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Post by Shai-tan on Jan 31, 2012 8:25:40 GMT 12
Ah yes, the great Palmy myth as Ray New would try and have you believe. No doubt about the fact that Ray New was a great promoter, and great promoters never let the facts get in the way of their self promotion. The facts are, stockcar racing started first in NZ in Christchurch in November 1954 as an addition to the normal speedway meeting. At the same time in Auckland Merv Neil had built some cars and was trying to get stockcars on the normal speedway show at Western Springs. The Auckland Council would not allow this to happen, but did allow stockcar racing to take place after the normal speedway season ended, so we had the first stockcar only meeting take place at Western Springs in March 1955, a week later stockcars ran at a new track at Te Rapa in Hamilton. Stockcars ran at Western Springs on and off from March 1955 to early 1961. At the Epsom Showgrounds in Auckland from December 1955 to March 1959, at Gloucester Park in Onehunga from late 1961 to early 1964, at Te Rapa in Hamilton for 3 short seasons from March 1955. In Christchurch from November 1954 at the speedway track until they were booted out with too much fence damage and were forced into running stockcar scrambles all over the South Island until the Nelson and Woodford Glen tracks came along. Palmerston North ran their first Stockcar meeting on February 23rd 1963, so there was lots of history before they started. What can't be denied is that PNth took stockcar racing into a new age and from that we saw new tracks start up like Napier and Stratford, and later Forest Lake, Wanganui, etc. Ah, so the class was created in Christchurch, but didn't really take hold until it came to Palmy. So while Ray New didn't actually create the class, he is responsible for it becoming a success, and it could be argued that Stockcar Racing would not exist as we know it today if it wasn't for his input. While you are here Pallmall, who created Teams Racing? God surely created such an amazing sport... no human could comprehend such a perfect being as is Teams Racing  |
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Post by pallmall on Jan 31, 2012 9:03:26 GMT 12
Ah yes, the great Palmy myth as Ray New would try and have you believe. No doubt about the fact that Ray New was a great promoter, and great promoters never let the facts get in the way of their self promotion. The facts are, stockcar racing started first in NZ in Christchurch in November 1954 as an addition to the normal speedway meeting. At the same time in Auckland Merv Neil had built some cars and was trying to get stockcars on the normal speedway show at Western Springs. The Auckland Council would not allow this to happen, but did allow stockcar racing to take place after the normal speedway season ended, so we had the first stockcar only meeting take place at Western Springs in March 1955, a week later stockcars ran at a new track at Te Rapa in Hamilton. Stockcars ran at Western Springs on and off from March 1955 to early 1961. At the Epsom Showgrounds in Auckland from December 1955 to March 1959, at Gloucester Park in Onehunga from late 1961 to early 1964, at Te Rapa in Hamilton for 3 short seasons from March 1955. In Christchurch from November 1954 at the speedway track until they were booted out with too much fence damage and were forced into running stockcar scrambles all over the South Island until the Nelson and Woodford Glen tracks came along. Palmerston North ran their first Stockcar meeting on February 23rd 1963, so there was lots of history before they started. What can't be denied is that PNth took stockcar racing into a new age and from that we saw new tracks start up like Napier and Stratford, and later Forest Lake, Wanganui, etc. Ah, so the class was created in Christchurch, but didn't really take hold until it came to Palmy. So while Ray New didn't actually create the class, he is responsible for it becoming a success, and it could be argued that Stockcar Racing would not exist as we know it today if it wasn't for his input. While you are here Pallmall, who created Teams Racing? The sport was huge in the fifties, particularly at Epsom, but nationally it took hold in the mid sixties with Palmy being the catalyst. The first teams racing was at Western Springs in the 1955/56 season where they held a number of races with teams made up from the local racers, and then at the end of that season a Canterbury Team came up from Christchurch to take on Auckland at two meetings, Auckland won (just) on both occasions. The first International Teams racing was at Epsom in 1958 when 8 Australian cars took on 8 NZ cars, NZ won. A team of 8 NZ cars went to Australia in late 1958 and cleaned up, as they did when the Aussies came back in early 1959 to Epsom. The first season at Palmy saw an Auckland team race against a Palmy team at the third meeting, Auckland won.  Teams racing became huge through the seventies and early eighties with most tracks hosting visiting teams on an almost weekly basis. It took another great promoter in Bruce Robertson to take this one step further when he created the Teams Champs that has become a national institution at Palmerston North. The sad thing is that we have lost nearly all Superstock teams racing apart from the two big champinships at Palmy and Auckland. There is only the annual Nelson v Christchurch home and away and the Palmy v Nelson match. Basically it has become too expensive to run on a regular basis and becoming harder to get teams together for even the big two events. Maybe the answer is for teams to have corporate sponsors and not represent individual tracks. Not sure how supporters would like that though, we are still very tribal. |
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Post by Skorp on Jan 31, 2012 9:15:03 GMT 12
The sad thing is that we have lost nearly all Superstock teams racing apart from the two big champinships at Palmy and Auckland. There is only the annual Nelson v Christchurch home and away and the Palmy v Nelson match. Basically it has become too expensive to run on a regular basis and becoming harder to get teams together for even the big two events. Maybe the answer is for teams to have corporate sponsors and not represent individual tracks. Not sure how supporters would like that though, we are still very tribal. Personally, I'd love to see a teams racing version of something like Super Rugby or the ITM Cup, a big series throughout the season, with corporate sponsorship but still representing a track, or a region. Each week, each teams races another team, with one team racing at home, much like. Then to finish the season off, the big event with all teams coming together here in Palmy for 2-3 days of teams racing action. |
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Post by BarryB on Jan 31, 2012 10:06:39 GMT 12
Thanks for refreshing my memory pallmall
Christchurch staged the first Stock Car Racing (in NZ at least)
Auckland staged the first Stock Car meeting (in NZ at least)
Palmerston North just copied everybody else almost a decade later ;D ;D ;D
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Post by pallmall on Jan 31, 2012 10:26:46 GMT 12
Thanks for refreshing my memory pallmall Christchurch staged the first Stock Car Racing (in NZ at least) Auckland staged the first Stock Car meeting (in NZ at least) Palmerston North just copied everybody else almost a decade later ;D ;D ;D Correct. ;D |
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Post by Brett85p on Feb 1, 2012 3:34:39 GMT 12
So does anyone know where this cool trophy is now?  Caption "Bert Jones holding the New Zealand Stockcar Championship Trophy on the left and car owner Buster Grant on the right. Bert Jones New Zealand Stockcar Champion in the 1957-58 season held at Epsom Showgrounds" Picture from Kevin J. McIvor's Facebook page, I recommend anyone with an interest in old Stockcars/Saloons/Mods and motorsport in general check it out. |
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Post by pallmall on Feb 1, 2012 8:23:35 GMT 12
Yes, it is probably in the possesion of Gwen Jones, ex wife of Bert Jones. The Historic Stockcar Club have two of those trophies from other NZ Champions that are displayed at reunions and other events. And that photo is from my files, posted on bloody Facebook without permission.  |
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