Bruce Anderson/Dick Johnson in the Nissan Sport Series in January 1985.
May have raced a few times in late 1985 alongside the Pinepac Mustangs. Eventually sold and returned to a road car in the mid-late 80s. Eventually stolen around 2003. The post-Anderson story of the car is described in this post:http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...on#post2367393
A picture of the car here: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...on#post2365394
Wonder if the car is still around? Altough I guess the said low lifes broke it up.
In its own way a significant car in NZ Touring Car history.

Robbie Francevic/John Morton; Ford Falcon XE V8. I suspect this was a new car built for this series. I have a vague memory that it ran the 4.9-litre V8 (302 cu inch) so that it could run at the lower sub-5,000 cc weight limit. This needs confirmation though. Didn't race again after the B&H series. Wouldn't be surprised if it was turned back into a road car.
Picture of the Francevic/Morton Falcon here:http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...on#post2382061

Dave McMillan/Gary Pedersen; Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130TC. Not sure if this was a new car or one imported from Europe. However, it proved surprisingly quick. Raced by the team in the B&H series and I think they also raced it in the Nissan Series in early January. Must the be same car used by Barry/Heyer in later years.

Paul Adams/Allan Woolf: Toyota Corolla AE86 GT. Paul Adams did a lot of rallying, so this car may have debuted earlier in the year during the New Zealand rally season. The B&H series would have been its first circuit racing appearance. Not sure if it was a TOM's built car or a locally built car. Had a very successful career in NZ, with a podium finish in the 1985 Pukekohe 6-hour race. Was probably raced in every season that Group A racing was conducted. Given the red colour scheme was similar to that of the Drinkrow brothers Corolla, this may have been the car that the Drinkrows raced for many seasons. As far as I know it never raced outside NZ. Would be interesting to get a complete history of this car. Lots of AE86 Group A Corollas survived, so this car may still be around. Anyone know?

Leo Leonard/Garry Sprague; Nissan 300ZX Turbo. Brand new car. Raced in the opening round and in a few of the NZ Touring Car Championship races. Unknown what happened to it after January 1985. Also, anyone have a picture of it?

I don't think there were any other Group A cars in the series, but this needs to be confirmed.
I remember that the Trevor McLean Commodore VH SS ran at Pukekohe, but it may have raced in production spec rather than Group A spec.
Also, the McGregor/Heyer VW Golf GTi may have raced at Pukekohe.

If anyone can confirm if any other Group A cars raced in the series I'd be keen to hear.

[Jesper OH]

Thanks to some detailed contributions by brendonwood1, I think the various New Zealand series warrent a thread on their own. Moderator, would it be possible to transfer the latest replies in the 1984 Australian & New Zealand Group A thread to this place?

Jesper

[chunterer]

Done!

Apologies it it's a bit bitty though?

The Chrichton 635 was a NZ car but it's caught up in posts about the JPS cars so couldn't really do much about them?

Let me know if there's anything else to be moved.

[brendonwood1]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

The Benson & Hedges series as previously mentioned was held in late October/early November 1985.

Thanks for placing all the posts on the New Zealand races in a separate thread. Just noticed the above mistake that I made. It should read "The Benson & Hedges series as previously mentioned was held in late October/early November 1984"

The Neville Crichton BMW was built by the Australian Frank Gardner JPS team and did race in Australia during 1985 as the second JPS entry. However, it was owned initially by Neville Crichton and sponsored by the NZ arm of JPS, so while it ran as the second car in the Australian JPS team, it was a NZ funded/owned car.
Other than that 1985 season it spent most of its racing life in NZ and was owned by NZ teams. I think posts about this car correctly go in either the NZ or Australian threads, so no need to move any of the earlier posts about the car.

[Adrian B]

I understand the Crichton BMW is still in New Zealand and is still in JPS colours.

[Jesper OH]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Done!

Apologies it it's a bit bitty though?

The Chrichton 635 was a NZ car but it's caught up in posts about the JPS cars so couldn't really do much about them?

Let me know if there's anything else to be moved.

