âRidin' shotgunâ - Austin Healey Owners Club
âRidin' shotgunâ - Austin Healey Owners Club
âRidin' shotgunâ - Austin Healey Owners Club
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“Presentation Lunch: Be there.”<br />
“Ridin’ shotgun”<br />
Inside:<br />
• Cover story “Great Getaway Ideas”<br />
• Side Exhaust<br />
• Aussie Racers<br />
• Coming Events<br />
The official newsletter of the <strong>Austin</strong>-<strong>Healey</strong> <strong>Owners</strong> <strong>Club</strong> of Victoria incorporated.<br />
November 2012 – Issue #33
This <strong>Club</strong> is affiliated to the Confederation of Australian Motor Sports (CAMS), a member of the Marque Sports Car<br />
Association (MSCA) and the Association of Motoring <strong>Club</strong>s (AOMC).<br />
We are dedicated to the maintenance, preservation and enjoyment of the <strong>Austin</strong> <strong>Healey</strong> motor car.<br />
OFFICE BEARERS<br />
President Paul McPherson 0418 123 925 president@healeyvic.com.au<br />
Vice President Bill Metcalf 0447 010 145 or 9876 2167 vicepresident@healeyvic.com.au<br />
Secretary Brian Aitken 0419 025 858 or 9775 3699 secretary@healeyvic.com.au<br />
Treasurer Mike Snelgrove 0418 320 524 or 9379 2836 treasurer@healeyvic.com.au<br />
Membership Peter Heading 0413 769 068 or 9025 6702 membership@healeyvic.com.au<br />
<strong>Club</strong>rooms & CMC Tony Barrett 0427 051 297 or 9725 5587 clubrooms@healeyvic.com.au<br />
GENERAL COMMITTEE<br />
Social<br />
social@healeyvic.com.au<br />
Librarian Mick Smith 0419 553 840 or 9789 7698 librarian@healeyvic.com.au<br />
Communications Gordon Lindner 0418 540 920 or 9707 1294 webmanager@healeyvic.com.au<br />
Competition-MSCA Rod Vogt 0408 395 240 or 5962 1915 competition-MSCA@healeyvic.com.au<br />
Regalia Arthur Tuckett 0418 105 627 or 9571 8324 regalia@healeyvic.com.au<br />
AOMC-VicRoads Ken Styles 0431 481 082 or 9809 4382 AOMC-vicroads@healeyvic.com.au<br />
CAMS Tony Barrett 0427 051 297 or 9725 5587 CAMS@healeyvic.com.au<br />
Registrar Iain McPherson 9850 3267 registrar@healeyvic.com.au<br />
Magazine Editor Harvey Pearce 0419 108 532 or 9836 7596 editor@healeyvic.com.au<br />
VICROADS CLUB PERMIT SCHEME<br />
Please address all enquiries and applications to Ken Styles, 9A Morey Street, Camberwell 3124<br />
HUNDREDS & THOUSANDS IS THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE AUSTIN HEALEY OWNERS CLUB OF<br />
VICTORIA INC ABN 21 230 686 083<br />
The statements of opinion or fact appearing within are those of the individual contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the <strong>Club</strong> or its<br />
members<br />
Registered by Australia Post. Publication No. VBH 1552<br />
CORRESPONDENCE: P.O. Box 97 Mulgrave, Victoria. 3170. INTERNET ADDRESS www.healeyvic.com.au<br />
GENERAL MEETINGS are held on the first Thursday of the month at the <strong>Club</strong>rooms, 19-23 Rosalie Street, Springvale.<br />
Meetings commence at 8.00pm.<br />
CONTRIBUTIONS: Items of interest, articles, technical information, correspondence, constructive criticism, photographs<br />
etc., are constantly being sought. Any material for inclusion to the magazine should be sent directly to the Editor, by 13 th<br />
of the month<br />
The Next General Meeting will be held in the <strong>Club</strong>house, Rosalie Street,<br />
Springvale on Thursday November 1 st commencing at 8 pm<br />
Guest Speakers are father and daughter, George and Sue Huse<br />
On display will be their new Subaru BRZs<br />
A big contrast to the ’28 Chev<br />
THIS MONTH'S COVER<br />
A New Twist on “Give Her The Gun”<br />
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF AHOC VIC WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY 6TH<br />
DECEMBER IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE DECEMBER GENERAL MEETING<br />
Cover design production W & M Ingham<br />
Printed by GPD Digital 14/9 Elite Way Carrum Downs Vic<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 1
CONTENTS<br />
Coming events Page 2<br />
President’s Report Page 4<br />
Meeting Minutes Page 5<br />
<strong>Healey</strong>s That Raced in Australia - More from Iain McPherson Page 8<br />
Western Group Report Page 11<br />
Side Exhaust- Page 13<br />
Feature Article Page 15<br />
<strong>Healey</strong> Display Day Page 16<br />
For Sale and Wanted Page 19<br />
Competition Report Page 23<br />
BACK BURBLES<br />
It’s possible you may not receive your copy of the November edition before the meeting on the 1 st . Can’t be helped!<br />
Several of us involved in getting it to you have had other commitments - social and otherwise and it is also unfortunate<br />
that the November meeting falls on the 1 st of the month.<br />
In this month’s edition you will find Notice of the AGM, Nomination form for committee and Proxy voting form. Also you<br />
will find your membership renewal. Please read the Membership Secretary’s note carefully - especially if you have <strong>Club</strong><br />
Permit Registration. Don’t be caught out! On that point one of our members was pulled up and asked for his logbook so<br />
don’t fudge on that either.<br />
Once again we have contributions from “Side Exhaust” and Iain McPherson. Wandy Leake has helped Rod Vogt out with<br />
reports on Eastern Creek and the Winton 6 hour and we have a new, anonymous correspondent with more information on<br />
“Positive Earth’s” photo published last month. It seems that anonymity is becoming a fad in our <strong>Club</strong>.<br />
By all accounts the <strong>Healey</strong> display day at Docklands was a huge success and because I’m running late a short report and<br />
some photos appear in this edition.<br />
Harvey Pearce<br />
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY<br />
NOVEMBER<br />
Thurs 1st General Meeting at 19 - 23 Rosalie Street, Springvale.8.00pm<br />
3/4 or 10/11 Sandown Historic Races to be confirmed<br />
Tuesday 6 th Melbourne Cup Day Luncheon Peter and Lyn Edward’s institution for any Cup Day – 11.30 am, at<br />
33 Craig Road, Donvale. BYO everything. A terrific fun day for everyone, even those who don’t<br />
bet! Please call Peter or Lyn on 9870 0159 if you are coming<br />
Wed 7th Committee Meeting<br />
Thurs 8th ROF's North<br />
17th - 18th Bendigo National Swap Meet organised by Veteran, Vintage & Classic <strong>Club</strong> Bendigo<br />
Sunday 18th MSCA Phillip Island Round 8<br />
23rd - 25th Three day drive with Selwyn Hall through Gippsland & the High Country.<br />
HSRCA Eastern Creek Tasman Revival Historic meeting<br />
Sunday 25th Classic and Historic Hillclimb at Rob Roy [Information]<br />
Wed 28th Peninsula Run Tanti Hotel, 917 Nepean Hwy, Mornington. 5975 2015<br />
(Please phone two days before or miss out on Lunch)<br />
DECEMBER<br />
Sunday 2nd MSCA Calder Round 9 NOTE: change of Venue<br />
Thurs 6th General Meeting, AGM & Presentation Night at 19 - 23 Rosalie Street, Springvale.8.00pm<br />
Sunday 9th AHOC Christmas Lunch incorporating <strong>Club</strong> & Competition Presentations.<br />
A sit down catered Lunch at the <strong>Club</strong>rooms.<br />
Wed 12th Committee Meeting<br />
Thurs 13th ROF's East<br />
Wed 26th Peninsula Run Trios, Cranbourne Racecourse, Grant Street, Cranbourne 5996 3233<br />
(Please phone two days before or miss out on Lunch)<br />
JANUARY2013<br />
Saturday 19 th Maldon Twilight Festival http://www.vgr.com.au/twilight-food-wine.html<br />
Sunday 20 th Natter Day at Ann and Geoff Neagle’s lovely property, “Abingdon”, Research-Warrandyte Road, North<br />
Warrandyte. Further details in December 100s & 1000s.<br />
Sunday 20 th RACV Great Australian Rally<br />
PENINSULA RUN VENUES – to December 2012<br />
28th November Tanti Hotel, 917 Nepean Hwy, Mornington. 5975 2015<br />
(If a special offer is made, it will not apply to Senior’s lunches)<br />
26th December Trios Cabaret, Cranbourne Racecourse, Cranbourne 5996 3233<br />
Please book at least two days before luncheon and mention the <strong>Club</strong>’s name when making your 12-30 reservation<br />
SUPPER ROSTER<br />
NOVEMBER Mick Smith (or a substitute) and Annette Aitken<br />
DECEMBER Everyone bring a plate<br />
******************************************************************************************************************************************<br />
2<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
PRESIDENT”S REPORT NOVEMBER 2012<br />
October General Meeting – Many thanks to Rex and<br />
Deanna Hall for providing our display vehicle. Rex’s story<br />
of restoration and enjoyment, of their beautiful ‘28 Chev.,<br />
was both very interesting and most enjoyable.<br />
SOCIAL -<br />
Melbourne Cup Day Luncheon – Peter and Lyn Edward’s<br />
institution for any Cup Day – 11.30 am, at 33 Craig Road,<br />
Donvale. BYO everything. A terrific fun day for everyone,<br />
even those who don’t bet! Please call Peter or Lyn on<br />
9870 0159 if you are coming.<br />
Historic Sandown – November 9-11. For any members<br />
in a position to display their <strong>Healey</strong>s, we have limited<br />
tickets for free entry, with parking on the hill at the Princes<br />
Highway end of the main straight (with free bussing down<br />
to the pit area). Please email president@healeyvic.com.au<br />
if you wish to avail yourself of tickets. We shall have four<br />
<strong>Healey</strong>s in the Show & Shine, underneath the grandstand,<br />
on Saturday. Always a great and well attended meeting,<br />
with AHOC competition team members on the track, and<br />
many of our members involved with various racing teams,<br />
in the pits. Great viewing from the grandstand with plenty<br />
of food vendors and motor sports industry stalls.<br />
Tri-<strong>Club</strong> Run to Bonnie Doon Hotel – Sunday,<br />
November 11 – we shall be asking for numbers at the<br />
November General Meeting to confirm the dining<br />
arrangements. You need to be at the service road,<br />
Maroondah Highway, one kilometre north-east of the<br />
Warburton Highway/Maroondah Highway junction, by 9,30<br />
am. The plan is to stop at Yea, for morning tea, then on to<br />
Bonnie Doon for lunch – returning at your leisure, by either,<br />
Melba or Maroondah Highways. More details on<br />
www.healeyvic.com.au<br />
Geelong Speed Trials / Revival Tour – November 29 and<br />
30, for the tour – December 1 and 2, for the Speed Trials.<br />
Please call Brian Aitken, for the event organizer’s details, if<br />
you are keen to attend, or compete.<br />
AHOC Vic. Christmas luncheon and Presentation of<br />
Competition and <strong>Club</strong> Awards – at our clubrooms,<br />
Sunday, December 9 - 12.00 for 12.30.<br />
Three course sit-down luncheon, with entertainment.<br />
Tables of eight. Mick Smith and her committee have<br />
planned a special event. We are currently taking individual<br />
and table bookings for the lunch and, shall have some<br />
helpers on the job, at the November General Meeting.<br />
Only cost to members is be $20 per head. Bottled wine at<br />
bar prices. If you wish to bring guests, they are most<br />
welcome, at $55 per head. Top class entertainment. Put<br />
the date in your diary – Come in the <strong>Healey</strong>! Dress for the<br />
occasion – up to you! Not to be missed! Please call Mick,<br />
on 9789 7698, for bookings.<br />
Mick’s “Giant Christmas Raffle” – will be drawn at the<br />
Christmas Luncheon – we are requesting your generous<br />
support, as previously, in donating items for inclusion in the<br />
baskets – food, wine, gifts etc. We shall be selling tickets<br />
from our November General Meeting – all tickets will have<br />
names on them, so that, when the draw is made, all<br />
winning tickets will be allocated a basket.<br />
Maldon Twilight Festival – Saturday, January 19. John<br />
Johnson spoke at our October meeting, about this unique<br />
event. Details in the minutes of the October meeting.<br />
AHOC Natter Lunch – Sunday, January 20, at Ann and<br />
Geoff Neagle’s lovely property, “Abingdon”, Research-<br />
Warrandyte Road, North Warrandyte. Further details in<br />
December 100s & 1000s.<br />
