New Zealand Touring Cars of 86

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Andy Rouse Xr4yi

An Andy Rouse thread...

GTR, that was actually interesting reading.
All this talk of cars from that era certainly brings back the memories

[brown dog]

Thanks Mark,

I mentioned to my friend that you had the Peanut Slab car for sale, and while he would love to buy it he could not cut a cheque for the (very reasonable) asking price. He has bought the Sports Sedan car, and intends to restore it back to original, using an original XR4Ti as a "donor" car for all the original parts required. This is easier for him to do as he can "drip feed" it as funds become available. We have even located one of the original engines out of it.

While certainly not of the same calibre as say an original RS500 Gp.A it is still an interesting enough car in its own right.


cheers Conrad

P.S. where did the Rouse car end up?

[anthony81901]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

Was the DJR car the one that won the previous years Championship (or Bathurst)?

Mark's car is DJR4, the car Johnson used in the 88 enduros and won the 89 ATCC with. Bowe drove it in 90 and part of 91.

[E36ST]

Someone needs to write a book on the NZ Touring car years and all the amazing cars & drivers we've had here, maybe up to the beginning of the NZ V8's - I would certainly buy it.

[brown dog]

Originally Posted by E36ST

Someone needs to write a book on the NZ Touring car years and all the amazing cars & drivers we've had here, maybe up to the beginning of the NZ V8's - I would certainly buy it.

Or better still, all of the owners in NZ of old Touring cars (and there are a lot) should get them down to the Sth Island next year and support the series Rick Michels started this year for Gp.A and ex. NZ Touring cars. It was great to see some of these old cars coming out of the woodwork, and it was really close racing, with virtually no panel damage. I will certainly be back there next year!

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by anthony81901

Mark's car is DJR4, the car Johnson used in the 88 enduros and won the 89 ATCC with. Bowe drove it in 90 and part of 91.

Thanks anthony.
I guess it was the 89 championship I was asking about.
When you're talking about championships 20 odd years ago, it's sometimes difficult to remember exactly what happened in what year.
E36ST, a book would be great idea.
I'd almost forgotten about all the awesome touring cars the kiwis had at that time.

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by brown dog

Or better still, all of the owners in NZ of old Touring cars (and there are a lot) should get them down to the Sth Island next year and support the series Rick Michels started this year for Gp.A and ex. NZ Touring cars. It was great to see some of these old cars coming out of the woodwork, and it was really close racing, with virtually no panel damage. I will certainly be back there next year!

When is that on brown dog?
It might be worth a trip to NZ. I just hope it's not on in the winter.
Far too cold.

[brown dog]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

When is that on brown dog?
It might be worth a trip to NZ. I just hope it's not on in the winter.
Far too cold.

It was in February this year, and probably a similar time next year. Two rounds this year, first in Timaru at Levels, and the second in Invercargill at Teretonga. A pretty good turnout for a first time effort, 12-15 cars lining up on the grids for all races. Quite a colourful lot, a couple of RS500's, a Walkinshaw Rover, several BMW M3's, a few BTCC cars, a couple of 2 litre NZ touring cars,Holdens, Jaguar XJS etc.
Probably a similar concept to the series that is run in Australia, but not so stringent on the rules!
Hoping for a bigger turnout next year, which should happen. There are so many cool old touring cars still over here, just need to get the word out!

BD

[rdmdog]

I bought a copy of the 50 years on track book, about the history of NZ racing when I was there a few years ago for Puke, pretty good description of all sorts if K1W1 racing!

[Kingair]

The mighty Volvo, what a weapon in the right hands!

Who sponsored the Volvo team?

Did the Volvo only run at Bathurst in 1986 driven by Robbie and JB?

[racer69]

The cars carried various backers (and liveries)

Robbie Francevic ran the ex-ETCC (i think) Volvo in the 1985 ATCC for Mark Petch's team (running a mostly silver with blue & orange livery, changing at times, with backing towards the end of the season from Castrol), it also did a preceeding number of races in NZ (including winning the inaugural Wellington 500, backed by SKF in a plain red livery) prior to its Rd2 ATCC debut at Sandown, winning Rds 3 (Symmons) and 10 (Oran Park)

They also ran a few AEC races, and John Bowe partnered Robbie at Sandown & Bathurst (backed by Pye Audio, still in silver & blue/yellow livery)

The car then went to NZ for their summer series, including the two Nissan-Mobil 500 races at Wellington & Pukekohe in January 1986 (Francevic alongside Thomas Lindstrom, running a swedish flag style livery of blue & yellow)

Mark Petch himself would of course be able to give a much better account of all this

The Petch team fronted for the first two rounds of the 1986 ATCC with backing from Castrol (the car now painted like the 1985 Eggenberger ETCC cars) with the same Volvo, Francevic winning both.

Between Symmons Plains Round 2 and Round 3 at Sandown, the Volvo Dealer Team was formed, headed by John Sheppard. Francevic was a driver of this team from then on

From round 4 a second car for John Bowe joined the team, and on the season went, Francevic wrapping up the title, John Bowe scoring a pole at Wanneroo and nearly a victory at Calder. The team was sponsored by Valvoline, and painted like the Nordica works cars in Europe of the same year.

After the ATCC the team only fronted at Sandown & Bathurst. Francevic obviously left the team after Sandown. Two cars ran at Bathurst (Bowe/Costanzo & McRae/Crichton), but not long after the whole team was folded.