I thank you sincerely for the effort, chunterer. Well done, and I think you got everything.

Jesper

[brendonwood1]

In January 1985, New Zealand's first "International" touring car series was conducted. The Nissan Sport 500 series consisted of two 500km races at the new Wellington street circuit and the fast Pukekoke circuit south of Auckland.



The series attracted a TWR Rover Vitesse fresh from winning the Group A class at the 1984 Bathurst 1000 for Tom Walkinshaw and Ron Dickson.

The Holden Dealer Team was to debut the brand new Holden Commodore VK SS for Peter Brock and Larry Perkins.

There would be three of the reliable BMW 635CSis for Benson & Hedges series winners Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson; 1984 Pukekohe 6-hour winners Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe and one car for John Morton/Frank Sytner.

The fast but fragile Pinepac Ford Fairmont XE V8 was back for Dick Johnson and Bruce Anderson.

An interesting new entry on the Australasian scene was the Mark Petch entered Volvo 240 Turbo for Robbie Francevic and Michel Delcourt.

The rest of the field included a second, local Holden Commodore VK SS (for Rod Collingwood?), two Toyota Corolla GTs for Paul Adams/Allan Woolf and Bob Holden and Glen Clark?

From Australia there was the Audi 5+5 for Chris Heyer and Graham McGregor and an Alfa Romeo GTV6 for Ray Gulson. I can't remember who Gulson's co-driver was for this series, but in 1986 he shared the car with Ed Lamont. Did Lamont also share it in 1985?

There was a Ford Capri 2.8i for Bill McFarlane and Wayne Murdoch, the Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130TC for Gary Pederson and Dave McMillan and a Nissan Bluebird Turbo for Inky Tulloch and Frank Ryan.

There were other cars, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find a complete entry list for the series. I may be able to find something amongst my magazine and book collection in storage back in New Zealand, but I don't know when I'll get the chance to look.

From memory, a total of 20 cars faced the starter at Wellington and 21 or 22 at Pukekohe where a Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo was an additional starter.



The Wellington race was the first round and Dick Johnson surprised by taking pole postion in the big Fairmont. He was followed by Kent Baigent, Neville Crichton, Tom Walkinshaw, Peter Brock and Frank Sytner.

The Volvo 240 Turbo arrived in the country late and cleared customs just in time to start the race from the back of the grid.



In the race itself, Johnson led from the start until the Fairmont broke an axle. The black BMW of Crichton and Wilkinson led for many laps and the new HDT Commodore of Brock and Perkins took a turn to lead briefly.

However, the Volvo flew through from the back of the field, got caught up in various incidents which left the bonnet flapping and bumpers handing off, yet still somehow found itself leading the race at the right time and won the race from the Morton/Sytner and Crichton/Wilkinson BMWs.

1985 Nissan Sport 500
Rd 1
Wellington
Distance:	500km
Starters:	20
Cars Eligible:	FIA Group A
GRID
1st	Dick Johnson/Bruce Anderson	Pinepac Ford Fairmont XE V8
2nd	Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe	Tullus BMW 635CSi
3rd	Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson	JPS BMW 635CSi
4th	Tom Walkinshaw/Ron Dickson	TWR/More Magazine Rover Vitesse
5th	Peter Brock/Larry Perkins	HDT/UDC Holden Commodore VK SS
6th	John Morton/Frank Synter	Johnstone/Metro Magazine BMW 635CSi
RESULTS
1st	Robbie Francevic/Michel Delcourt	Mark Petch Volvo 240T
2nd	John Morton/Frank Synter	Johnstone/Metro Magazine BMW 635CSi
3rd	Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson	JPS BMW 635CSi
4th	Peter Brock/Larry Perkins	HDT/UDC Holden Commodore VK SS
5th	Paul Adams/Allan Woolf	Toyota Corolla GT
6th	Bob Holden/Glen Clark*	Toyota Corolla GT
DNF	Dick Johnson/Bruce Anderson	Pinepac Ford Fairmont XE V8
DNF	Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe	Tullus BMW 635CSi
DNF	Tom Walkinshaw/Ron Dickson	TWR/More Magazine Rover Vitesse

