With less than a month to go to Christchurch ’s Annual SKOPE Classic, South Island motorsport fans can look forward to a fabulous celebration of more than two hundred gracefully aging race cars and their drivers converging on Powerbuilt Tools Raceway.
Leading the way at this year’s SKOPE Classic will be the Pre 65 class, a classic class of racing in its own right, stretching back 30 years now. The cars represented in Pre 65 are modified road cars of the sort everyone’s Mum and Dad or Grandma and Grandad drove in days of old, such as the ever popular Anglia and Cortina. The humble little Hillman Imp and A40 have also been modified to race trim. Aussie and American influence is represented by Mustang and XP Falcons and also by the large tank-like Galaxy’s, Plymouth ’s, Fairlane’s, a Chevy Nova and even the regal Jaguar. Thirty Pre 65 cars will hit the grid running, with three points races and a feature race on Sunday afternoon and comes with the typical Pre 65 guarantee of non stop action.
The feature event of the weekends motorsport programme is the Sir Robertson Stewart Grand Prix which is contested by the faster more powerful saloon cars across the classes. Likely contenders for the trophy include the potent Hong Kong Porsche 911 RSR’s of Nick Thomas and Daniel Bilski or the plethora of local Porsche entries including Guy Stewart, Mike Baker and John Warring. They will battle to edge out the very appealing Phil Hoffman Mustang GT 350 and aggressive Canadian Jack Ondrack will be looking to out muscle the Germans mach in his TVR Tuscan. Even outside the potential podium finishers there is some magic machinery, from the seriously fast early 70’s Alfa Romeo’s of O’Donnell and O’Donnell, a Falcon GTHO from Whanganui, Michael Bushell’s Falcon XB GT, a bunch of E30 BMW and the Russ Noble GT40 Replica. In any language, this will be great pre lunch entertainment at Sunday’s SKOPE Classic.
Jeff Judd and Gary Cliff will display classic rally cars and their skill on the tarmac in the form of a 1976 Chevette HSR and an Escort BDA respectively while Motueka’s Brett Steven’s is back with the brash Chevy powered Renault Dauphine and Trevor Crowe will wow fans with his equally outrageous V8 powered 1979 Skoda. The dueling Fiat Arbath’s is the domain of the Chapman family carrying bragging rights around the dinner table. In all a full grid of 44 English, European and Japanese classics will line up for the Harold Heasley Saloons and 38 car/driver combinations will compete in the Golden Oldies category. The pleasure is theirs to share with the thousands of spectators who enjoy the relaxed family atmosphere of this classic meeting at Christchurch ’s Garden City race circuit.
Those bold blokes who dispense with tin tops and brave whatever elements dished out provide a different spin on historic and classic races. For years, single seater racing represented the leading edge of motor racing in NZ and on the world scene. Our little country dominated the world on both the driving front, with McLaren and Hulme, and with the production of competitive single seater’s via McLaren, McRae and Southerner George Begg. Indeed, of significant interest ex McLaren mechanic Wal Wilmott will put his 1967 Begg JM1 through it’s paces, as will Steve Donaldson and Keith Cowan in their Brabham and Johnston BT 21R’s, respectively. The seriously quick 1985 Ralt RT-5 in the hands of American Larry Dietrich is a fine example of the advances made with the introduction of wings and slicks to the competitive single seater environment. Jay Esterer from Canada is back for his third season leading out a field of classic Formula Fords dating from the early seventies with drivers from all corners of the globe racing together for pure enjoyment.
Vintage technology and Kiwi ingenuity will be on display in the Murray Maxwell Vintage Racing class. Paul Coghill of Dunedin presents the wonderful HWM Longmore Jaguar for us all to admire as it circulates in some anger, but much of the pleasure of these fantastic cars is to be had in the pits where the owners and drivers will be delighted to share the history of their pride and joy. So many wonderful cars to drool over, NZ specials such as the Zephyr 260M, Ralph Smith’s Lycoming, the Edelbrock, the Stanton Corvette…the list goes on. Avon Hyde will peddle the 1956 Austin Special, Graeme Hamilton the Ace III, Andrew MacDonald his Jaguar XK150, Ramon Farmer the Ransley Riley and a fine example of early single seater history is David Fenton’s tiny 1959 Lotus 18 Formula Junior. Supporting the Vintage racing this year will be a further 40 odd vehicles, from Packards to Bentleys, Jowetts and Jags and plenty in between. These will be on display adjacent to the VCC pit area and will add another dimension to what is a fabulous motorsport occasion.
The SKOPE Classic, February 5,6,7. Powerbuilt Tools Raceway.
