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8 Jun 2009, 06:03 (Ref:2477413) | #126 | ||
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Does the info here help at all?
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8 Jun 2009, 07:32 (Ref:2477438) | #127 | |
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I definitely remember there being some coverage in the UK press (Autosport/Motoring News) of the delays in homologating the 'Walkinshaw' VL, so the report of the O'Brien car testing in injected spec and then having to revert to 'Brock' spec on carbs definitely rings a bell.
As we've said before, the European race debut of the TWR car eventually came in late August/early September. I think the O'Brien car might have made it's first appearance in injected HSV-spec at Brands on 21st Aug, but both O'Brien (DNQ) and Walkinshaw (qualified 5th) ran in qualifying for the aborted BTCC race at the Birmingham Superprix a week or two later-TWR finally raced their car for the first time at Silverstone in the TT, before shipping it to Australia for Bathurst The O'Brien VL definitely seems to have been a different car from the ex-Grice VK- but where from? Think there have been suggestions earlier in the thread that the VL may have had Brock, rather than Roadways origins? |
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8 Jun 2009, 07:46 (Ref:2477446) | #128 | ||
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The colour pic from the July Auto Action cover looks like it's from the 'Ring WTCC appearance- the car definitely ran with race no.3, and the 'Herbie Clips' sponsorship, which seems to be missing on the 'Monza' pic has made an appearance. I think 'Herbie Clips' was a company Walkinshaw was involved in, and they seemed to turn up as a sponsor for various TWR 'one-off' outings outside their main programmes- some early Rover rally appearances in '83/4, a pair of Rovers at a 1986 Brands Hatch BTCC GP support, and TWR's few European Commodore appearances. |
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8 Jun 2009, 17:11 (Ref:2477787) | #129 | ||
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Here is the track test of the O'Brien TWR VL from the December 1988 edition of "Motorsport"
Page 1 - http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6100/obrienvl1.jpg Page 2 - http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8334/obrienvl2.jpg |
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9 Jun 2009, 00:42 (Ref:2478042) | #130 | ||
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good shots
confirms to me that this is not the grice vk cage is different from the gerry marshall silverstone photos early in this thread hdt and roadways have different cage designs. Where did this car come from. ex twr? or bitsa wheels and hubs are interesting HDT built cars typically (but not always) supplied with 5 studs Quote:
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9 Jun 2009, 07:20 (Ref:2478169) | #131 | ||
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Larry was always a big fan of five studs after a loose single nut on the Mustang he shared with Dick slowed him at Bathurst in the mid 80s, but at the time there were few Aussie built cars that had single nuts, JPS BMW might have been one of the first? Might have even been in the Group C 635 days? Most customer VL and after Aussie Commodores had a high % of Larry parts. Surprising some of the ads that are for VK Commodores that people were selling in early 87 to fund VL cars rather than updating the panels etc. INCLUDING an ad for a HDT Built VK race car that had never been raced (up to that time at least).............. wonder where that ended up???
Nice shots of the Docking/O'Brien car, not a bad story either! The mention tyres twigged another thing about the euro Commodore for Bathurst '88, Walkinshaw was going to run Yokos, no matter what Larry thought, so Larry had to put up with them rather than his much preferred (and suitable) Dunlops, that Larry had used for a looooong time. |
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9 Jun 2009, 10:49 (Ref:2478284) | #132 | ||
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Pity the MotorSport article didn't go into the origin of the car- as you say, I wonder where it came from? |
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9 Jun 2009, 10:53 (Ref:2478285) | #133 | ||
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9 Jun 2009, 13:26 (Ref:2478388) | #134 | ||
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Likewise the Volvos, M3s, Sierras and GTRs all had single nut hubs. The only other leading cars not to run them were the Nissan DR30s & HR31s which ran 4 studs. Perkins continued to run 5 studs until switching to single nuts when pit stops in sprint races were introduced in 2000.
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9 Jun 2009, 19:32 (Ref:2478626) | #135 | ||
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As I said about a hundred posts ago Ric Wood sold the car to Peter Barnes who raced it against my Camaro and a host of other cars in the Modified Production Saloons, I had the pleasure of giving the car a good once over to try to solve some technical dispute or other and I have to say we did let it run but it was not 100% kosher with our regulations but nothing too drastic and a real proper car. He then sold it on and I believe it went to Holland.
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10 Jun 2009, 08:07 (Ref:2478959) | #136 | |||
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HDT's original plan for the 1987 ATCC (after their WTCC budget went south), prior to Brocks break-up with Holden, called for the 3-car attack on the ATCC. Brock in the new VL, backed up by Allan Moffat and John Harvey in a pair of VKs |
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11 Jun 2009, 08:39 (Ref:2479878) | #137 | |
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[QUOTE=racer69;2478959]Was it the HDT itself selling this car, or the customer who HDT built the car for?
HDT's original plan for the 1987 ATCC (after their WTCC budget went south), prior to Brocks break-up with Holden, called for the 3-car attack on the ATCC. Brock in the new VL, backed up by Allan Moffat and John Harvey in a pair of VKs[/QUOT Racer what happened to the 2 hdt vks (the kings cup cars) I assume they came back to aust; Never really given much thought as most brock gear is spoken for. any idea? |
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11 Jun 2009, 09:58 (Ref:2479919) | #138 | ||
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Dare I say it, but the add for an 'unraced' VK was probably being a bit economical with the truth, perhaps unraced since its last rebuild.