[brendonwood1]

The second round was held a week later at Pukekohe.
The TWR Rover worked much better on the fast flowing Pukekohe layout and Walkinshaw took pole ahead of Crichton, Sytner, Johnson and Baigent.
The Volvo had the wrong suspension settings and gearing for Pukekohe and could only manage to qualify 6th fastest, but at least it was ahead of the Brock/Perkins Commodore, which was only 7th. Brock and Perkins battled engine dramas throughout the series, but at least the two races served as a good extended test session for the team for the coming ATCC races.

The race itself proved provided a great battle between the TWR Rover and the JPS BMW with the BMW just edging the Rover at the flag.
The Baigent/Lowe BMW was third and the Volvo made it home in fourth.
The amazing little Corolla of Adams and Woolf took fifth.

With a first and a second, Crichton and Wilkinson won the series.

Nissan Sport 500
Rd 2
Pukekohe
Distance:	500km
Starters:	21* (TBC)
Cars Eligible:	FIA Group A
GRID
1st	Tom Walkinshaw/Ron Dickson	TWR/More Magazine Rover Vitesse
2nd	Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson	JPS BMW 635CSi
3rd	John Morton/Frank Synter	Johnstone/Metro Magazine BMW 635CSi
4th	Dick Johnson/Bruce Anderson	Pinepac Ford Fairmont XE V8
5th	Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe	Tullus BMW 635CSi
6th	Robbie Francevic/Michel Delcourt	Mark Petch Volvo 240T
7th	Peter Brock/Larry Perkins	HDT/UDC Holden Commodore VK SS
Results
1st	Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson	JPS BMW 635CSi
2nd	Tom Walkinshaw/Ron Dickson	TWR/More Magazine Rover Vitesse
3rd	Kent Baigent/Neal Lowe	Tullus BMW 635CSi
4th	Robbie Francevic/Michel Delcourt	Mark Petch Volvo 240T
5th	Paul Adams/Allan Woolf	Toyota Corolla GT
DNF	Peter Brock/Larry Perkins	HDT/UDC Holden Commodore VK SS
DNF	John Morton/Frank Synter	Johnstone/Metro Magazine BMW 635CSi
DNF	Dick Johnson/Bruce Anderson	Pinepac Ford Fairmont XE V8
SERIES WINNER	Neville Crichton/Wayne Wilkinson	JPS BMW 635CSi

[brendonwood1]

I must thank Frank de Joeng's excellent website for the results: http://homepage.mac.com/frank_de_jon...ellington.html

Also, some notes on the cars.

The Walkinshaw/Dickson Rover was one of the two Bathurst cars. I believe the Rover thread has indicated which one.

The Morton/Sytner BMW is an ex-Frank Sytner BMW which was bought by John Morton. The car was retained by Morton after the series and used by Morton in the 1986 series. The car is still in New Zealand and has been returned to the same livery in which it contested the 1985 series.

The HDT Commodore VK was a brand new car.
The Volvo 240 Turbo was bought by Petch and while this has probably been confirmed elsewhere, I believe it won the 1984 Zolder round of the ETCC before it went to NZ. Was used by the Petch team throughout 1985 and early in 1986 until sold to the Volvo Dealer Team Australia outfit. Sold to a private Swedish team in 1987 and I believe it is still in Europe.

The story of the Nissan Bluebird Turbo of Tulloch/Ryan was given in this post here: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...bo#post2407430

The Bob Holden Corolla is the same car he raced at Bathurst.

[Jesper OH]

Here's a link to pictures from Wellington 1985:
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ellington%201/

Thank you very much for the Nissan 500 series update, brendonwood1. I noted a couple of interesting points about the championship and some of the cars. The two round Nissan series was decided on overall positions to the 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 point scale by the late 1980s. Was that the case at the beginning in 1985? Or was there a Nissan series before Wellington?

The Mark Petch Volvo was one of two Belgian GTM cars from the 1984 ETCC. Therefore the red colour and Michel Delcourt, and no Zolder winner.