Please check out the website for all of the social, ROF,<br />
Peninsula runs and, competition dates.<br />
Our Annual General Meeting - will be held in conjunction<br />
with the December General Meeting. We have vacancies<br />
on the committee for a Social Secretary (or Secretaries)<br />
and an Editor, for 100s & 1000s. Ladies, please bring a<br />
small plate of food, for supper.<br />
Subscription Invoices – have been either mailed out, or<br />
hand delivered to members. Please note that our<br />
Committee, at their October meeting ratified the<br />
confirmation of the changes of the Australia Post<br />
metropolitan boundaries, enacted in 2004. Membership<br />
fees remain as for 2012. The only change will be for new<br />
memberships, to cover the extra administration costs for<br />
vehicle registrations and “H/CH Plate” ongoing<br />
management. No change for existing members on those<br />
plates. A late payment fee has been introduced because<br />
of AHOC work required to maintain the registration of late<br />
payer’s <strong>Healey</strong>s and other vehicles. The answer = pay<br />
subs on time!<br />
Looking forward to seeing you at the General Meeting, on<br />
Thursday, November 1.<br />
Cheers, Paul McPherson<br />
I have a little Satnav. I've had it all my life. It's better than the normal ones. My Satnav is my wife.<br />
It gives me full instructions, especially how to drive. "It's 60 miles an hour", it says, "You're doing sixty five".<br />
It tells me when to stop and start and when to use the brake and tells me that it's never ever safe to overtake.<br />
It tells me when a light is red and when it goes to green. It seems to know instinctively, just when to<br />
intervene.<br />
It lists the vehicles just in front and all those to the rear and taking this into account it specifies my gear.<br />
I'm sure no other driver has so helpful a device for when we leave and lock the car it still gives its advice.<br />
It fills me up with counselling. Each journey's pretty fraught. So why don't I exchange it and get a quieter<br />
sort<br />
Ah well, you see, it cleans the house, makes sure I'm properly fed. It washes all my shirts and things and -<br />
keeps me warm in bed!<br />
Despite all these advantages and my tendency to scoff, I do wish that once in a while I could turn the<br />
damned thing off.<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 3
AHOC Vic. Christmas Luncheon<br />
and<br />
Presentation of Competition and <strong>Club</strong> Awards<br />
In the clubrooms, Sunday, December 9 - 12.00 for 12.30<br />
Three course sit-down luncheon with entertainment<br />
Entertainment commences at 1pm<br />
Cost $20 per person<br />
(includes beer wine and soft drink)<br />
Bottled wine at bar prices<br />
Tables of eight<br />
Bookings for tables and individuals commence at the October General Meeting<br />
Mick Smith and her committee are planning a special event including the drawing of Mick’s<br />
“Giant Christmas Raffle”<br />
If anybody has special dietary requirements please contact Mick<br />
Put the date in your diary. An event not to be missed!<br />
CHRISTMAS RAFFLE<br />
Mick wants donations. Please bring them to the November meeting<br />
MEMBERSHIP<br />
Please make welcome the following new member<br />
Andrew Salathe, green Sprite<br />
Peter Heading<br />
Membership Secretary<br />
"WHERE’S my SUNDAY paper!"<br />
The irate customer calling the newspaper office, loudly demanded to know where her Sunday edition was.<br />
"Madam", said the newspaper employee, "today is Saturday. The Sunday paper is not delivered until tomorrow, on<br />
SUNDAY".<br />
There was quite a long pause on the other end of the phone, followed by a ray of recognition as she was heard to mutter,<br />
"Well, s**t, that explains why no one was at church either!<br />
4<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
Meeting opened at 8.15 pm<br />
Present:<br />
80 Financial Members<br />
Visitor – Peter Roberts<br />
CLUB MINUTES<br />
AUSTIN HEALEY OWNERS CLUB OF VICTORIA INC.<br />
Minutes of “General Meeting” held on<br />
Thursday, 4 October 2012<br />
at 19 – 23 ROSALIE STREET, SPRINGVALE<br />
Brian Aitken reported that Mick Smith is now home from hospital and in recovery mode.<br />
Apologies: Rod Vogt, Maureen and Alan Cant and Harvey Pearce<br />
Minutes of Previous Meeting:<br />
Motion that the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 6 September 2012, be accepted.<br />
Moved; Faye Raisbeck Seconded; Bill Vaughan Carried<br />
Matters Arising: Nil.<br />
Correspondence In:<br />
Flyers<br />
Ambulance Victoria “Pillow Talk” 2012<br />
RACV flyers for 2013 Great Australian Rally and Fly the Flag tour<br />
E Mail<br />
Greg Corbin – AHSDC ref. attendance at the AHOC Display Day<br />
John Johnson, AHOC and TSOA member, re the Maldon Twilight Festival, Saturday, January 19, 2013.<br />
e mail from CAMS re Event Assessor training, Facility Survey, New CFA Fire Ban Rules and Important Dates.<br />
e mail from CAMS Victorian State Council Call for Agenda.<br />
E mail from “Click Print” offering magazine printing<br />
E mail Invitation to Cranksters Cruise Nagambie.<br />
E mail re international screening of film made at “Leadfoot Festival”.<br />
E mail re open practice day - National Circuit at Calder park raceway 26th September 2012.<br />
E mail from Terry Nightingale re running Trivia Nights as Christmas Socials etc.<br />
E mail from CAMS re Victorian State Council Agenda - October 2012.<br />
E mail from CAMS re CAMS Honours and Awards Nominations<br />
E mail from CAMS re CAMS VSC Minutes and <strong>Club</strong> Info<br />
E mail from CAMS re Come & Try Day, Event Assessor Training, State Council Nominations and Save the Date.<br />
E mail re Leadfoot festival for 2013.<br />
E mail with invitation to Maldon Twilight Festival on 19 January 2013.<br />
E mail from Veloce Publishing with newsletter re new motoring publications<br />
E mail re introduction to the exciting Big Bad Sandown 2012 event<br />
E mail from Rod Vogt re CAMS Event Assessor training & Facility Survey.<br />
E mail from CAMS re new Victorian Sport & <strong>Club</strong> Development Officer<br />
Magazines<br />
October “Cat-A-Log” magazine from Jag Car <strong>Club</strong><br />
October “Crankhandle” SPCHCC (Southern Peninsula Classic and Historic Car <strong>Club</strong>) magazine<br />
September “Flat Chat” magazine from NSW AHOC<br />
September “<strong>Healey</strong> Torque” magazine from Queensland AHOC<br />
September HRA News (Historic Rally Association)<br />
September Goblin Gazette from Sprite Drivers <strong>Club</strong><br />
Spring <strong>Healey</strong> Howl magazine from SA AHOC<br />
Letters<br />
Correspondence out:<br />
Letter (email) to Paul Blake, AHOC National Steering Committee – re AHOC Vic’s response to the final proposal being<br />
delayed until late February, 2013.<br />
Letter to Melbourne Magazine re <strong>Healey</strong> Day at Docklands<br />
Get well Card to Howard James<br />
Get well Card to Mick Smith<br />
Get well Card to Rae Kelly<br />
Correspondence in:<br />
Letter from Consumer Affairs (Dept of Justice) with reminder and forms for 2012 Annual Corporations Return.<br />
Letter from JAG <strong>Club</strong> inviting AHOC members to their concours at Wesley Glen Waverley on 25 November.<br />
AOMC Invoice for affiliation fees<br />
Financial<br />
Mike Snelgrove submitted the following AHOC financial report:<br />
Operating Account for August 2012<br />
Opening Balance 31 st July 2012 $34,075.66<br />
Deposits $ 635.00<br />
Payments $ 7,135.75<br />
Closing Balance 31 st August 201 $27,574.91<br />
Term Deposit Account As of 17 th April 2012 $51,393.68<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 5
Building Maintenance Account As of 18 th July 2012 $10,000.00<br />
MEMBERSHIP:<br />
Peter Heading reported that we have cracked 600 members, now standing at 601.<br />
Latest members are Andrew Salathe, AH Sprite.<br />
Matthew and Gemma Snelgrove, Associate Members, no car as yet<br />
John and Norma Keogh, BN4.<br />
SOCIAL:<br />
Paul McPherson delivered the following Social Roundup:<br />
MIKE FORRESTER MEMORIAL PICNIC – 50 members attending in good sunny weather, at Albert Park. many thanks to<br />
John Raisbeck and Ralph Fletcher for transporting our bbq trailer and cooking the snags and rissoles. Jill Forrester very<br />
much enjoyed the day and, being back among her <strong>Healey</strong> friends.<br />
SEPTEMBER PENINSULA RUN, last Wednesday week, saw 24 members enjoying the overcast but fine conditions at<br />
Arthurs Seat. Great to have Dennis Varley and Peter Roberts on their first peninsula run.<br />
ROF RUN IS SOUTH, for October. Arthur has a great run set for the 11 th . tried and tested, it is a do not miss, down into<br />
South Gippsland with lunch at a terrific spot. Arthur’s phone number on the website and in 100s & 1000s if you can make<br />
it.<br />
TEAM HEALEY – AT THE WINTON SIX-HOUR race, October 12-14. Please speak to Brian Froelich and Graham Palich<br />
if you can assist our teams, on the day – please support our boys in a big team effort!<br />
DOCKLANDS PROMENADE – HEALEY DISPLAY DAY – OCTOBER 21 – enter from Doepel Way, between 9.00-10.00<br />
am. We shall have walkers to escort <strong>Healey</strong>s, Sprites and Bowell's, to sites. Trusting in good weather for a marvellous<br />
display of our marque. Please support local restaurants etc. AHSDC and Bolwell clubs joining us on the day. Publicity in<br />
the “cars guide” from this Friday. Please note, we are opening the day to all <strong>Healey</strong> / Sprite / Bolwell owners!<br />
OCTOBER 27-28 – VICTORIA / SOUTH AUSTRALIA MINI RALLY – PORT FAIRY – Paul Bradley has requested that<br />
several of the Victorian contingent have confirmed their dietary requirements – for those who have special needs but<br />
didn’t register those, would you please contact either Paul (0468 373 967) or Barbara Bradley (0421 059 898).<br />
OCTOBER 26-28 – MOTORCLASSICA – EXHIBITION BUILDINGS – a sensational display of veteran, vintage, classic<br />
and modern cars and motorcycles. Well worth the money and time!<br />
PENINSULA RUN, OCTOBER – to the Portsea hotel, with <strong>Healey</strong>s parked up the driveway, always a great display, and<br />
very good location.<br />
“BIG BAD SANDOWN – NOVEMBER 9-11. 50 years of Sandown / 21 years of VHRR, promoting the historics. prices:<br />
$30 for Saturday / $40 for Sunday – free if you display your <strong>Healey</strong> on “red hill” or under the grandstand, on either day<br />
(you need to speak to P. McP. if you need tickets.<br />
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 – tri-club run to the Bonnie Doon hotel, departing from the service road at Coldstream approx.<br />
9.45-10.00 am. Details in our November 100s & 1000s, and on our website calendar. Note: this is also the date of the<br />
last day of the “Targa High Country”, so there will lots of motoring enthusiasts on the highway!<br />
AHOC 2012 AWARDS PRESENTATION & CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON – Sunday, December 9, here, at the clubrooms –<br />
12.00- for 12.30 pm – a sit-down three course luncheon, with presentation of our competition and club champion awards,<br />
plus entertainment and, Mick Smith’s super Christmas raffle! All this for $20 per head (AHOC members) and guests @<br />
$55 per head.<br />
90 members paid so far – tables of 8 – book now!<br />
MALDON TWILIGHT FESTIVAL – Saturday, January 19 th<br />
John Johnson spoke about this event, which will be run in conjunction with the Triumph Car <strong>Club</strong> – a joint event first!.<br />
Maldon Twilight Festival -Weekend Away - Meet 9am at BP Calder service station. Scenic drive to Trentham for morning<br />
tea then to Daylesford (looks & see, trains, convent art gallery, buy picnic lunch if you like). Then a scenic drive around<br />
the back of Lake Cairn Curran for a picnic lunch then onto Maldon accommodation & meet for the festival starts at 7pm,<br />
ticket price $20.00 p/head Incl.<br />
