Racing early Holdens

[Ray Bell]

Perhaps...

I'm sure Fred was into the MG A Twin Cam by the time I first attended a race meeting. I've never heard of him racing an early Holden at all, so I am dubious. Maybe he prepared it for someone else.

A couple of other things.

Tony Parkinson... Don Lemm would undoubtedly have photos of his car. But I feel sure that Tony is still around too, I think I spoke to him just a couple of years ago. Try the SCC of SA library, you have people like Michael Gasking there who are keen to help out.

Thanks, FE UTE - that clarifies the FE and Brock situation. I would almost guarantee that Peter had nothing to do with that car. First, because he was busy enough with his A30, second because there was at that time a growing animosity between Peter and Phil. Well, maybe not animosity. Phil saw parental favour being thrown Peter's way with his growing success while he got none of that attention.

I feel quite sure that Phil would have reckoned he had to do it all himself. Geoff probably helped, but Peter wouldn't have been a party to it at all.

I wouldn't guarantee that Peter is coming up to lap Phil, either. This race was a rare one, I don't recall many wet races at Sandown at all, but on September 14 1969 it did rain and this race was the worst affected on the day.

Peter spun when the flag came down to start the race, so the whole field streamed away around him. He did catch up and was to finish second in the event, but with only eight laps it's not all that likely that he would have lapped Phil.

[Ray Bell]

I can't find how to edit my last post!

On going through the race report again, I think what I wrote above is incorrect. I think the report, though it says that Peter 'spun', means that he 'spun his wheels'.

Looking more thoroughly at the context of it all, it seems he was not left behind by much, nor passed by the multitudes.

So yes, he would be coming up to lap Phil in this pic.

[piglos]

There never was a 'memorable race win' of that kind of stature for an FE or FC...

Bruce McPhee had the most 'memorable' car in the field in the Appendix J days, Lou Kingsley in the pre-Appendix J days, while Bob Holden got the one that Repco built up and had been raced by Stan Jones.

Others who raced them included John Raeburn, Alan Dewhurst and Fred Rheinberger. Later in the Sports Sedan days there were many. Chris Strode had one, Barry Sharp has been mentioned, I think his went on to Bill Warner.

The problem is that the FE and FC were from a period when tintop racing wasn't big. The Armstrong 500 started in 1960 and the FB was already well and truly out then, so there was never a serious endurance race for production cars in their time. In other racing they were always considered to be too heavy alongside the early models, but blokes like McPhee were always willing to try to prove a point.

Alongside the 1957 WATCC for Lou Kingsley, Bob Holden won the 1958 Victorian Saloon Car Championship on October 19th at Fisherman's Bend. Bob didn't quite get the Repco car, but got all the running gear from it given to him by Charlie Dean and put it into an ex-taxi. I figure the changeover was between April and December 1957, as that is when the Repco car last appeared and the Holden Holden first appeared.

[piglos]

Here's Bob Holden taking off from the Phillip Island grid



The Porsche is probably Eddie Perkins, Larry's father. I don't know (or care?) who's in the Standard 10 at the back of the field!

It is probably Ern Abbott in the Standard, as he drove one of these at a lot of Victorian meetings at that time, before his Valiant days.

[Ray Bell]

Thanks for the extra information...

I'm guessing you saw a lot of the racing in those days?

[piglos]

No, not at all Ray as I had yet to be conceived. But during my Gold Star research I was able to uncover a lot of information on the pre-Appendix J racing, and as the first family car I can remember (and they will always be fond memories) was a two-tone green FC Station Sedan, any appearances of an FE-FC on a racetrack that I would read about would stay in my memory bank. And it was good to catch up for a chat tonight 

One driver that I am intrigued by is Ian Izon in an FE. His first appearance was in June 16 1958 at Phillip Island, where he finished 7th in the Saloon Scratch Race, but subsequently won both the Saloon and Saloon and Sports Handicaps. He then went to Fishermen's Bend for the Victorian Saloon Car Championship (unknown finish, but lower than 4th) and then the 2 week meeting at Albert Park (DNF Oil pressure after 5 of 8 laps, and unknown finish but lower than 9th the following week)

And no further sightings on my spreadsheet.

[Ray Bell]

Hmmm... that makes me wonder if I should ever have handed over those Sports Car World magazines to you...

Nice to see you adding to the information here, Dave.