New Zealand Grand Prix

Pukekohe, 9 Jan 1965

All cars are 2.5-litre Tasman unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Brabham BT6 [FJ-18-63] (Andy Buchanan): A very late-1963 car for Andy Buchanan to race in Australian 1500cc racing with a Ford twin cam engine. Retained for 1965 then to Bill Caldwell for 1966 then to Peter Yock for 1967. Yock is known to have returned the car to England for repairs but its history after is still being researched.
2. Brabham BT4 [IC-3-62] (Bill Thomasen): New to Bib Stillwell for the Australian Internationals in February 1963. Used by Stillwell to win the 1963 Australian Gold Star and then, having acquired the 2.7-litre engine from Jack Brabham's BT4, he won the Gold Star again in 1964. Sold to Bill Thomasen in New Zealand and used in NZ Gold Star in 1964/65 before it was sold to Ecurie Palm Court who ran it for Ian Green and John Riley in late-season 1964/65 races and in Australian Gold Star races in August 1965. To Robbie Francevic in time for the 1965/66 NZ season and then quickly sold again, this time to Syd Jensen. Jenson leased it to Jim Boyd for the 1967 Internationals and then sold it to Bryan Faloon in March 1967. Raced and crashed many times by Faloon before he joined the Rorstan team for 1969/70 and the BT4 was finally retired. Sold by Faloon's estate to David Manton in 1981, then to Richard Hook (Auckland, NZ), who restored the car to its original Tasman specification and used it in historic racing in 1990. Then through four other historic racers until bought by the Minshaw family in 2005. Raced by Jason Minshaw from 2005 onwards.
3. Brabham BT6 [FJ-9-63] (Roly Levis): Brabham Racing Organisation for Denny Hulme in Formula Junior in 1963. To Alec Mildren Racing, fitted with a 1500cc Ford twin cam engine and raced in Australian national racing by Frank Gardner in 1964. To Roly Levis in November 1964 for New Zealand racing in 1965 and 1966. Entered by Levis for Bill Stone in 1966/67 then sold to Stone who raced it again in 1967/68. Sold to Gerald 'Jiggs' Alexander in September 1968 and raced in the 1968/69 and 1969/70 seasons, after which Alexander stripped the car with the intention of restoring it. However, it remained in this state until 1999 when it was sold to Ian McDonald (Australia) who restored the car and ran it in Australian historic racing from 2001 onwards. Sold to Ed Holly (Sydney, NSW) in July 2006 and raced in the Tasman Revival series from 2006/07 to 2012/13. Sold to Mark Shaw (Edinburgh, Scotland) early 2017, and raced by him at Monterey and Watkins Glen later that year.
4. Brabham BT4 [IC-2-62] (Lex Davison): New for Jack Brabham to drive in the Australian Internationals in February 1963. Then left with Repco over the Australian winter and used by Denny Hulme in the 1964 Tasman series. Sold to veteran Australian Lex Davison for the 1964 Australian Gold Star but heavily damaged in the accident that took Davison's life at Sandown Park early 1965. Sold with all Davison's equipment to Wally Mitchell and some parts used in the RM1 sports car in which Mitchell was later killed. The frame of the Brabham was not used in the RM1 and this was sold to Fred Wheelhouse and rebuilt as a complete car. Owned by David Sternberg in Tasmania in 1968 and probably the "rebuilt Brabham Climax" that Dave Powell Jnr raced in Tasmania in 1969. Then unknown until reported to be owned by Austin Miller (Launceston, Tasmania) in 1983. Still with Miller in 1995 but by 2000 it had moved to the UK and was owned by John Coombs, who sold it to Frank Sytner. Raced by Sytner from 2001 to 2008 and then sold to David Jacobs (Boulder, CO) and raced in the US until sold to Terry Rush in New Zealand in February 2011.
5. Cooper T70 [FL-1-64] (Bruce McLaren): New for Tim Mayer to drive as a Bruce McLaren Motor Racing entry in the 1964 Tasman Cup. Mayer finished second at Levin and Teretonga, and third at Pukekohe. For Warwick Farm, he swapped cars with team leader Bruce McLaren, and McLaren then took FL-1-64 to second place at Warwick Farm and at Longford, winning the Tasman Championship by six points from his great rival Jack Brabham, Retained for the 1965 Tasman Cup to be driven by Phil Hill but raced by McLaren at Pukekohe after he damged his new T79 in the Heat. Hill toook three podium finishes in this car. Sold to Bill Patterson and entered for John McDonald in Australian Gold Star events in 1965, in the 1966 Tasman series and in Gold Star again in 1966. Sold to Don O'Sullivan prior to the Internationals in February 1967, but he failed to qualify at Lakeside or at Warwick Farm. O'Sullivan then raced it in Western Australia, primarily at Caversham, in 1967. It was sold to Gordon Stephenson (Perth, WA) in February 1968 and he raced it eight times that season. In March 1969, he sold it to Ken Jones (Hamilton Hill, WA), and it passed from Jones to Ken Barnard (Sydney, NSW). Barnard sold it to Richard Berryman (Melbourne, Victoria) in 1974. Remained with Richard Berryman until 1985 when it passed to his son Adam Berryman (Melbourne, Victoria). An extensive restoration began in 2001 which was finally completed in early 2010. Raced by Adam in the NZ Motor Racing Festival in January 2010, at Winton in August 2010, and at Phillip Island and the Australian Grand Prix historic demonstration in 2011. Now numbered FL/2/64.