Entertainment (Quattro Voci plus 2 others), souvenir wine glass, table, seat, cutlery & crockery with table Platter of<br />
nibbles. Meals/dinner available at your own expense (Now being professionally catered) – Books out early – book early if<br />
you to ensure a great table for all.<br />
Please let John or Leonie know URGENTLY if you require accommodation for the Saturday night & they will try to arrange<br />
some B&B's. John 0419 88 00 75 or Leonie 0413 388 787<br />
GEELONG SPEED TRIALS / REVIVAL TOUR<br />
Tour Director for the Just Cars Revival/Speed Trials invitation to join Tour being conducted the two days prior on 29th and<br />
30th November. Call Brian Aitken for event organiser’s contact details.<br />
EDITOR:<br />
Harvey apologies for not being with us this evening but has sent the following message:<br />
Nothing to report except that I will be away from 14 th to 20 th October so the deadline is a little later than usual – Friday 19 th<br />
please. That should allow time to get it to the printer by the following Wednesday – the latest possible.<br />
We would like a write-up on the Mike Forrester picnic and the ROFs if possible.<br />
REGALIA:<br />
Arthur reminded everyone present that it’s the “Spring Carnival Fashion Season” and that accordingly all should be buying<br />
the latest creations from the regalia stand in order to be “in”!<br />
6<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
COMPETITION / MSCA:<br />
Rod Vogt busy delivering a baby and could not be with us, but he sent the following report:<br />
Winton 6 Hour Relay Sunday October 14 th<br />
Thankyou for the great response from volunteers for the Sunday. We are now well covered, and supporters are most<br />
welcome in Garage 13 which is shared by our two <strong>Healey</strong> Teams. The race starts at 10 am Sunday and runs for 6 hours.<br />
Entry is free. If you want to have a go on pit wall timing remember – clothing covering arms and legs and NO RED<br />
colours.<br />
LIBRARY:<br />
Nothing new for the Library BUT Mick reminded members that she is collecting donations for the Christmas Hamper –<br />
please bring along to the November general meeting and in the mean time, see Annette Aitken tonight to pay for your<br />
Christmas Luncheon.<br />
CARS, PARTS, BUY/SELL<br />
Bill Vaughan has a friend looking to purchase a reasonable condition BN2 – if you know of one for sale, please let Bill<br />
know on 03 5988 4264.<br />
GENERAL BUSINESS:<br />
Paul announced that the Life memberships sub-committee recommendations will go before our AHOC committee next<br />
week. Any resultant awards would be announced at our Christmas luncheon.<br />
Meeting closed at 9.03pm.<br />
Next meeting, November 1, 2012.<br />
Rex and Deanna Hall’s wonderful 1928 Chev. tourer so familiar to all those who have done the RACV Fly the Flag tours<br />
over many years, was our display car.<br />
Rex gave a very entertaining talk about the car’s background and how he came to get/steal it from his father prior to<br />
assembling and refurbishing it himself with the aid of the original Owner’s Handbook – a very slim volume indeed! Rex<br />
also observed that whist the front seat is somewhat cramped, the generous back seat permits all kinds of pursuits!<br />
Brian Aitken<br />
Secretary<br />
The school inspector is assigned to the Year 4 class in one of the local State Schools. He is introduced to the class by the<br />
teacher.<br />
She says to the class, "Let's show the inspector just how clever you are by allowing him to ask you a question".<br />
The inspector reasons that normally class starts with religious instruction, so he will ask a biblical question.<br />
He asks: “Class, who broke down the walls of Jericho"<br />
For a full minute there is absolute silence. The children all just stare at him blankly Eventually, little Bruce raises his<br />
hand. The inspector excitedly points to him.<br />
Bruce stands up and replies: "Sir, I don’t know who broke down the walls of Jericho, but I can assure you it wasn't me".<br />
Of course the inspector is shocked by the answer and the lack of knowledge of the famous Bible story and he looks at the<br />
teacher for an explanation.<br />
Realizing that he is perturbed, the teacher says: "Well, I've known Bruce since the beginning of the year, and I believe<br />
that if he says that he didn't do it, then he didn't do it".<br />
The inspector is even more shocked at this and storms down to the principal's office and tells him what happened, to<br />
which the principal replies : "I don't know the boy, but I socialize every now and then with his teacher, and I believe her. If<br />
she feels that the boy is innocent, then he must be innocent".<br />
The inspector can't believe what he’s hearing. He grabs the phone on the principal's desk and in a rage, dials Julia<br />
Gillard's telephone number and rattles off the entire occurrence to her and asks her what she thinks of the education<br />
standard in the State.<br />
The PM sighs heavily and replies: "I don't know the boy, the teacher or the principal, but just get three quotes and get the<br />
bloody wall fixed!!"<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 7
AUSTIN-HEALEYS THAT RACED IN AUSTRALIA No 21<br />
Some <strong>Austin</strong>-<strong>Healey</strong>s continue to be raced by<br />
subsequent <strong>Owners</strong>, but one car in particular took on a<br />
completely new life and personality in the hands of a later<br />
Owner. In this episode I will concentrate on that<br />
development.<br />
Brian Bracegirdle, a motor mechanic from Broken Hill<br />
bought a new, green BN1 from the Grand Garage at<br />
Glenelg in Adelaide with the purpose of racing it. He had it<br />
retro fitted with an M Kit but he only kept it for about 12<br />
months before selling it back to the Grand Garage. This<br />
car, was Chassis Number 150682 and had South<br />
Australian registration 401-595.<br />
I have not found any record of him racing the car. He did<br />
enter a Triumph TR2 and an MGA in events conducted by<br />
the Vintage Sports Car <strong>Club</strong> in Broken Hill in 1957 and<br />
1958 respectively. He also entered a black/yellow <strong>Austin</strong>-<br />
<strong>Healey</strong> at Port Wakefield in 1959. I made contact with his<br />
son in Broken Hill, but as he hadn’t been born at the time<br />
he had no knowledge of his fathers’ cars. He understood<br />
his father had a lot of fun before he got married!<br />
Rodger Yates, who ran the Grand Garage, had been racing<br />
an MG TC Special which he advertised for sale in February<br />
1957. He then started racing an <strong>Austin</strong>-<strong>Healey</strong> in 1957,<br />
but I am not sure it was always the same car (In 1959/1960<br />
he bought the BN1 which Tom Linden had raced at Albert<br />
Park). However, the car he usually raced was the car<br />
registered 401-595.<br />
Because of this uncertainty I have not concentrated on<br />
researching the competition history of the car in the hands<br />
of Rodger Yates.<br />
However, back in March 1955 it was reported that Rodger<br />
Yates had his first drive of an <strong>Austin</strong>-<strong>Healey</strong> at Collingrove<br />
Hillclimb and proved to be a crowd thriller with his spinning<br />
displays.<br />
The Sports Car World Report on the October 1957 Meeting<br />
at Port Wakefield noted that Rodger Yates was driving his<br />
newly modified <strong>Austin</strong>- <strong>Healey</strong> and he was considered to<br />
be one of South Australia’s top drivers after winning two<br />
races.<br />
expect considering the modifications that have been made<br />
to it.”<br />
The Program for the Meeting indicated that it had a<br />
capacity of 2852 cc.<br />
Rodger also entered an Allard and a Jaguar XK120 in<br />
competition and later in 1959 he was racing an <strong>Austin</strong>-<br />
<strong>Healey</strong> Sprite.<br />
Mel McEwin was from Lake Mundi near Casterton in the<br />
Western District, but he established a business in Murray<br />
Bridge and was generally regarded as a South Australian.<br />
He had previously been racing an XK 120, but then bought<br />
the BN1 which had been raced by Rodger Yates and<br />
sponsored by his Grand Garage at Glenelg in Adelaide<br />
When Mel bought the car it was already fitted with a<br />
headrest,<br />
At Tarrawingee on the 8 November 1959 the car was the<br />
centre of considerable attention in the pits with its two large<br />
SU’s and blower mounted in front of the radiator. It was<br />
now called the Melmac.<br />
Rodger Yates avoids the spinning Jim Goldfinch at Port Wakefield<br />
The Program for the October 1958 Meeting at Port<br />
Wakefield advised that, “The car of Rodger Yates is very<br />
nicely prepared. It is an <strong>Austin</strong>-<strong>Healey</strong> with many<br />
modifications to make it go faster and stop quicker. As it is<br />
for sale it should be a good car for an intending<br />
competitor”. However, after the Meeting it was reported<br />
that, “The Yates <strong>Healey</strong> lacked the spring one would<br />
The first appearance of the Melmac at Tarrawingee<br />
At the Meeting at Port Wakefield later in November 1959 it<br />
was noted that one very extraordinary car in the event was<br />
the ex Grand Garage <strong>Healey</strong>, in the hands of MW McEwin.<br />
The unusual part of the vehicle is the massive<br />
supercharger poking through where the grille ought to be,<br />
and drawing air through two large SU’s. This car did not<br />
perform as well as expected, one fact being an apparent<br />
excess of power on some occasions.<br />
At a Sprint Meeting held at Salisbury on 6 December 1959<br />
which was at the Weapons Research Station where<br />
spectators were not welcome and cameras were banned.<br />
”The old Grand Garage <strong>Healey</strong> was about again, with the<br />
forward mounted blower setup as at Port Wakefield<br />
concealed beneath what will be a handsome fibreglass<br />
nose when it is finished off. Some <strong>Healey</strong> this one - with a<br />
rigid tonneau cover, headrest and all. And a best time of<br />
104 mph”.<br />
The engine was bored to 3 litre, with Repco pistons, and it<br />
was fitted with a Commer TS3 supercharger on 15psi. The<br />
brakes and the suspension were also modified.<br />
8<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
A fibreglass nose was eventually extended forward to<br />
cover the supercharger and the standard bonnet was<br />
extended to allow access to the supercharger.<br />
At Hume Weir in December 1959 the Sports Car Scratch<br />
Race was run in heavy rain, yet it provided one of the most<br />
thrilling duals of the day.<br />
At the start Jon Leighton in the Birchwood Climax was<br />
closely followed by Mel McEwin in the supercharged<br />
<strong>Austin</strong>-<strong>Healey</strong>. Leighton spun on the second lap, but<br />
restarted. On lap 4 McEwin spun and got going again just<br />
as the Climax went past. He managed to pass Leighton on<br />
Lap 5 but the more manoeuvrable Climax regained the<br />
lead on the last lap and narrowly won. The Handicap Race<br />
proved to be a walkover for Mel McEwin’s supercharged<br />
<strong>Austin</strong>-<strong>Healey</strong> after Jon Leighton’s Climax motor blew itself<br />
to pieces amid great clouds of smoke.<br />
The car which came second was the 100/6 of Laurie<br />
Knight. It is my guess that this prompted Laurie to contact<br />
Donald <strong>Healey</strong> about supercharging the 6 cylinder engine.<br />
He decided against this, but he did build up a<br />
supercharged A90 Special which became known as<br />
Sabrina.<br />
At Phillip Island on the 1 February 1960 it was reported<br />
that the Melmac came into the pits on the first lap making<br />
strange popping noises. Sports Car World also reported<br />
“Mel McEwin, the South Australian of wild cornering fame,<br />
had trouble with the Melmac – a much modified <strong>Austin</strong>-<br />
<strong>Healey</strong>. He spent most of the event limping dejectedly in<br />
and out of the pits”.<br />
