1967 Gold Star Series

Brabham Racing

1967 Gold star

1967 Gold Star series

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Dave Currie

1967 Gold Star 2

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NATIONAL TILTE MEETINGS

Until last season it was generally taken for granted that to gain the motorsport association of New Zealand road racing Gold Star and the New Zealand racing driver’s club’s Racing Car Championship a driver needed to win one or two of the national races. The Putaruru Veteran Roly Levis showed this to be a myth at the beginning of February when, after finishing second in the South Canterbury Car Club’s Timaru Trophy, he was acclaimed the 1967 champion. Levis has scored the maximum of 10 race-winning points at one meeting only and then he did not win! His points came from being the first resident driver to finish in the Lady Wigram Trophy. He was actually the sixth man home.

All three national title races were won by Dennis Marwood in the Ecurie Rothmans 2.5-litre Cooper-Climax. These wins earned him his total of 30 points, just two less than those of the 1.5-litre Brabham-Ford driver

The national series was open right to the last rounds, for when the field lined up at Timaru both Graeme Lawrence and Jim Palmer also has chances of being New Zealands top driver.

Dennis Marwood in the Ecurie Rothmans Cooper-Climax clipped almost a full minute off the race record at Renwick

… and modestly wore the laurels of him second successes Gold Star Win.

A well -Judged second place behind Marwood in the final round at Timaru clinched the national single–seat title for Roly Levis in his 1.5 Brabham Ford

As things turned out, Lawrence finished third on the ladder with 22 points, while Palmer was fourth with 20.

The National meetings were conducted be the Northern sport Car Club at Pukekohe, the Marlborough Car Club at Renwick and the South Canterbury Club on a controversial new round-the-houses course in the city itself, because M.A.N.Z had decreed that the traditional Waimate circuit was no linger safe for racing.

Proceedings opened at Pukekohe with the 25 lap Dunlop Gold Star on the new and faster 1.75-mile circuit. There were nine starters, Marwood occupying pole position with Kerry Grant (2.5 Brabham-climax) beside him. Grant led out attended by Marwood, Ken Smith9 91.5 Lotus-Ford) and Don McDonald, Lawrence Brownlie and Lawrence, all in 1.5 Brabham-Fords. On a wet and slippery circuit, Brownlie shot through to thirds spot after a lap, but was soon back in sixth place because of a spin.

The Brabham-Fords of Bill Stone and John Weston were out early, Stone running off into a ditch at the Hairpin, while Weston pitted with overheating troubles. Ian Arbuthnott departed in more spectacular fashion when a wheel detached itself from his Lotus-Ford. The car came to rest conveniently at the pit entrance.

Meanwhile Marwood and Grant were at it hammer-and-tong, with Lawrence tagging along not far behind and well clear of Smith, McDonald and Brownlie. Grant lost his chance by over-cooking at the Hairpin in the ninth lap, but fought back to third spot only to abandon with a misfiring engine three laps later. Then Lawrence, sitting pretty in second place ground to a halt in front of the grandstand with no fuel.

Marwood came home and easy winner ahead of Smith and McDonald. While the only other survivor, Brownlie, who had been wrestling with a malfunctioning gearbox, spluttered over the line too much in arrears to be classified also with a near empty fuel tank.

Marwood’s average was just under 70 m.p.h., which was rather interesting because the following week end at Renwick he clipped 54.4sec off the race record set in 1965 by Jim Palmer (2.5 Lotus-Climax) to win at just over 71 m.p.h. on this much slower circuit.

Once again Grant provided the main opposition. Before halfway he made a determined bid to wrest the race from the Cooper driver, taking to the shingle in a nerve-wracking 125 m.p.h. passing movement on the main straight. He brought the lap record set by Palmer in 1966 down 2.7sec to 1min 13sec in the effort, but almost immediately comfortable winner with Ian Dawson (2.5 Brabham-Climax) next, just ahead of Levis who had made a race of it all the way. Levis was probably the unlucky one, for he was holding off Dawson when he slid on oil dumped on the road when Grant’s gearbox erupted. Throttle troubles pit paid Lawrence's chances, Browlie was prominent early, but drifted back. MacDonald was never in the running, for a flat battery on the grid set him back eight laps and after one round he abandoned.

Palmer, without a car until the Grand Prix, was a non-combatant for the two opening rounds, But, as he was first New Zealand resident finisher at the Levin and Teretonga internationals he arrived at Timaru with his 2.5 Brabham-Climax and 20 points in hand, so still with a chance of pilling off the series for the fourth successive year. Palmer looked the best of good things and, indeed, he pulled away from the start and quickly set fastest race lap at 70.96 m.p.h. He was a clear 5 sec ahead of Marwood when in his eighth tour of the car breaking circuit, the Brabham’s gearbox grounded and broke on impact after the unfortunate driver struck one of the circuit’s many bumps

The Tasman cars were let off after the 1.5s in 1 .5litre Pukekohe championship race. Here Marwood in Cooper-climax is sandwiched between Grant and Dawson Brabhams.

In the early stages at Renwick Brownlie looked fine chasing Marwood and Grant but as the race progressed the 1.5 Brabham-Ford driver floated back through the field.

Only purely national outing for Jim Palmer was Timaru, where he took leas from the start but was forced out with broken gearbox when his car grounded on bump.

Jim Boyd did not have much joy with 2.5 Brabham-Climax, although his Timaru duel with Dene Hollier’s 1.5 Lotus-Ford was one of the race highlights till both retired.

Southland Lad Lawrence Brownlie Showed a good deal of promise in his first full single seater season with his 1.5 Brabham-ford.

Grant and Lawrance were almost first to try out the new section at opening Pukekohe Gold Star meeting

Kerry Grant seen leading Browlie and the rest of the Renwick field set off after Marwood and caught him, setting a new Lap record, But abandoned with gearbox bothers

A Spin on oil droppings relegated Roly Levis to third place at Renwick behind Ian Dawson.

At the end of the first hectic lap at Timaru Palmer led the way from Marwood and Levis

From then on it was Marwood's race and he cut out the 33miles, averaging 63.82 m.p.h., to finish 20sec ahead of Levis. Lawrence, who had been hampered be clutch trouble, was third a further 5.2sec back. These three were the only ones to go the 30laps. Ken Smith went 29 laps for fourth, while next in line were Brownlie and Arbuthnott with 28 laps each.

This Timaru circuit exacted a heavy toll. Stone, Levi’s Brabham-Ford team-mate, crashed in his fourteenth lap while running in eighth spot. He was admitted to hospital with not too serious injuries. In their twenty-fourth laps Jim Boyd (2.5 Brabham-climax) and Hollier, running fourth and fifth respectively and enjoying a lively private duel, were both forced to abandon. The defection of these two elevated Smith, Brownlie and Arbuthnott into much better places at a stage when they appeared out of contention.

For Levis Timaru was a grand climax to a long career as his second place also assured him of the M.A.N.Z. 1.5-litre Formula Championship for the second year. He rounded off this round series with 64 points, a convincing 13 clear of Lawrence, whose 51 put him well ahead of Hollier, Who scored 39 to the 24 of Brownlie. Levis scored maximum points in five races, with two seconds, while Lawrence scored three maximum points and took three seconds.

Tasman Revival

Allan McCully

Tasman Revival