The plan for Moffat and Harvey to start the season in VKs was probably that they would move to VLs as they were completed. Ford Performance Racing did the same thing in 2003, starting with 1 new BA and 2 AUs. The car that Brock & Moffat had raced in the earlier rounds of the ETCC was used as the Lowe, Baigent & Bowkett car at Spa. Another VK was brought across from Australia for Brock, Moffat & Harvey. Brock & Moffat debuted a new VK at the Sandown 500, so I am guessing that the car sent across for Spa was one of the 1986 ATCC cars. Spa was 3 weeks after the ATCC concluded. Someone did post a list of the HDT chassis history, but I cannot locate it. I will enquire on on the Australian forums to see if anyone has this. I don't think that the Spa cars returned to Australia. When Moffat destroyed 05 forward of the firewall at Bathurst the team rebuilt the car, indicating that they didn't have a spare car. Likewise after Gary Scott badly damaged 05 in testing at Lakeside, the team scaled back to 1 car until a VL was ready. |
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11 Jun 2009, 10:00 (Ref:2479920) | #139 | ||
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For Sale, Call Phil Brock........
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11 Jun 2009, 10:13 (Ref:2479929) | #140 | ||
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I'm guessing at least one of the cars used at Spa has to have still been in Europe the weekend before Sandown, as it was used as the GM Dealer Sport entry for Cleland/Woodman at the TT (TT was 7th Sept, Sandown 14th Sept AFAIK?) http://www.flickr.com/photos/antspho...7608209176086/ As you said, the team rebuilding the car after Moffatt's Bathurst practice shunt suggests a spare wasn't easily available- still in Europe perhaps? How many cars did HDT use in '86? That list of HDT chassis history you mentioned would be very interesting to see... |
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11 Jun 2009, 11:18 (Ref:2479967) | #141 | ||
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HDT Chassis
Courtesy of the 'Grp C / Grp / V8SC Where are they now' thread under Australasian Touring Cars.
http://tentenths.com/forum/showpost....&postcount=396 There is a bit of chat about HDT cars here. http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...34#post1419834 |
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11 Jun 2009, 11:58 (Ref:2479991) | #142 | ||
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a few more from the TWR VL files from Silverstone (TT) Rd 10 1988 ETCC, Thanks to Auto Action
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11 Jun 2009, 12:03 (Ref:2479997) | #143 | ||
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Excellent images again;
The VL v HR31 side by shot from the '88 TT is a nice one!!. It's a shame about the pre injected TWR VL's that are shown in your Monza paddock shot earlier. Onlly one of them races; at Nurburgring that year in that spec. Even if they weren't endurance races as such, Walkinshaw could've given them outings and media exposure in the BTCC? I'm sure the organisers would've welcomed them with open arms!! |
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11 Jun 2009, 18:38 (Ref:2480308) | #144 | ||
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Quote:
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12 Jun 2009, 01:10 (Ref:2480672) | #145 | ||
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Thanks KA, I only have the Bathurst annuals from 87.
So it would seem 3 VKs were built in 85, the Brock car from the beginning of the year, a second car by round 6 (not sure if Brock moved to this or stuck with the original), and a 3rd car at the Sandown 500. This would make sense as there were 3 at Bathurst, 05, 7 and the T car. The T car was sold to Graham Moore in 86, the 3rd car became Harvey's 86 car, possibly the 2nd was sold to John Farrell in WA? I am guessing that there were 2 new VKs for the beginning of 86, one for the ETCC and one for Brock to drive in the ATCC. Presumably it was Brock's ATCC car that was sent over to Spa. HDT only entered one car for Brock & Moffat at the Surfers Paradise 300 on 24th August, presumably using Harvey's car. Then there was chassis that debuted at the Sandown 500. Although there does seem to be room for one more with chassis 8 being the first Group A car, and the Sandown car chassis 14. Perhaps 13 was skipped, has been done a couple of times since? |
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12 Jun 2009, 04:55 (Ref:2480712) | #146 | |
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interesting that the details of the HDT cars are not clear and well known
I have never paid to much attention to them as i would have thought that the many HDT fans would have the history and location of these noted. any HDT chassis would be a prized item. |
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12 Jun 2009, 08:21 (Ref:2480772) | #147 | ||
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The Farrel car is still alive and a walkie from what I have read
Hmmm race somany years here (WA) |
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13 Jun 2009, 02:20 (Ref:2481345) | #148 | ||
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There are a few Commodores in here that I don't recognise? I'm sure there are more you tube files to look through as well! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RULl...eature=related
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14 Jun 2009, 03:29 (Ref:2482537) | #149 | ||
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I just noticed in some photos from the book "Brock Moffat; on the road to Spa" that the #5 car from 1986 Spa and Hockenheim, and the T car from the 24 hour (?) dry run at Calder prior to leaving had the air jacks mounted outside of each axle (ie: in front of the front axle line, and behind the rear axle line.) Not too many Aussie cars have them there, may help to identify where these shells ended up?
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14 Jun 2009, 07:04 (Ref:2482640) | #150 | |||
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Quote:
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8334/obrienvl2.jpg |
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alan docking racing, btcc, etcc, group a, holden commodore, mike o brien |
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