At the Fishermans Bend Meeting on the 13/14 February<br />
1960 it was reported that, “Peter Manton in the Monaro<br />
(Motors) Major Mk2 and Mel McEwin battled for second<br />
place –Peter won”.<br />
The car was taken to Longford in Tasmania in March 1960<br />
where it was entered in the Australian Tourist Trophy, and<br />
the Light Car <strong>Club</strong> of Tasmania Trophy. It was officially<br />
timed at 143 mph.<br />
During 1959 Mel bought the Tornado which had previously<br />
raced by Ted Gray, and was the car which held the<br />
Australian Speed Record at 157.5 mph in 1958. Mel ran it<br />
in the Australian Grand Prix at Lowood in June 1960.<br />
During the same month Rodger Yates was back behind the<br />
wheel of an <strong>Austin</strong>-<strong>Healey</strong> and entered it at Port Wakefield,<br />
but which car was it<br />
The next owner was Jim Kelly, also from Casterton. In<br />
October 1960 he brought the Melmac home to show his<br />
father and it was agreed that he should sell his MG TC<br />
first. A month later the TC had been sold to a friend and on<br />
his first night of ownership Jim took his girlfriend Faye to a<br />
dance in Hamilton in the Melmac. This was a good move<br />
as they were later married. Jim was a good friend of Mel’s<br />
and he continued to race the car on occasions - at tracks<br />
and hillclimbs in the north-east of Victoria, but mainly he<br />
used it as a road car. He had it re-registered HHL 922 in<br />
Victoria in 1961.<br />
In July 1961 Jim fitted the Melmac with a heavy duty tow<br />
bar and it was used to tow the Tornado to Lake Eyre where<br />
Mel attempted to break the Australian Speed Record. He<br />
managed a time of 151.10mph which broke the Class C<br />
record for the flying mile. It is interesting that the tow<br />
vehicle was capable of a speed not much lower than the<br />
record breaking car. The use of the Melmac as a tow<br />
vehicle may seem unlikely, but it was more appropriate<br />
than the one Mel had used to tow the Tornado to Meetings<br />
in 1960. This was a Skoda which he also used to race.<br />
The Melmac with the Tornado in Tow<br />
In 1980 I wrote to Jim inquiring about the car and<br />
encouraged him to come along to some <strong>Club</strong> events. He<br />
responded that he would like to be advised of major<br />
displays so that he could plan his trips to Melbourne<br />
around them. He did this on a few occasions. Jim ran<br />
cattle on his property at Casterton, and as a sideline<br />
commenced manufacturing woollen fire proof racing suits.<br />
The registration of the Melmac lapsed in 1965 and the car<br />
has not been used since.<br />
Mel standing beside the Melmac for the last time<br />
The Melmac awaiting Restoration<br />
Jim passed away in March 2009.<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 9
Jim and Faye had five sons. After the National Rally in Ballarat in 1985 his oldest son Stephen and his second youngest<br />
son Paul went home and started work on the Melmac. The car was pulled apart and the rolling chassis was sent up to a<br />
Panel Beater in Hamilton. A .22 bullet exploded when the panel beater was doing some welding in the boot area. As a<br />
result he lost enthusiasm and there the car sat until 2010 when Paul took the car home to Mt Gambier, gathered all the<br />
parts up from the farm, bought a lot of parts from Kilmartins, set it up on a rotisserie and has started on a full restoration<br />
which he plans to have finished in two years.<br />
Paul has found that the car is very rusty, probably from its days on the salt and it took him ages to remove the substantial<br />
towbar.<br />
The Melmac may have taken a while to sort out initially, but Jim thought that ultimately it had 17 placings from 21 starts.<br />
I must acknowledge the help Paul, his wife Belinda have given me, and also his mum Faye who went back through some<br />
old diaries to verify some of the background information, and for the photos.<br />
RACING RESULTS OF THE MELMAC<br />
Mel McEwin<br />
Tarrawingee 8 November 1959 Scratch Race for Sports 1 st <br />
Sports Car Handicap<br />
2 nd<br />
Butchers Picnic<br />
2 nd<br />
Port Wakefield<br />
Phillip Island 22 November 1959<br />
3 rd<br />
Salisbury 6 December 1959<br />
16.94 sec - 104.0 mph<br />
Port Wakefield<br />
Division 2 Scratch Race for Sports and Racing Cars<br />
Hume Weir 27 December 1959 Sports Car Scratch Race 2 nd<br />
Sports Car Handicap<br />
Philip Island 1 February 1960 Sports Car Scratch DNF<br />
Div 2 and 3 Racing and Sports Scratch<br />
Fishermans Bend 13/14 February1960 B Grade Sports Car Scratch 3 rd<br />
Port Wakefield 18 April 1960<br />
Longford 5/7 March 1960<br />
Collingrove 16 April 1960<br />
Iain McPherson<br />
1 st<br />
143 mph<br />
Australian Tourist Trophy<br />
Light Car <strong>Club</strong> of Tasmania Trophy<br />
3 rd in Class<br />
10<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
Westernites Run;- Tuesday 25 th September 2012<br />
Half a dozen <strong>Austin</strong>-<strong>Healey</strong>s and their proud owners assembled at the Dog Rocks Hotel, better known as the Batesford<br />
Hotel, just out of Geelong. This recently refurbished establishment should be kept in mind as a future destination, as<br />
distinct from a starting point, but that is for another day. Mine host served the coffees, run details and a bag of jelly beans<br />
were issued to one and all, and soon under the guidance of Ross Hodges and Eric Patterson we were under way.<br />
Lovely roads under overcast skies with sunny breaks took us to Maude, Steiglitz, Meredith then Shelford, though our<br />
leaders had a little overshoot at the Shelford turn.. From Shelford we headed towards Inverleigh then onto Winchelsea<br />
almost to David Kelly’s farm then turned towards Geelong pulling in to our lunch stop - the Moriac Hotel.<br />
Despite the spring weather, Winter dishes including Beef Pies in red wine and Curries proved to be the most popular<br />
dishes. Our pit stop completed we all headed home under bright sunny skies. A well planned and most enjoyable outing<br />
on roads made for <strong>Healey</strong> cruising.<br />
Down the aisle together!<br />
I'll never forget how happy I was when I saw my missus walking down the aisle towards me.<br />
My heart was beating fast and the excitement was unbearable.<br />
It seemed to take an age, but eventually there she was, standing beside me.<br />
I gave her a cheeky wink and said, "Get that trolley over here love. They're doing 3 cartons of VB, for the price of 2".<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 11
Retired Old Farts & Wannabe's<br />
2nd Thursday every Month - Meet at 10.15am for a 10.30 sharp departure<br />
What you need to know;<br />
This is an official AHOC activity.<br />
We drive on the 2nd Thursday of each month.<br />
We drive for about 1½ hours, plus lunch and other stops. We aim to drive North, East, West and South…<br />
turnabout.<br />
We use Free/Tollways whenever possible to get out of town - eTAG!<br />
Meeting points;<br />
North - Excelsior Hotel Motel, Cnr Mahoneys & Edgars Rds Thomastown - meet at 10:15am for a 10:30<br />
departure<br />
Northern runs arranged by Mike Snelgrove - 0418 320 524<br />
East - Kilsyth <strong>Club</strong> car park, Cnr Canterbury & Colchester Rds - meet at 10:15am for a 10:30 departure<br />
Easterly runs arranged by Warren Gartner - 0418 536 350<br />
West - McDonalds, Western Hwy & Westwood Dve (Melway 25 A6) - meet at 10:15am for a 10:30 departure<br />
Westerly runs - Mike Snelgrove - 0418 320 524.<br />
South - Basketball Centre car park - Stud Rd and Monash F'way - meet at 10:15am for a 10:30 departure<br />
Southerly runs - Arthur Tuckett - 0418 105 627<br />
Now…..the "big picture" stuff;<br />
Visitors with "other" cars are welcome.<br />
If it's not <strong>Healey</strong> weather….bring a tin top!<br />
This is not just a boy's day out.<br />
Send drive suggestions to the appropriate organizer above.<br />
If you want to go a bit faster than the guy in front - overtake him and have fun.<br />
We obey the road laws……yet we still have fun!<br />
12<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
Everywhere you go, it’s the same.<br />
Before every non F1 race in every country: before they go<br />
out for the race, competing cars line up in qualifying order<br />
on a large piece of tarmac surrounded by chain mesh<br />
fencing with angled parking lines and a big number<br />
corresponding to the qualifying spot achieved. And that’s<br />
called the ‘Dummy Grid’. It always has been called that.<br />
Not the pre-grid or race assembly grid or race order grid or<br />
qualifying grid but Dummy Grid. Dummy is such a weird<br />
word to use.<br />
A dummy is used by a ventriloquist or to pacify a crying<br />
baby or refers to a bullet that won’t fire or a pass that never<br />
happens or many other things that look right but are not<br />
real. Or don’t work.<br />
But a Dummy Grid is real and does work - it’s the place<br />
from which, if it was back at Bathurst in October 1998, 25<br />
assorted <strong>Healey</strong>s big and small will soon come snarling,<br />
spitting, roaring and swerving to do their warm up back to<br />
the championship start.<br />
Dummy grid is also such a weird place to be. Every race,<br />
every place, strange things happen on the Dummy Grid<br />
which never happen elsewhere.<br />
Volunteer marshals are the selfless people who give up<br />
their time so the rest of us can indulge our lust for speed<br />
thrills. And because marshalling the Dummy Grid is so<br />
difficult, experienced ladies and gentlemen usually get the<br />
job. And with experience goes a certain gravitas - a weight<br />
of attitude which makes commands seem mortal threats,<br />
an ability to whistle piercingly with two fingers and a<br />
personal history embroidered onto the shirt - such as The<br />
Great Race 1990 signed by Dick Johnson.<br />
Manoeuvring into position means driving past and backing<br />
up to park between two other competitors while trussed up<br />
in suit and belts and HANS - and often the external mirrors<br />
can’t help because they’re pointing at where the inside<br />
blind spot will be coming out of Honda.<br />
Your <strong>Healey</strong> will know at once that you’re not comfortable -<br />
steamy hot, can’t see, can’t breathe - and will send a clutch<br />
judder to torment you. A clutch which never judders and<br />
loves full throttle wheelspin smoking starts, now becomes a<br />
shaking horrible monster.<br />
DUMMY<br />
bove the ust.<br />
When you finally park, you look around. There for all to<br />
see is the talent and achievement of the class laid out in<br />
order. Whose done good, whose had a whoopsie.<br />
Occasionally, there is extra tension - a wet qualifying has<br />
been followed by a bright sunny race and the little clever<br />
cars are out the front. Behind them scowl the bad guys<br />
whose spots were robbed by the little Sprites or tippy toe<br />
rally folk. Or Rob Rowland on pole in his Sa <strong>Healey</strong> with<br />
Cobras and Mustangs behind. Grrr ... Secretly, the wet<br />
front ones are hoping to move over quickly for the dry fast<br />
ones behind.<br />
A popular diversion is to make the trip from pit garage to<br />
Dummy Grid with a loyal helper alongside, cuddling the<br />
helmet and looking cool. Now this loyal helper is fussing<br />
around cleaning already clean glass and adjusting<br />
perfectly adjusted mirrors. And making small talk - “You<br />
should nail him at turn 1” etc. You want to quietly visualise<br />
the brake / change / turn in / apex / power on sequence for<br />
every corner and bravado chat is not helping.<br />
Another time you have the Nervous Blipper alongside.<br />
This character has qualified a bit further forward than usual<br />
and is already feeling apprehensive about things. Although<br />
there is at least 10 minutes before we’re out, he’s sitting<br />
there warming his already nearly boiling engine by blipping<br />
