Season promises pre-’65 resurgence

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 39

Season promises pre-’65 resurgence

Some epic saloon car battles were fought out around New Zealand race circuits in the early 19605, and for the last decade, South Island racegoers have been able to relive these via the pre-’65 saloon register. Interesting though these races have been, it is an inescapable fact that the number of competitors contesting the class has dropped markedly in recent seasons. However, for the coming season, the indications are that this trend will be reversed, and that a welcome return to the full grids of past years will be a feature of the register’s tenth anniversary season. Part of the reason for the decline in competitor numbers has been that the power base of pre-’65

John Hawkins on

RACING

register and home to most competitors is South Canterbury, an area particularly hard hit by the present depressed state of the economy. Recently, Christchurch members of the register

have organised themselves into a group, to run under the auspices of the register, with the aim of promoting the class in the Canterbury area. A spokesman for the Christchurch drivers, Mr Ross Melhop, said that the group was formed in response to interest expressed by individual Christchurch members. It intends to arrange social get-togethers so that members of the register residing in and around Christchurch can meet and assist one another. There is no intention to usurp the authority of the elected committee of the pre-’65 register. The Christchurch group hopes to field 16 cars in next season’s Ray Parke Autos Pre-’65 series. Should most of these ap-

pear regularly, they will considerably swell the fields and add to the interest in the championship.

A seven-round series is envisaged for next season with encounters at the Levels, Ruapuna, Teretonga and possibly Wigram circuits. A special reunion to mark the anniversary is set down for Levels in June, 1990. Mr Melhop said that the anniversary season had helped create the upsurge of interest in the class, and also cited the comparatively inexpensive nature of the class — a competitive car could be had for under $3500, he said — as a contributing factor. The basic rules of the pre-’65 class require engines, body shells and

transmissions constructed before 1965. Although road tyre compounds have improved considerably since the sixties, a maximum wheel width of iy 2 inches ensures that the cars still make the crowd-pleasing slides that were such a part of the contemporary scene in that era. The class divisions in the pre-’65 category are easy to follow: class A is for VBs, class B for sixcylinders and class C for the popular four-cylinder contenders. This season the C class will be supported by Timaru Motors. Since the inception of pre-’65, Ford vehicles have tended to dominate, particularly in the C class, which has largely been the domain of Cortinas and Anglias. However, a

number of interesting vehicles are expected to contest next season’s championship; these include representatives of the Vauxhall, Chrysler, Jaguar, Hillman and Datsun marques.

Mr Melhop, who has raced a Datsun in previous seasons, sees scope for further Japanese involvement, possibly by Toyotas and Isuzus. The pre-’65 class is controlled by a strict eligibility committee. Intending constructors would be well advised to get in touch with the register by phoning the secretary, Mrs Jan Brown, at Timaru 45-234. Anyone wishing to get in touch with the Christchurch driver group may do so by ringing Mr Melhop at Christchurch 583-971.