6. Cooper T70 [FL-1-64] (Phil Hill): New for Tim Mayer to drive as a Bruce McLaren Motor Racing entry in the 1964 Tasman Cup. Mayer finished second at Levin and Teretonga, and third at Pukekohe. For Warwick Farm, he swapped cars with team leader Bruce McLaren, and McLaren then took FL-1-64 to second place at Warwick Farm and at Longford, winning the Tasman Championship by six points from his great rival Jack Brabham, Retained for the 1965 Tasman Cup to be driven by Phil Hill but raced by McLaren at Pukekohe after he damged his new T79 in the Heat. Hill toook three podium finishes in this car. Sold to Bill Patterson and entered for John McDonald in Australian Gold Star events in 1965, in the 1966 Tasman series and in Gold Star again in 1966. Sold to Don O'Sullivan prior to the Internationals in February 1967, but he failed to qualify at Lakeside or at Warwick Farm. O'Sullivan then raced it in Western Australia, primarily at Caversham, in 1967. It was sold to Gordon Stephenson (Perth, WA) in February 1968 and he raced it eight times that season. In March 1969, he sold it to Ken Jones (Hamilton Hill, WA), and it passed from Jones to Ken Barnard (Sydney, NSW). Barnard sold it to Richard Berryman (Melbourne, Victoria) in 1974. Remained with Richard Berryman until 1985 when it passed to his son Adam Berryman (Melbourne, Victoria). An extensive restoration began in 2001 which was finally completed in early 2010. Raced by Adam in the NZ Motor Racing Festival in January 2010, at Winton in August 2010, and at Phillip Island and the Australian Grand Prix historic demonstration in 2011. Now numbered FL/2/64.
7. Brabham BT6 [FJ-12-63] (Ken Sager): Denis O'Sullivan in Formula Junior in 1963. Retained for Formula 3 in 1964, now entered by Baldyne Engineering. Appears to have moved to Motor Racing Stables after O'Sullivan acquired at F2 Brabham BT10 around August 1964 and was raced by John Tomlinson at Brands Hatch 13 Sep 1964. Sold to Ken Sager and fitted with a 1500cc Ford engine for New Zealand racing in 1965 and 1966. During its time in New Zealand, it was often referred to as a 1964 car, implying a BT9. Sold to Grahame Harvey mid-1966 and retained for 1967. Then to Tim Bailey and fitted with a 1500cc Fiat engine for 1968. To Brian Pellow for 1969, still with the Fiat. Retained by Pellow for 1970, but now with a 1600cc Ford. By October 1970, Peter Mahoney was driving "the old Pellow" Brabham in Formula Ford. This car was sold to Frank Gilbert (Auckland) and raced as a Formula Ford for two seasons. Graham Vercoe's book 'Historic Racing cars of New Zealand' claims that the car was a BT9, and that a replica frame was built by Pellow and that it was the replica frame that became the Formula Ford. Writing in 1991, he said that the original 'BT9' frame was owned by John Wigston.
8. Brabham BT4 [IC-1-62] (Kerry Grant): New for Jack Brabham to drive at the November 1962 Australian GP. Used by Brabham in the New Zealand Internationals in January 1963, winning at Levin, then sold to Dave McKay's Scuderia Veloce for the Australian International races the following month. Raced by Graham Hill for McKay in the 1964 Tasman series, winning the Longford race in March. To Len Southward's Lesco Racing Team for Kerry Grant to drive during the 1964/65 season, and for Neil Whittaker in 1965/66. Sold to John McCormack (Davenport, Tasmania) and raced on through the next three seasons. From McCormack to John Blanden (Adelaide, South Australia) in 1978 and extensively rebuilt. To Ken Messenger (Adelaide) March 1982, then to Art Valdez (Torrance, CA) in 1986, and remained in his collection for many years, until sold to a UK consortium in 2017.

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen (allen@oldracingcars.com) if you can help in any way with our research.

Individual sources for this event

There were two heats for this race plus a New Zealanders libre race limited to 2-litre cars which included most of the 1500cc entries from the GP.