and every 10th blip holding it steady at 2000 rpm.<br />
Not only is this really annoying, his side pipe is right<br />
opposite your face and of course he’s running far too rich.<br />
So you are struggling to breathe surrounded by the stink of<br />
unburned hydrocarbons filling your hardtop. Happily, with<br />
a whoooosh - it boils over, spitting off the overflow pipe and<br />
spewing boiling water and coolant all over his shiny paint.<br />
Big diversion as his car has to be removed from the<br />
Dummy Grid. He certainly is the Dummy on this Grid.<br />
The most dreaded experience on the Dummy Grid is<br />
Phantom Pisser Syndrome. You’ve backed up and<br />
switched off and it’s 35 degrees so you can feel sweat<br />
running everywhere under the race suit. The heat soak is<br />
amazing, but you know it’s not long to the start and can’t<br />
get out. No one else has got out.<br />
Slowly, the gradual suspicion that you need a piss grows<br />
until you feel bursting to go. You had a black coffee and<br />
went heaps before you got in but now your bladder feels<br />
like a water melon. You have to go, the race lasts 20<br />
minutes and you can’t last. You wonder whether to do like<br />
at Le Mans and go in the seat. At least its only you’ve got<br />
to sit in it.<br />
The dunny is miles away. A tree Yes, maybe over there<br />
behind the tents on the perimeter of the paddock. Now or<br />
never. Desperately you throw off the harness and sprint<br />
across. You hear the previous race winner called - only a<br />
few minutes before we’re out. You’ve been standing there<br />
ages and nothing happens. You’re bursting but so anxious<br />
and distracted nothing is working. OMG!!<br />
Up there with the Phantom Pisser Syndrome is the “Did I<br />
Check It” Disorder.<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 13
During qualifying you were<br />
just brilliant - got a clear run<br />
and nailed every corner, right<br />
on the limit and even a bit<br />
over it. Car felt sensational,<br />
right there in your hands,<br />
eager to obey, perfectly<br />
balanced. The time was<br />
great and there you were,<br />
right behind the stars on the<br />
third row. After qually you<br />
were so excited it was like<br />
you’d won the weekend. And<br />
lunch was ready so a nice<br />
relaxed paddock party<br />
ensued. Ages to the race...<br />
Suddenly people were suiting<br />
up, getting in. Shit! Race<br />
brought forward as one was<br />
cancelled - we’re going out<br />
early. What about tyre<br />
pressures! Oil level! Tighten<br />
the drooping outside mirror!<br />
Loosen the crutch strap! Find<br />
what’s knocking in the boot!<br />
Help !<br />
As you sit there in the sun,<br />
anxiety consumes your brain.<br />
Was that a tyre going down<br />
when you felt a squidge<br />
coming in from qually Did<br />
you top up oil last night or<br />
not Nothing to do about the<br />
mirror, its now fallen down.<br />
What if it comes very loose,<br />
will you be black flagged<br />
Crutch strap feels even<br />
tighter after lunch.<br />
Consumed with guilt, self<br />
doubt and fear of disaster,<br />
you wobble around on your<br />
warm up lap, bog down at the<br />
start and the race<br />
performance is 5 secs off<br />
qually, so you drop 4 places<br />
and hate motor racing.<br />
Most Dummy Grids are flat,<br />
boring places at track level.<br />
All you can see are other<br />
competitors and the back of the pit building. Until you put<br />
your helmet on you can hear the race happening and try<br />
and pick the winners from the sounds. Pretty boring.<br />
But at Winton, you get a great view from up there on the<br />
hill.<br />
You can see how much others sacrifice coming into Turn<br />
One, how much you lose by braking too late from that long<br />
straight, how quickly modern sports cars can get on the<br />
gas compared to a <strong>Healey</strong>. Across the infield you can<br />
mock and admire the lines into the dreaded Sweeper and<br />
marvel how the quickest cars have the widest entry. But<br />
however determined you are to put into practice what<br />
you’ve just learned, the moment you get out there it all<br />
looks different and you become so engrossed in keeping<br />
Bill Ingham’s persistent little Sprite behind you. You forget<br />
everything - again.<br />
Just getting here today has been hectic. Late home from<br />
work, then dinner in the workshop checking stuff then<br />
loading the trailer and late to bed with heartburn. Up at<br />
5.00 am for the three hour journey north. Aggro with the<br />
scrutineer who couldn’t find anything wrong but then<br />
wouldn’t give the logbook back. Big Al to the rescue.<br />
Qualifying was not good enough, well off the usual pace.<br />
Its a new helmet and the seat headrest has to be turned<br />
around, so you pull it on in the pit garage to test it<br />
everything works. Backing into the Dummy Grid space is<br />
hard with the hat on.<br />
The sun beats down as the woes of the last 12 hours are<br />
pushed away. Its hot. Its silent in the Stilo. The headrest<br />
holds the helmet perfectly. As Alonso passes he brushes<br />
your wing tip and you dart away. Right on his gearbox you<br />
feel the compression at the bottom of the hill as the Red<br />
Bull and Ferrari scream through Eau Rouge - you see a<br />
gap and dart left BANG BANG ...<br />
The sleep fuddled head hears <strong>Healey</strong> engines blipping<br />
angrily, the Dummy Grid Marshall gesticulating wildly after<br />
thumping the hard top. In an instant you’re back from<br />
dreaming about Spa and starting out for the final race of<br />
the season at Philip Island.<br />
Feeling super human after the most refreshing cat nap<br />
ever, you pull into the line of <strong>Healey</strong>s heading round the<br />
circuit to line up on the Real Grid, eager for battle.<br />
Now the Dummy Grid makes sense.<br />
For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after<br />
all those conflicting nutritional studies.<br />
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.<br />
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.<br />
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.<br />
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.<br />
5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.<br />
CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.<br />
14<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
“GETAWAY” - (Not the TV Show)<br />
The car on this months cover has its own interesting little story to tell.<br />
On its first visit to the <strong>Healey</strong> Factory with<br />
current owner Andrew Goad, in mid<br />
1994, the story started to unfold.<br />
Rob Rowland advised Andrew that he<br />
had owned AH1004 some 12 years<br />
earlier and that he had fitted the current<br />
AH1004 number plates.<br />
After Rob, the new owner lived beside<br />
the Yarra River in Alexandra Avenue just<br />
short of Chapel Street. It was from here,<br />
in 1985, that the intrigue began.<br />
AH1004 was stolen from the open<br />
garage beneath the building and used as<br />
the getaway car in a City bank robbery.<br />
With the robbers on board, and their<br />
shotgun stowed down beside the spare<br />
wheel, there were news reports that the<br />
Police were chasing the bank robbers in<br />
a green MG!!!!! This incident was also the<br />
highlight of discussion at the <strong>Club</strong><br />
Meeting that evening.<br />
Andrew only recently learnt that it was a <strong>Healey</strong> <strong>Club</strong> Member, Sandra James, who came to the rescue of AH1004.<br />
Apparently Sandra was driving up Royal Parade, on the way to a business appointment, when she noticed a green<br />
<strong>Healey</strong> parked in a strange manner in the central carriageway. On taking a second pass she realised that it was probably<br />
the car the Police were seeking.<br />
Following a brief phone call Sandra found herself surrounded by what seemed to be almost all of the Melbourne<br />
constabulary. However the robbers were nowhere to be seen but the gun was still in the car.<br />
Andrew would be delighted to learn more of this story and of the history of his car.<br />
ROF’s DRIVE SOUTH 10th OCTOBER<br />
Arthur provided a stimulating drive with lunch at<br />
the “Killy Pub” - one of your editor’s favourite<br />
eateries.<br />
It’s great to sit outside on a sunny day and<br />
watch the world go by while the surf pounds on<br />
the beach over the road.<br />
I was brought up in the best dairy country<br />
around and know the roads by heart - great<br />
<strong>Healey</strong> roads.<br />
Pity I couldn’t go. Still, the other Harvey did!<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 15
AUSTIN HEALEY DISPLAY DAY<br />
A sunny start to the day and, a quality display of our finest cars – including an intriguing <strong>Healey</strong> “Ratrod” piloted by a<br />
grinning Peter Rowland. Sixty-four 64 big <strong>Healey</strong>s, nine Sprites certainly drew the crowds and in excess of 500 folk<br />
through Arthur Tuckett’s “Regalia Doors!” Our indefatigable Regalia Officer triumphed again and was happy with the<br />
sales volume.<br />
Windy conditions early afternoon meant removing the marquee roof – but, there was no rain!<br />
Many thanks to all members, AHSDC members and the <strong>Healey</strong> Factory team (eight <strong>Healey</strong>s), for making the effort in<br />
contributing to the success of the day.<br />
See Gordon’s excellent pics on www.healeyvic.com.au<br />
Photos: Gordon Lindner.<br />
More on our website.<br />
16<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
It seems we’ve opened a Pandora’s Box of anonymous correspondents!<br />
Last month we published this photo sent ion by “Positive<br />
Earth”. Now along comes another joker calling themself<br />
“Zephyrfan” with more information about that pic.<br />
“Seeing everyone is being all anonymous these days, I<br />
thought I might have a go at it too!<br />
Back in the '50s and '60s I used to drive up North Road<br />
Bentleigh regularly and I can remember the Neptune<br />
service station where positive earth's photo of 5 <strong>Healey</strong>s<br />
was taken.<br />
I can also remember that the proprietor's son named Phil Weber had a white <strong>Healey</strong> 100/4 with red trim and it would often<br />
be parked on the forecourt. I bet the 'unknown' <strong>Healey</strong> second from left in positive earth's photo is Phil's car.<br />
I knew a bloke, Dominic Gargaro, who bought the white <strong>Healey</strong> from Phil and, if I remember correctly, the rego number<br />
was GKA241.<br />
Many years later there was a Suzuki motorbike showroom added to the servo and Phil was the proprietor. In the '90s<br />
there was a red <strong>Healey</strong> 6 owned by Phil in the showroom for a while. I think the rego on that <strong>Healey</strong> was PG106 and it<br />
was supposedly the long nose Prad <strong>Healey</strong> rebuilt to standard by 'PG'. I have a copy of Sports Car World magazine from<br />
October '59 with the beautiful Prad <strong>Healey</strong> on the cover. I wonder whatever happened to the long nose body”<br />
Yours sincerely<br />
Zephyrfan<br />
Over to you Iain - can you tell us more<br />
PENINSULA RUN Wednesday 25 th September<br />
There are many roads to Arthurs Seat the most<br />
interesting being the one from Dromana.<br />
The twists and turns make for a nervous drive for the<br />
passenger in particular. The driver makes sure of it!<br />
The change in the weather encouraged a good number<br />
of <strong>Healey</strong>’s admired by passersby.<br />
The 20 or so friends who met had an enjoyable time and<br />
although we were the first group to arrive which meant<br />
quick service in no time at all the venue was packed.<br />
What had begun as somewhat cloudy day had turned to<br />
sunshine and the views from the large windows were<br />
breathtaking.<br />
Words and photos by Anne Kruger<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 17
18<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