Interesting to have a positive identification of a 2.8 injection Ford Capri, as most Capris are believed to have been 3-litre cars. The only other 2.8 I can think of are the Vince Woodman car of the 1982 Tourist Trophy at Silverstone, but I still believe a couple of the German Capris would have been 2.8s as well, but just no confirmation.

Finally, the name John Morton seems familiar, but I guess this Morton was a Kiwi rather than the California based American racer of Datsun/Nissan fame - still races in historic racing as of 2010.

Jesper

[Jesper OH]

A few links to specific pictures from the Nissan Sport 500 at Wellington, 1985:

http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...t=IMG_0035.jpg
#6 being the second placed 635CSi of John Morton/Frank Sytner - the car restored in the same colours as on the picture. Behind a #32 Isuzu/Holden Gemini, but not looking like any of the two Australian Group A Geminis of 1986-1988.

http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...t=IMG_0042.jpg
A #31 Fiat Ritmo Abarth and the #17 Dick Johnson/Bruce Anderson Ford, and..

http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...t=IMG_0004.jpg
..a #"one digit" Fiat Ritmo Abarth following what might be the Paul Adams/Allan Woolf Toyota Corolla GT AE86, that finished 5th.

http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...t=IMG_0027.jpg
Finally (for now) a Volkswagen Golf GTI (E17) ahead of the aforementioned #32 Isuzu/Holden Gemini?

Jesper

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

The Mark Petch Volvo was one of two Belgian GTM cars from the 1984 ETCC. Therefore the red colour and Michel Delcourt, and no Zolder winner.

Interesting to have a positive identification of a 2.8 injection Ford Capri, as most Capris are believed to have been 3-litre cars. The only other 2.8 I can think of are the Vince Woodman car of the 1982 Tourist Trophy at Silverstone, but I still believe a couple of the German Capris would have been 2.8s as well, but just no confirmation.Jesper

Thankyou you've ansered the question about this Volvo I was going to ask having read the latest posts. I always thought the 1985 Petch Francevic car was ex Granberg (not sure why I thought that?) but these posts and images seem to confirm that the car was brought over by Delcourt who stayed to drive and help with set ups etc and then he went home without it!

I do recall mention of a Capri at one of these races but as it was 2.8 always believed it to be a prodsaloon (Grp E in this case I guess?) The 2.8 Grp A cars were indeed rare and only ran fleetingly in Europe a couple of years earlier?

[brendonwood1]

For the Capri I used Frank de Joeng's results for the 1986 series which suggested that the car was a MkIII 2.8 injection model. I believe it was pretty standard.

John Morton was indeed a local NZ driver and not the more well known American John Morton.

Also, great find Jesper for those Wellington photos.

The second Commodore VK SS is in several photos including this one: http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...t=IMG_0005.jpg

I still need to confirm the drivers. I can't quite make out the names of either driver on the windscreen banner. I do remember this car was rather slow, so it was probably pretty standard.

The photos of both a white Fiat Ritmo (which would be the McMillan/Pederson car) and a black Fiat Ritmo (probably the Bob Barry car) suggests that Barry did not acquire the McMillan car like I previously thought. Would be interested to know if either car is still around.

The VW was probably Graham McGregor's car.
I have a vague memory of a guy called Ian Schuler driving an Isuzu Gemini - the car in your photos may be the one.

[Jesper OH]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

For the Capri I used Frank de Joeng's results for the 1986 series which suggested that the car was a MkIII 2.8 injection model. I believe it was pretty standard.

John Morton was indeed a local NZ driver and not the more well known American John Morton.

Also, great find Jesper for those Wellington photos.

The second Commodore VK SS is in several photos including this one: http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...t=IMG_0005.jpg

I still need to confirm the drivers. I can't quite make out the names of either driver on the windscreen banner. I do remember this car was rather slow, so it was probably pretty standard.