Lyndon Reithmuller & Phil Ward had originally done a deal to buy the Volvo's for 1987, however Volvo decided to send them back to Germany after the team was canned. From there Reithmuller/Ward did a deal for the AMG Mercedes' from Bathurst 1986 to stay in Australia

[Mark Petch]

Originally Posted by Kingair

The mighty Volvo, what a weapon in the right hands!

Who sponsored the Volvo team?

Did the Volvo only run at Bathurst in 1986 driven by Robbie and JB?

Hi Kingair,
until I sold the cars to Volvo Australia, early 1986, one of my Companies, Mark Petch Seals, was the primary sponsor. Robbie and John drove the car at Bathurst in 85,and indeed were leading the race when the alternator packed it in, we soldiered on by replacing the battery with a fully charged unit, while we robbed the spare engines alternator.

Unfortunately, when Randell Edgell, our chief spanner, attempted to pull the hot alternator clear of the red hot exhaust manifold he graized the radiator which immiedately sprung a leak!

All told we spent 20 minuets in the pits, and the race was well gone by the time we were back up to speed.

Robbie drove my Xr4ti at Bathurst in 1986. JB did drive the Volvo Dealer team car, in 86, with Alfie Constello [not sure how to spell that] from memory.

Cheers,

Mark Petch.

[Kingair]

Thanks for that, Mark and racer69.

[chavez]

Originally Posted by racer69

The cars carried various backers (and liveries)

Robbie Francevic ran the ex-ETCC (i think) Volvo in the 1985 ATCC for Mark Petch's team (running a mostly silver with blue & orange livery, changing at times, with backing towards the end of the season from Castrol), it also did a preceeding number of races in NZ (including winning the inaugural Wellington 500, backed by SKF in a plain red livery) prior to its Rd2 ATCC debut at Sandown, winning Rds 3 (Symmons) and 10 (Oran Park)

They also ran a few AEC races, and John Bowe partnered Robbie at Sandown & Bathurst (backed by Pye Audio, still in silver & blue/yellow livery)

The car then went to NZ for their summer series, including the two Nissan-Mobil 500 races at Wellington & Pukekohe in January 1986 (Francevic alongside Thomas Lindstrom, running a swedish flag style livery of blue & yellow)

Mark Petch himself would of course be able to give a much better account of all this

The Petch team fronted for the first two rounds of the 1986 ATCC with backing from Castrol (the car now painted like the 1985 Eggenberger ETCC cars) with the same Volvo, Francevic winning both.

Between Symmons Plains Round 2 and Round 3 at Sandown, the Volvo Dealer Team was formed, headed by John Sheppard. Francevic was a driver of this team from then on

From round 4 a second car for John Bowe joined the team, and on the season went, Francevic wrapping up the title, John Bowe scoring a pole at Wanneroo and nearly a victory at Calder. The team was sponsored by Valvoline, and painted like the Nordica works cars in Europe of the same year.

After the ATCC the team only fronted at Sandown & Bathurst. Francevic obviously left the team after Sandown. Two cars ran at Bathurst (Bowe/Costanzo & McRae/Crichton), but not long after the whole team was folded.

Lyndon Reithmuller & Phil Ward had originally done a deal to buy the Volvo's for 1987, however Volvo decided to send them back to Germany after the team was canned. From there Reithmuller/Ward did a deal for the AMG Mercedes' from Bathurst 1986 to stay in Australia

Where did the Volvo that ran in the '87 Oran Park Silver Anniversary Meeting come from?

[racer69]

Originally Posted by chavez

Where did the Volvo that ran in the '87 Oran Park Silver Anniversary Meeting come from?

I'd forgotten about that one

From memory i think Laurie Hazelton built it up over a period of time (from one of the '79 Repco entries if memory serves), and that the only time it raced was at that Oran Park meeting. It of course then reappeared a few years back in the AMRS.

There was a website linked somewhere with the history of the car and the rebuild, but i don't have it at hand.

[rdmdog]

Dick Prince bought it from Laurie in 2004 and has got it to a running condition, with planty of assistance from various people, and has found some interesting factory parts as part of the process.Laurie repaired it after that crash and entered it in the AGP support race only to DNQ after an engine failure, and attempted to enter Bathurst, but his entry was knocked back.
The website referred here is www.ovlov.net

Dick intends on having it out and going at the Muscle Car Masters later in the year. A couple of engine dramas kept it at teh back of the pack at Oran Park at the end of last year, but it has done plenty more meetings (AMRS, Historic and special such as Oran in Dec 08) than it ever did during it's first life!

Still has the scrutineering sticker on the window from the AGP Supports!

[racer69]

My mind has been triggered again, Robbie Francevic of course drove that car at the 2007 Muscle Car Masters as well

[gregg taylor]

I raced the DJR car at Bathurst 1991 . Included in the arrive and drive deal was the outright purchase of the car # 19 Sierra Cosworth RS500 . ( rolling Shell ) Well documented by DJR . My payment for the drive was the only monies recieved by DJR . All well documented . The Scotts arranged the deal . Wonder where the car is now?? Interesting History.

[gregg taylor]

Who purchased the car off DJR Mark ????

[andy97]

If anyone has any history/ photos/ results from the 1993/94/95 "Schedule S" Touring Car series in NZ then I'd be very interested.

I have the ex works Castrol Toyota Carina/Corona that Julian Bailey drove for a year. It was later imported to the UK & used in the UKs "National Saloon Car Cup"; that series and Schedule S were very similar, & were basically the start of the Group N+ or "Super Production" rules, I think.

It has been a club racer in the UK for a few years now.

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