FOR SALE<br />
BN2 – BN4 (suit wire wheels)<br />
2 as new front brake drums & rebounded brake shoes (HPC’d Silver Aluminium) Suit BN2/BN4 wire wheels $300.00<br />
pair<br />
6 cylinder bolt up Engine Stand $100.00<br />
BJ8 Aluminium light weight RH Drive Glove Box ... finished to Original Standard ... $120.00 (6 made only 2 left)<br />
Bill Metcalf 039876 2167<br />
3000 MK1-11 Series BN4 BN6 BN7 and BT7 BMC Workshop Manual<br />
Radiator Needs Recore Top and Bottom Tanks are perfect no rust<br />
1 Generator<br />
2 Gear Knobs<br />
2 Side Screen Brackets<br />
4 Heavy Duty Tie Downs 2500 KG<br />
Any reasonable offer Accepted<br />
Ron Smith 9789 7698 0419 553 840<br />
Wire wheels for <strong>Healey</strong>: 5 off, 5.5 inch 72 spoke, painted silver, with tubes but no tyres; plus 4 off splined hubs. $950<br />
the lot.<br />
John Luckock (03) 5427 0909 or 0409 005 165 or luckocks@yahoo.com.au.<br />
100-4 RACE/RALLY MOTOR - Ext Mods include Westlakes Aluminium Head, Raced once, Rallied once<br />
Gavin Williams 0419 589 244 huckwill5@bigpond.com<br />
BOLWELL HEALEY<br />
This <strong>Austin</strong> <strong>Healey</strong> 100 BN1 was purchased by Winston Bolwell in the late 1950s and was subsequently extensively<br />
modified by him into its current configuration.<br />
The car was fitted with an early Jaguar 3.4 motor and gearbox and the front body work extensively modified by Winston<br />
to resemble a Maseratti 300S,using a completely new fibre glass front.<br />
After swapping the car for a Mini in the early 1960s Winston was tragically killed in the mini and the <strong>Healey</strong> was put<br />
aside by the then owner and not used again.<br />
I have owned the car for in excess of 22 years and it remains almost entirely complete.<br />
The chassis, suspension and brakes have been rebuilt but would require refurbishing. The front bodywork has been<br />
restored but not painted and the rear panels, still 100, require restoration.<br />
The original gearbox is with the car but the 3.4 motor has been unassembled and no longer has the block and head<br />
both of which were no longer restorable.<br />
The many unique features of the car such as the large quick release fuel filler, the alloy egg crate grille and the hard top,<br />
all of which were made by Winston are still with the car. The original windscreen and frame are also still with the<br />
vehicle, as are the fuel gauge, oil pressure and temp gauge and the mechanical Tacho as fitted by Winston.<br />
This car is a unique piece of Australian sports car history and would be a wonderful road car once the restoration is<br />
completed.<br />
Retirement and too many other projects force the reluctant sale.<br />
Further details are available from John Gray on 03 5424 1166.<br />
1960 3000 Mk1 (Engine upgraded to BJ8 Specs) Monza Red with Black leather interior, hood and tonneau. Dayton 72<br />
spoke 6"x15" chrome wire wheels, sports steering wheel, extensive recent mechanical works including new wiring loom.<br />
Full receipts and history file Excellent driver. 45600 original miles Asking Price $62,500.00 with RWC<br />
John Hawksworth 0418 339 178 or 03 5985 6713<br />
MK 1 SPRITE.<br />
Standard MG Midget Mk 3 front brakes and suspension<br />
Front suspension lowered by 1” using short competition springs by Bugeye Barn and has 1.5 degree negative camber<br />
blocks and a large diameter competition anti roll bar. Rear suspension is standard Mk 1 Sprite assemblies with Simon<br />
Gardner fitted progressive bump stops.<br />
Morris Major rear brake assemblies with 8” drums<br />
MG Midget 1970 model 3.9 gear rear standard differential set<br />
Standard bore 1,275 cc balanced engine, 9.725 high compression Pistons<br />
Webber twin choke carburettor on long tract inlet manifold. Extractors. Ported and polished Head with larger inlet<br />
valves<br />
Four core radiator<br />
Camshaft Engineering 38K grind modified, belt driven cam linked to 1.5 rocker gear<br />
Cooper S large impeller Water pump<br />
1,600 Ford Escort Flywheel modified and lightened to fit 1,275 block.<br />
Datsun 1,200 Clutch uprated with Datsun 1,200 self aligning bearing<br />
VH44 Brake booster.<br />
5 speed Datsun 1,400 commercial van Gearbox - extremely strong!<br />
Complete with hard top, side screens and tonneau, 3 sets of tyres and 2 sets of wheels. Full set of original hub caps.<br />
<strong>Club</strong> Reg so no stamp duty. $15,500 Brian Aitken 9775 3699.<br />
1958 BN6 100/6 coupe (3000 mark 1 engine) Royal Blue over Silver, requires some restoration, drives well, asking<br />
price 30,000.00 ONO. Registration number UVM 551, registered until June 2012. Regretful sale - unfortunately I will be<br />
moving interstate to NSW.<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 19
WANTED<br />
HEALEY STORAGE REQUIRED<br />
Long term member of the <strong>Healey</strong> club requires secure, under cover dry storage for his <strong>Healey</strong> in inner eastern suburbs.<br />
<strong>Healey</strong> used infrequently as work commitments limit use. Store my <strong>Healey</strong> and give your garage additional wow factor.<br />
Negotiated monthly fee.<br />
Richard Hopkins mobile 0419522554.<br />
100/4 block that is no longer useable.<br />
Mark Bird 0419995648<br />
BT 7 1962 old hood top for pattern only, so condition does not matter.<br />
Peter Taylor 03 5728 2525<br />
My Travel Plans for 2012-2013<br />
I‘ve been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots<br />
with someone.<br />
I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.<br />
I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips<br />
there, thanks to my children, friends, family and work.<br />
I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.<br />
I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.<br />
I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.<br />
Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.<br />
One of my favourite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my<br />
age I need all the stimuli I can get!<br />
I may have been in Continent, and I don't remember what country I was in. It's an age thing. They tell me it is very wet<br />
and damp there<br />
20<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING<br />
The Annual General meeting of the <strong>Austin</strong> <strong>Healey</strong> <strong>Owners</strong> <strong>Club</strong> of Victoria (Inc)<br />
will be held in the <strong>Club</strong>rooms, 19-23 Rosalie St Springvale<br />
on<br />
Thursday, 6 December, 2012<br />
immediately following the December General Meeting.<br />
Brian Aitken, Secretary<br />
COMMITTEE NOMINATION FORM : 2012-2013<br />
Nominations for Committee close at 5.30 pm Friday, 23 November 2012 and should be delivered or mailed to the<br />
Secretary at P.O. Box 97, Mulgrave, 3170 so as to be received by that time.<br />
NOMINATED:<br />
I, ......................................................................... being a financial member of the AHOC Vic<br />
(Print full name)<br />
hereby nominate<br />
............................................................................ for the position of .........................................<br />
Signed ................................................................ Membership No, ............... Date…………..<br />
SECONDED:<br />
I, ......................................................................... being a financial member of the AHOC Vic<br />
(Print full name)<br />
hereby second the above Nominee.<br />
Signed ............................................................... Membership No, ............... Date…………....<br />
(Signature of Seconder)<br />
ACCEPTED:<br />
I, ....................................................................... being a financial member of the AHOC Vic<br />
(Print full name)<br />
hereby accept the above nomination.<br />
Signed ............................................................... Membership No, ............... Date…………<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 21
FORM OF APPOINTMENT OF PROXY<br />
AUSTIN HEALEY OWNERS CLUB OF VICTORIA INCORPORATED<br />
I, …………………………………………………………………………………..<br />
(name)<br />
of ……………………………………………………………………………………<br />
(address)<br />
being a member of the <strong>Austin</strong> <strong>Healey</strong> <strong>Owners</strong> <strong>Club</strong> of Victoria Incorporated appoint<br />
………………………………………………………………………………<br />
(name of proxy holder)<br />
of ……………………………………………………………………………………….<br />
(address of proxy holder)<br />
being a member of the <strong>Club</strong>, as my proxy to vote for me on my behalf at the annual/special* general meeting of<br />
the <strong>Club</strong> to be held on ……………………………………………..<br />
(date of meeting)<br />
and at any adjournment of that meeting.<br />
My proxy is authorised to vote in favour of/against* the following resolution (insert details of resolution).<br />
Signed………………………………………….<br />
Date…………….<br />
* Delete if not applicable<br />
Subscriptions are now due and payable<br />
Invoices have been distributed and are either included in the November magazine (or by e-mail)<br />
Payments are now due and payable by the end of December 2012 for the 2013 calendar year<br />
Please check ALL details carefully and advise of any changes such as address, telephone, car details by e-mail to<br />
membership@healeyvic.com.au<br />
IMPORTANT<br />
Those with <strong>Club</strong> Plates must ensure they are paid by the due date otherwise your car will become<br />
UNREGISTERED and have NO THIRD PARTY INSURANCE after the end of 2012 because your club membership will<br />
have expired.<br />
You are encouraged to pay by direct deposit however you MUST include your REFERENCE shown on the invoice so<br />
that we can correctly identify your payment. Without this reference, we have NO WAY of identifying your payment, so<br />
your membership will therefore remain unpaid.<br />
It would be appreciated if you could also return your invoice paperwork including any marked changes to:<br />
The Membership Officer, 42 Robbins Street, Ivanhoe Vic, 3079 or via e-mail to membership@healeyvic.com.au<br />
to confirm your method of payment and any changes to your membership details.<br />
Please note that any subscriptions received after 28 February 2013 will attract a late fee of $10.00<br />
Thanks<br />
Peter Heading, Membership Officer AUSTIN HEALEY OWNERS CLUB OF VICTORIA INC.<br />
22<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
TEAM HEALEY and MSCA NEWS<br />
COMING EVENTS<br />
COMPETITION REPORT NOVEMBER 2012<br />
Events marked with * count towards the Competition<br />
Championship. Sprint and Regularity events require<br />
a basic CAMS level 2S licence only. (contact Rod Vogt)<br />
1 MARQUE SPORTS CAR ASSOCIATION (MSCA)<br />
CALENDAR FOR 2012 – Remaining Rounds<br />
Round 8 Sunday 18 th Nov *Phillip Island<br />
Round 9 Sunday 2 nd Dec *CALDER - Please note change of venue<br />
ENTRY FORMS for these events will be sent to all on the Team <strong>Healey</strong> email list and are available on the MSCA<br />
website www.msca.net.au . Ring Rod Vogt on 5962 1915 or 0408 395 240 or email competition-<br />
MSCA@healeyvic.com.au . Spectators are encouraged. Entry is free and you are welcome in our pit garage.<br />
Competition starts at approximately 9 am.<br />
2 OTHER EVENTS 2012<br />
Nov 9-11 th *VHRR Historic Sandown “Return of the Thunder”<br />
Nov 22-25 th *HSRCA Eastern Creek “Tasman Revival” Historic Meeting<br />
COMPETITION REPORTS<br />
1 HSRCA HISTORIC Meeting at WAKEFIELD PARK, GOULBURN. 22/23 rd September, 2012<br />
Brian Duffy attended this meeting as the sole AHOC member. Colin Goldsmith attended from the NSW <strong>Healey</strong> <strong>Club</strong><br />
also. I have no direct info on the weekend, but from the Natsoft website I can report the following for the Group S<br />
Production Sports Car races –<br />
Twenty four Group S cars competed, with our two Big <strong>Healey</strong>s racing against 7 Porsches, TVR Tuscan V8, Triumph<br />