I tried to read to read the windscreen logo too and came up with "Wilkinson" for Wayne Wilkinson, but only to find out he was already racing a 635!
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...IMG_0001-1.jpg
This photo suggest it started 20th with the non-qualified Volvo in 21st.

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

The photos of both a white Fiat Ritmo (which would be the McMillan/Pederson car) and a black Fiat Ritmo (probably the Bob Barry car) suggests that Barry did not acquire the McMillan car like I previously thought. Would be interested to know if either car is still around.

The VW was probably Graham McGregor's car.
I have a vague memory of a guy called Ian Schuler driving an Isuzu Gemini - the car in your photos may be the one.

Were these cars Group E production cars?

http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...t=IMG_0014.jpg
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...t=IMG_0038.jpg
#34 likely the Chris Heyer Audi 5+5 (80 2.2 to Europeans). It seems to be quite well equipped in the tyre department for a car having just above 170 bhp.

http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...t=IMG_0028.jpg
The Ray Gulson GTV6? and Bruce Anderson/Dick Johnson Ford. As already mentioned the Gulson Alfa was white for the 1986 edition (ANZ sponsored?) but mainly ran the black, yellow and red colours of Dulux for 1985 and 1986.

Jesper

[brendonwood1]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

Were these cars Group E production cars?

I don't think they were production cars as such, but many cars in the field were probably pretty close to standard.
The McMillan/Pederson Fiat was definately a full Group A spec car. The other Fiat may not have been.

Also, I'm afraid I don't know the answer to your question about the points system mentioned earlier in the thread, but I guess it was probably the same system as used in later years.

[nzduck]

Gents I think you will find that this series also allowed cars to run under the previous Benson and Hedges Series rules which were something like Group 1+ but only allowing NZ assembled cars over 2000cc.

There was no Group E in NZ as this was an Australian Class. There were a few Group E type cars from the early 90's that ran here in later Nissan Mobil series that complied to the Australian Rules like Mal Rose's homologation special 6 cylinder Falcon that Australian members would know more about.

For most years the Nissan Mobil races had very open eligibility to encourage as many entries as possible for the promoter! Strict Group A eligibility only applied to those years where it was part of a championship. The same applied to the support races with large fields of anything particularly in later years to try and increase the number of entry fees! Everything from HQ Holdens to rallycars were welcome.

[KA]

Originally Posted by Jesper OH

A few links to specific pictures from the Nissan Sport 500 at Wellington, 1985:

http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...t=IMG_0035.jpg
#6 being the second placed 635CSi of John Morton/Frank Sytner - the car restored in the same colours as on the picture.

This one?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...7603455997198/

[KA]

A few more Nissan-Mobil 500 pics from 1985- pretty sure I've posted some of these links before in other threads, but worth a repeat here:

Walkinshaw/Dickson Rover
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...n/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...n/photostream/

Morton/Sytner 635
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...n/photostream/

Crichton/Wilkinson 635
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...n/photostream/

[KA]

Originally Posted by brendonwood1

However, to get started for NZ. In 1984, Group A cars participated in the 3-round Benson & Hedges series in November and the New Zealand Touring Car Championship over December 1984-January 1985.
The Benson & Hedges series comprised 3 hour races at Manfield and Baypark and a 6 hour race at Pukekohe.
Two new BMW 635CSis were ready for the series. Kent Baigent & Neal Lowe teamed in one 635. I believe this was an ex-Schintzer 1983 chassis. I'm sure this has being mentioned in the BMW 635 thread.
Neville Crichton & Wayne Wilkinson teamed up in a black Frank Gardner built 635CSi. I believe this is the same car driven at Bathurst by Denny Hulme/Leopard von Bayern and was converted from one of the JPS team's Group C BMW 635 CSis.
There were two Holden Commodore VH SS for Denny Hulme/Ray Smith and Bruce Fowler/Kirk Stoneman.

I'm guessing from the 'Benson & Hedges' logos that these might be from the Baypark B&H round you mentioned?

Kent Baigent 635:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...n/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...n/photostream/

Denny Hulme 'AC&B' Commodore
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...n/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8021817...n/photostream/