Search
Close this search box.

Throwback Thursday: Skope Classic 2016

22 December, 2016

 

A large crowd in excess of 10,000 was entertained by some great motor racing at the Skope Classic over Waitangi weekend, 2016, with 35 races across a wide range of single-seater and saloon-car races at Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Ruapuna.

The featured class for the event was the Archibalds Historic Touring cars, with overseas drivers Jim Richards (BMW 635 CSi), Tony Longhurst (BMW E36 Supertourer), and Gianfranco Brancatelli (BMW M3) proving drawcards, along with the superb presentation and selection of touring-car memorabilia from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.

Dominating the on-track performances, Stephen Grellet (BMW M3) from Dunedin took three wins, including the prized Sir Robertson Stewart Grand Prix trophy race, then sat out the final race, which featured an entertaining duel between the eventual winner, Brett Stephens of Motueka, in the turbo Sierra Cosworth; Jim Richards; Andy Greenslade, driving the famous Peanut Slab Sierra Cosworth; and the stunning Zakspeed Escort of Christchurch’s Gary Wilkinson.

They preceded some mighty fine touring-car machinery, which included both of the E36 Supertourers made famous in the hands of Paul Morris and Tony Longhurst that, according to the commentators, ‘bought the biffo back into the bingle’. Roger Townshend’s Cologne Capri drew looks of envy and admiration on and off the track among a line-up of BMW M3s to kill for, NZ Touring Car Coronas, a Nissan Sentra, an Alfa Romeo 155, and some superb replicas.

The original Walkinshaw Jaguar and Richards/Brock GTR will be unlikely to ever see the light of day on a New Zealand track, and, despite many long workshop nights, a despondent Angus Fogg failed to enjoy track time in the Prince/Hourigan XJS. The newly acquired Mark Petch 242T Volvo struggled with turbo issues over the weekend, but its presence was appreciated, particularly by an animated Robbie Francevic, while Aussie rally and race ace Colin Bond was a guest at the event and shared his memories and thoughts on a long and distinguished motor racing career at the drivers’ dinner.

There was motor sport entertainment to be had across all classes, from historic single-seaters and vintage racing machines to grids chock full of an amazing array of saloon and sports cars, but, when the V8s fired up, there was no time for comfort stops or hotdogs. The ageless Kenny Smith continued his dominance of the big wings and slicks Formula 5000 races with three wins from three, which included some of the best racing seen from these crowd-pleasing early ’70s single-seater race cars. In a photo finish, Smith, driving his Lola, just pipped a much younger and improving Alan Dunkley and fellow Aucklander Brett Willis on the line on Saturday … and crowd pleasing they were, indeed.

For sheer track presence, 30 V8 Australian and American muscle cars racing under the Paul Kelly Mainland banner provided a sight and sound spectacle of all that is good about circuit racing. The art of man-handling these heavy powerful beasts and keeping them within the white lines of racing is always challenging, to say the least.

The fast and furious action kept the crowd on its feet, especially in their final handicap race, with Chris Henderson’s V8 Corolla taking the chequered flag from Konrad Scott of Geraldine (Chevrolet Corvette) and Christchurch’s Graeme Allan in the beautiful yellow Chevrolet Camaro. There were stars to admire throughout the grid and guest appearances from one or two Central Muscle Cars simply added to this splendid occasion.

This article originally appeared in the April 2016 issue of New Zealand Classic Car (Issue No. 304). Grab a print or digital copy of the mag now!


Almost mythical pony

The Shelby came to our shores in 2003. It went from the original New Zealand owner to an owner in Auckland. Malcolm just happened to be in the right place with the right amount of money in 2018 and a deal was done. Since then, plenty of people have tried to buy it off him. The odometer reads 92,300 miles. From the condition of the car that seems to be correct and only the first time around.
Malcolm’s car is an automatic. It has the 1966 dashboard, the back seat, the rear quarter windows and the scoops funnelling air to the rear brakes.
He even has the original bill of sale from October 1965 in California.

Becoming fond of Fords part two – happy times with Escorts

In part one of this Ford-flavoured trip down memory lane I recalled a sad and instructive episode when I learned my shortcomings as a car tuner, something that tainted my appreciation of Mk2 Ford Escort vans in particular. Prior to that I had a couple of other Ford entanglements of slightly more redeeming merit. There were two Mk1 Escorts I had got my hands on: a 1972 1300 XL belonging to my father and a later, end-of-line, English-assembled 1974 1100, which my partner and I bought from Panmure Motors Ford in Auckland in 1980. Both those cars were the high water mark of my relationship with the Ford Motor Co. I liked the Mk1 Escorts. They were nice, nippy, small cars, particularly the 1300, which handled really well, and had a very precise gearbox for the time.
Images of Jim Richards in the Carney Racing Williment-built Twin Cam Escort and Paul Fahey in the Alan Mann–built Escort FVA often loomed in my imagination when I was driving these Mk1 Escorts — not that I was under any illusion of comparable driving skills, but they had to be having just as much fun as I was steering the basic versions of these projectiles.