TR6s, Alfas, MGs and Sprites. Brian ran strongly for two ninth positions and an eighth in the first three races and a 3 rd<br />
in the final race on Sunday afternoon when 11 stayers saw out the meeting. Brian improved his best lap time at<br />
Wakefield from 1.12.68 set in the February 2012 meeting to an impressive 1.11.91, sneaking up on Peter Jackson’s best<br />
time of 1.11.43 set back in 2009.<br />
POINTS TOWARD COMPETITION CHAMPIONSHIP and 4 fastest laps<br />
Brian Duffy (3000) 929 pts 1.11.91, 1.12.55, 1.12.55, 1.12.62<br />
2 Thankyou to WANDY LEAKE for the following reports on the FOSC event at Eastern Creek, now called Sydney<br />
Motorsport Park, and at the Six Hour Relay event at Winton.<br />
South Sydney Motor Sport Park 29 th September<br />
The V8s have used it as an extension of the Eastern<br />
Creek Circuit and the MGs have used it for a sprint<br />
meeting but FOSC conducted the first race meeting on the<br />
new South Track. It was getting late in the year and we<br />
had only done one race, so it was decided that we would<br />
do this one. Never mind that yet again the event fell on my<br />
birthday. In my 20 years with Geoff no less than eleven<br />
birthdays have been spent at car events. Yes, I enjoy<br />
motor racing and am not a masochist, but I also like<br />
dressing up in something special and going somewhere<br />
special on the actual day, but not to be.<br />
Friday September 28 th and the gates open at 3. Good idea<br />
to get scrutineering over and done with. Seven hour drive<br />
means leave by 8 a.m. We had house guests who very<br />
kindly saw us off, washed up and swept the floor before<br />
they too left the house. We watched the odometer as<br />
350,000 km clicked up on the Pajero, then just beyond<br />
Holbrook suddenly she threatened to boil. Having never<br />
missed a beat & had nothing more than brake pads and<br />
fan belts in her life, it was a blow. Seven hours became<br />
eight and a half with much 80 kph & several additions of<br />
water.<br />
Arrived at the new track at 4.30pm…..just time to unload<br />
the <strong>Healey</strong> and get the paperwork done before the track<br />
walk at 5. By the end of the track walk Geoff had a grin<br />
from ear to ear and was saying quietly “I’m going to like<br />
this.” The track is short, tight and technical….1.96km long<br />
with about 13 corners but well banked with only one off<br />
camber corner. The advice from guide Mal Brewster was<br />
“late apex, late apex, late apex.”<br />
It was 34 o and blowing a gale. Cheapskates always, we<br />
were camping at the track. By the time we began to put up<br />
the tent huge thunder heads were gathering and the<br />
thunder was rolling. A downpour was imminent. Got the<br />
tent up despite the gale but as I was assembling the beds<br />
in the dark, the heavens opened with very close thunder<br />
and lightning. Too hard to cook tea, so as a concession to<br />
my birthday, we went out to the nearby Working Men’s<br />
<strong>Club</strong> for an $18 buffet. It was great! Rain and<br />
thunderstorms all night but the tent stayed up and dry.<br />
5a.m the rain stopped and the wind got up again. By 7a.m<br />
there was weak sunshine and the track was all but dry.<br />
Couldn’t keep the griller alight in the wind, even on the lee<br />
side of the tent, so no toast but did manage eggs and<br />
bacon in bread.<br />
Colin Goldsmith was the only other member of the racing<br />
<strong>Healey</strong> mob. Geoff was running as an Invited Sports Car<br />
with Group S as he usually does with FOSC. Qualifying<br />
grid was compiled on previous times at other tracks<br />
(basically who finished in front of whom at other meetings)<br />
and Geoff was placed 8 th. He qualified 6 th with 1.10 which<br />
was a good start. He absolutely loved the track.<br />
Colin was finding the tightness of track really rough on his<br />
shoulders and was aching after every run. He showed us<br />
an amazing app he had downloaded to his Smart Phone<br />
which analysed every corner by G forces and showed him<br />
where he could have gone harder. Mount the phone on<br />
the windscreen and it will film the run as well!<br />
As always with FOSC the event was quick and smooth<br />
with maximum runs and minimum delays. Great fun. Geoff<br />
moved up to 5 th in his second race and finished the racing<br />
day in 4 th having improved his time to 1.7.99. The final<br />
Butcher’s Picnic with all comers and no recorded times<br />
was a great finish to proceedings.<br />
Got away from the track right on 6pm and trundled home<br />
at 80 to 100kph, depending on the hills, arriving somewhat<br />
square eyed at 3a.m. <strong>Healey</strong> unmarked, running<br />
brilliantly, heaps of tyre wear. Pajero big hearted & tough,<br />
but with a leaking head gasket. Geoff totally chuffed.<br />
Wandy dreaming of romantic birthday events.......<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 23
(POINTS FOR COMPETITION CHAMPIONSHIP and 4 fastest laps –<br />
Geoff Leake (100/4) 949 pts 1.07.99, 1.08.04, 1.08.23, 1.08.50.<br />
Six Hour Relay at Winton 14 th October<br />
With sporting secretary and able scribe Rod as a principal<br />
driver for <strong>Healey</strong> Team One I feel it is necessary to<br />
present a perhaps less jaundiced view of the sheer<br />
brilliance of <strong>Healey</strong> Team Two. (Team Two is the team that<br />
actually had Big <strong>Healey</strong>s in it).<br />
Seriously though folks, team events are quite different<br />
from our normal racing. We might travel together, share<br />
garages, tools and hard luck stories, but the track results<br />
are all our own individually. There is a completely different<br />
dynamic when each car and driver’s performance affects<br />
the outcome for every team member. There’s a huge<br />
collective buzz when things are going well, but a<br />
disproportionate agony of stress for individuals when<br />
something goes wrong. Team Two had more than its<br />
share of stressful moments.<br />
Second practice Colin Goldsmith and team manager Brian<br />
were called to the tower. They were away for ages, over<br />
an hour and whilst we were curious as to what might have<br />
gone wrong, none of us expected it to be serious. Of all<br />
the team members Colin is probably the least likely to<br />
have done something dangerous or unsporting. Then the<br />
bomb shell dropped. It was that blessed Smart Phone with<br />
the lap analysis app. The phone was deemed to be a<br />
timing device. The Six Hour Relay is a regularity event<br />
and in car timing devices are a total No No. After<br />
considerable discussion, we were offered two choices –<br />
run without Colin (which the Team unanimously rejected)<br />
or suffer a 20 position penalty.<br />
Colin was devastated. Everyone said it didn’t matter, but<br />
to Colin it did. He felt he had let the team down in a way<br />
that just doesn’t happen when you are competing for<br />
yourself. Whilst trying to comfort him and build him up<br />
again I was feeling my own acute guilt. We have<br />
competed in almost every Six Hour since 1994 and the<br />
issue of timing devices has become greater and greater<br />
as modern vehicles have more fancy electronics. I had reread<br />
the supp regs the night before & knew that in car<br />
timing devices were a hanging offence. I knew Colin had<br />
the Smart Phone as I’d marvelled at the app. at Eastern<br />
Creek two weeks earlier. My tiny mind just didn’t make the<br />
connection between Smart Phone & timing device.<br />
Then poor Mark came in with a death rattle in the bowels<br />
of the famous Peter Kent/ Duff <strong>Healey</strong>. What a blow so<br />
early in the car’s new life. Not only was Mark facing a<br />
major engine rebuild but had the added nasty taste of that<br />
team let down thing . Just when we thought the day<br />
couldn’t get a lot worse Russell came in with no clutch…<br />
and it wasn’t anything simple!<br />
There was one delightful moment when Russell put his<br />
arm around the still smarting Colin and told him he could<br />
move up off the bottom rung of the ladder as he, Russell,<br />
was the latest one to let the team down.<br />
Team Two was facing Sunday with three cars and a huge<br />
placings penalty.<br />
By the time we got to drinks around the pool the mood<br />
had lightened somewhat and the rubbishing began.<br />
Extravagant bets were laid and challenges thrown down.<br />
Tony and Rod volunteered to bring either the Porsche or<br />
the Sprite across to join Team Two (Stewards permitting)<br />
to give us four cars each, and lets face it, by that time<br />
even a ride on lawn mower was looking good! Team One<br />
Manager quashed the voluntary loss of any members of a<br />
team with such a good record to uphold, and I guess he<br />
had a point.<br />
A very expensive bottle of wine was acquired and put on<br />
the table as the prize for the winning <strong>Healey</strong> team. The<br />
challenge was set.<br />
Sunday morning saw a glimmer of cautious optimism.<br />
With Peter Jackson, Geoff Leake and Colin Goldsmith,<br />
Team Two had three experienced drivers with three<br />
historically reliable cars. ‘We can do this,’ began to be<br />
muttered over egg and bacon rolls. The best thing was<br />
that neither Mark nor Russell packed up their broken cars<br />
and went home, but along with Russell’s pit crew Martin<br />
worked their backsides off all day for the Team. Robust of<br />
body and booming of voice, Russell had a great deal more<br />
success than I would have had forcing our dehydrated in<br />
coming drivers to drink their water before they even got<br />
out of the car!<br />
Three 40 minute sessions for each car is a big ask of both<br />
car and driver. With over 30% of the field first time drivers<br />
at Winton understanding of the rules and racing etiquette<br />
was a bit lacking which meant several drivers from both<br />
teams had rather miserable drives and it was harder than<br />
usual to maintain accurate times, but the day rolled on<br />
and the laps accumulated and there were no mechanical<br />
problems. With fifteen minutes to go Peter had finished for<br />
the day, Geoff was circulating and Colin, unlikely to be<br />
called out again but belted up with helmet on, was literally<br />
snoozing in his car. Then, suddenly Geoff had stopped<br />
and the steward was handing us the replacement sash<br />
and we were pounding on the roof of Colin’s car to wake<br />
him up!<br />
Turns out Geoff’s big, bright, top centre of the dash oil<br />
light had come on and the gauge was showing zero. He<br />
managed to roll right up to the flag marshal’s point and<br />
was right off the track, so a quick hand over of the sash<br />
was made and there was no need for a safety car. We<br />
probably didn’t lose more than a lap.<br />
Then it was over, ironically with Colin, so nearly excluded<br />
at the beginning, taking the chequered flag.<br />
Our three drivers didn’t go up to the podium for the<br />
results. The results didn’t matter. I did want to know<br />
because I felt we had probably done quite well, excluding<br />
our penalty. Results were read out up to position 20 and<br />
we had not been called. My heart sank a bit as I thought<br />
maybe we had been disqualified after all. Then <strong>Healey</strong><br />
Team One was called at place 18. Not as good as last<br />
year, which seemed a bit surprising because everything<br />
had gone smoothly all day with no mishaps, but a pretty<br />
good result. I was about to walk away feeling a bit sad for<br />
the Team Two boys when, called from the podium,’…in<br />
position 11 Team <strong>Healey</strong> Two..’ We’d done it!! Team Two<br />
had knocked off Team One and the bottle of wine was<br />
ours, ours, all ours! (For a total non drinker that’s quite a<br />
lot of excitement over a bottle of wine.)<br />
Colin had completed 51 race laps, Peter 57 and Geoff 59,<br />
It was a big day, but despite the difficult traffic Geoff really<br />
felt he had had his money’s worth and he’d had a lot of<br />
fun.<br />
I leave it to Rod to tell about the fabulous kitchen and<br />
wonderful mob of volunteers and extend thanks to all<br />
those who helped. We’d certainly like to be back next<br />
year.<br />
WANDY<br />
24<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
SOME FURTHER POINTS from your Competition Secretary, driving for Team One.<br />
1 ON THE TRACK For the drivers, this is an intense and quite tiring event. Wandy has written beautifully<br />
about the added pressure of competing in a Team. Success at the Six Hour comes from achieving bonus laps – doing a<br />
lap at your nominated time. I nominated 1.49 and would score my lap plus a bonus lap for clocking 1.49 “something”. A<br />
1.50.00 or slower still scores a lap but not an extra lap. A 1.48.99 or faster Not only no bonus lap but THAT lap is NOT<br />
counted either! Our hard working volunteers time us with a stop watch at a point opposite our pit garage and have 20<br />
seconds or so to throw numbers on to the pit board and hang it over the fence where the driver is dealing with traffic and<br />
the mad dash down the main straight. A wave to acknowledge and a subtle lift off if a 1.48 is shown and a prayer that it<br />
becomes a 1.49 before the timing tape at the start/finish line 150 metres away (exclusion from the event can be applied<br />
if you are caught slowing drastically or braking). With 45 cars on the track there is much passing and sometimes being<br />
passed to deal with so it is very hard to nail that target time. There was a common consensus that there were a lot of<br />
inexperienced drivers this year ( you only need a basic Level 2S CAMS licence and three Sprint events done) and some<br />
poor driving did occur – mainly not looking in mirrors, not wanting to let a quicker car through and being unpredictable.<br />
In our older cars we were frustrated when dealing with modern cars driven by less experienced drivers holding us up in<br />
the corners and rushing away down the straights. We dealt with it, but had to pull some pretty fancy passing moves to<br />
move forward and keep up our momentum.<br />
I had a frustrating first session with two safety cars (which bunched up the field) and was aware of some poor driving<br />
around me. Two bonus laps and no broken laps but little consistency bruised the ego a bit. Second session with the<br />
Sprite, running to the chequered flag, was the opposite experience – no safety car and a real rhythm found and driving<br />
standards around me felt much better. Geoff Leake was right when he said that driving standards is just one more thing<br />
to deal with – like the weather etc – and you just deal with it. My satisfaction with seeing many 1.49’s on the pit board<br />
with a few broken laps at 1.48 turned to real disappointment later when I found that some of those 1.49’s were officially<br />
high 1.48’s and NOT bonus laps. That feeling of letting the Team down still persists now as that last session yielded 5<br />
bonus laps BUT 6 broken laps! Eleven of fifteen laps covered by a little over one second and five of those six broken<br />
laps were between 1.48.76 and 1.49.00. A blink of an eye and they were bonus laps, Team <strong>Healey</strong> One would have<br />
moved from 18 th to a higher position, and my ego would have been impossible to deal with! All Team One drivers – John<br />
Goodall, Bill Vaughan, Tony Rogers, Peter Osbourne and myself – finished with positive net bonus laps, just not enough<br />
of them.<br />
But let’s make on thing quite clear. Peter Jackson, Geoff Leake and Colin Goldsmith did a fantastic job to drive for six<br />
hours between them in the very physical Big <strong>Healey</strong>s for their 11 th placing. I probably shouldn’t single out one person<br />
from our ten drivers but Peter Jackson sets the benchmark. Of his 56 laps , 7 were not timed behind the safety car, 10<br />
laps were bonus laps at the goal of 1.44, no broken laps done, and a staggering 39 laps were done between 1.44.00<br />
and 1.46.99!<br />
2 THANKYOUS The drivers have all the fun, experience the highs and the lows and get the pat on the back or<br />
the commiserations. But we are nothing without our helpers.<br />
Thankyou to our Team Managers – Graham Palich and Trevor Smith for Team One and first timers (virgins) Brian<br />
Froelich and Mike Snelgrove for Team Two. Barry Palich helped us last year in Trevor’s absence and provided a<br />
floating helper for all of us this year. There is an enormous amount of pre planning for this event, and on the weekend<br />
there are decisions to be made and tactics to be planned and prima donna drivers to control. I think it was an eye<br />
opener for Brian and Mike and I know they went home quite exhausted .<br />
We were overwhelmed by the support of our 15 or so Sunday supporters. I will not try to name names, because I will<br />
probably miss someone, with these exceptions. Seeing President Paul McPherson and Vice President Bill Metcalf<br />
sharing timing duties on the wall makes our competition group feel the support of our hard working committee. We<br />
enjoyed the most comfortably fitted out pit garage thanks to Shayne Mackintosh who drove to Winton on Friday and<br />
installed a commercial refrigerator unit, a microwave and an urn for our use and drove straight back home to work. He<br />
then came back on Sunday to support and pack up his items. Shayne also brought up our bulky tents for cover at the<br />
back of the garage. Wandy Leake is famous for her egg and bacon sandwiches for brunch - from Phillip Island to<br />
Bathurst to Eastern Creek – and she cooked up a storm for drivers and supporters. Martin Brown came with Russ<br />
Baker for the whole weekend and, as he has done at MSCA events, pitched in and helped fix mechanical problems with<br />
his great expertise. Our own Team mechanic!<br />
3 SOCIAL We may have come 11 th and 18 th on the track but we were champions OFF the track. What a<br />
great weekend. The North Eastern Hotel in Benalla hosted 17 of us on Friday night and 19 on Saturday night. We eat<br />
there whenever at Winton and they tolerate a group of old <strong>Healey</strong> men loudly telling stories of imagined glories. We had<br />
a wonderful finale on Sunday night at the local Italian restaurant with 16 still in town. As the red wine flowed, several<br />
were driven to make speeches, starting with Tony Rogers handing over the trophy bottle of wine to Jackson, Leake,<br />
Goldsmith and Baker (Mark Bird had returned home – still a working man). The final message was a heartfelt good bye<br />
to Peter Osbourne and Colin Goldsmith who left for Sydney before dawn the next morning.<br />
4 David Kelly competed in a Triumph Team in his Triumph TR7 V8 and joined us for dinner on the Sunday night.<br />
He knows where to go for a party! Peter Kaiser ran his Mini Cooper S (BMW) in his usual Team and they finished 4 th I<br />
think. The Sprite <strong>Club</strong> ran three Teams and Jeff Smith, Geoff Lawrence, Colin Wallace, and Gerry van O finished a fine<br />
3 rd .<br />
Jeff, Geoff and Colin have been part of our Team <strong>Healey</strong> entries in the past when Ann and Peter Stanley were team<br />
managers (last time was in 2010)<br />
POINTS TOWARD AHOC COMPETITION CHAMPIONSHIP and 4 fastest laps<br />
John Goodall (100/6) 976 pts 1.54.54, 1.54.59, 1.54.75, 1.54.78<br />
Russ Baker (3000) 968 1.50.21, 1.50.24, 1.50.48, 1.50.53<br />
Peter Jackson (3000) 941 1.43.55, 1.43.98, 1.44.10, 1.44.14<br />
Mark Bird (100/4) 929 1.50.59, 1.51.06, 1.51.27, 1.51.30<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 25
Geoff Leake (100/4) 925 1.45.20, 1.45.51, 1.45.76, 1.45.95<br />
Rod Vogt (Sprite) 923 1.48.12, 1.48.76, 1.48.79, 1.48.89<br />
Bill Vaughan (Sprite) 805 1.53.68, 1.55.55, 1.55.58, 1.55.63<br />
ASSOCIATE CLASS<br />
Peter Kaiser (Mini Cooper) 936 1.43.44, 1.43.82, 1.43.87, 1.44.08<br />
David Kelly (TR7 V8) 929 1.50.14, 1.50.34, 1.50.44, 1.50.85<br />
Tony Rogers (Porsche) 923 1.47.89, 1.48.28, 1.48.52, 1.48.66<br />
A CLOSING THOUGHT<br />
ROD VOGT<br />
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you<br />
can fake that you have got it made.<br />
John Goodall ready to go<br />
Geoff Leake waiting his turn<br />
Helpers Helping<br />
We sure can take 6 hours of this<br />
Some of the team<br />
Daffy Definitions<br />
COMMITTEE: A body that keeps minutes and wastes<br />
hours<br />
TOMORROW:<br />
One of the greatest labour saving devices of today<br />
YAWN:<br />
An honest opinion openly expressed.<br />
BEAUTY PARLOR:<br />
A place where women curl up and dye<br />
Now Jacko - this is how you should drive<br />
26<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
AUSTIN HEALEY 2013 NATIONAL RALLY<br />
WILL BE HOSTED BY THE<br />
AUSTIN HEALEY OWNERS CLUB OF (NSW) INC<br />
IN CANBERRA<br />
FRIDAY 29 MARCH – MONDAY 1 APRIL 2013<br />
TO REGISTER<br />
Complete the two (2) page Registration Form (available from the website or by mail and forward both pages by:<br />
Email to: anne.monaro@bigpond.com or Mail to: 2013 National Rally<br />
Anne Read<br />
242 Mulwaree Drive<br />
TALLONG NSW 2579<br />
ACCOMMODATION<br />
The National Rally will be held at the Rydges Eagle Hawk Hill Resort, 999 Federal Highway on the NSW / ACT border<br />
approximately 12 kilometres north of Canberra.<br />
Make accommodation booking through the Rydges website: http://www.rydges.com/customised-web-pages.<br />
The Rydges Eagle Hawk Hill Resort can be contacted by phone: +61 2 6241 6033.<br />
Room types: Garden, Spa Suites and Two (2) Bedroom Suites. Rooms will be allocated on a first in basis so be sure to<br />
promptly register direct with Rydges as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Please check the website for more<br />
information on the Resort.<br />
The Registration Form is also available on our website NOW.<br />
NATIONAL RALLY TICKET PRICE INCLUDES:<br />
EVENING DINNERS – FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY<br />
FUNCTION BEVERAGES<br />
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
LUNCH – SATURDAY AND SUNDAY<br />
Please complete the number of Adults and Children attending:<br />
_________ ADULTS @ $350 PER TICKET $ _____________<br />
_________ CHILDREN – 6 TO 17 YEARS @ $285 PER TICKET $ _____________<br />
_________ CHILDREN – UNDER 5 FREE<br />
TOTAL $ _____________<br />
Please note the Children tickets DO NOT include attendance at the Dinner on Sunday evening<br />
Registration Desk will open at 2pm on Friday 29 March 2013 at the Resort<br />
PAYMENT OF RALLY TICKETS – Receipts will be issued for all monies received<br />
Please remit your full Registration payment by one of the following methods<br />
DIRECT DEPOSIT – EFT Account Name: <strong>Austin</strong> <strong>Healey</strong> <strong>Owners</strong> <strong>Club</strong> (NSW) Incorporated<br />
Westpac Banking Corporation<br />
BSB: 032 081 Account No: 123702<br />
Date amount deposited: _____/ _____/ _____<br />
Please enter your name in reference field to enable us to reconcile.<br />
CHEQUE / MONEY ORDER Made payable to:<br />
<strong>Austin</strong> <strong>Healey</strong> <strong>Owners</strong> <strong>Club</strong> (NSW) Incorporated<br />
Mail to: 2013 National Rally<br />
Anne Read<br />
242 Mulwaree Drive<br />
TALLONG NSW 2579<br />
CREDIT CARD ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___<br />
Name on Card: ______________________________________<br />
Signature: ______________________ Expiry Date: ____ / ____<br />
PLEASE NOTE: REGISTRATION FORMS NEED TO BE DOWNLOADED FROM THE WEBSITE<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November 2012 27
28<br />
Hundreds & Thousands November2012
CLASSIC SPORTSCAR SPECIALISTS<br />
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Mail Order Parts Specialists<br />
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All new products are subjected to extensive dyno and competition testing prior to release.<br />
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www.healeyfactory.com.au Telephone: (03) 9872 3900