Midget racing , 1976 Western Springs test match racing. Rare film !
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2013
- Not great quality footage but very rare film.
Kiwi speedway legend Trevor Morris features in this amateur silent film from 1976.
His outdated ( by American standards ) Chevy 2 midget #58 is up against the "new" revolutionary V.W powered midgets of American legend Mel Kenyon ( blue Thermo-King #1 ) and probably Australian driver Johnny Fenton in the orange #1 car.
Other cars and drivers featured are : #6 Pat Johnson and #2 Ted Tracey and Kerry Morris #14.
In the pits Mel Kenyon relaxes on a pile of tyres and chats to Barry Butterworth in between races.
Also featured is a sidecar race with a crash.
I hope drivers and fans of the era can fill in some of the long forgotten drivers names in the races - Спорт
I was sitting here this lunchtime in Manchester and suddenly a thought popped into my head... "...I remember going to Western Springs when I was young, I wonder if there's anything on the web...". Did a Google, found a great Barry Butterworth site and then this video... wow, thanks for posting it. What a shame there's no audio, or any 'smell' track, that was what really got me going when I got there! I was a great Trevor Morris fan, still have a photo somewhere of him in the No 58 Jim Beam Chevy (you know, the photos that you ordered one week and picked up the next whe they'd printed them). Awesome - thanks again, Grant.
Grant-UK m
That track looks so good. I was only about 9 years old back then and the Midgets of that era will always do it for me. The Velodrome fence was magic and to see the cars riding up high during warmup meant the racing was not far away.
i was 12 Trevor Morris awsum competion between drivers during that time all are awsum thanks for the show.
this is gold!!! wish someone could lay their hands on the TVNZ files from back then as we all know there is some. it shows up for a few seconds on the 50th ann of speedway in NZ. my vhs recordings are knackered so really enjoy this good stuff uploaded. watch it over and over. "One Tough Dude" you can read over several times.
Great video. I have never seen a speedcar race start 3 abreast. Thanks for putting this up.
Something tells me that, with a surname like yours, you're sure to have seen at least one "match race" in your life, isn't that right Mr Cunneen?
Great that you put this up crashboynz,looking forward to more.....I am sure the driver in the orange number one is aussie,Johnny Fenton.Would have been there too....:)
Definately Mel Kenyon in the blue Thermo King #1 car. The orange car is not A.J. Foyt. He drove one of Mel and Don's VW's and both Mel and A.J.'s cars were Orange that year (1976 maybe?). Mel had the #61 that year and A.J. drove the #1.
1950bigdad you must be a fanatic, I worked on the pit gate from 81 to early 90's as a teenager and Bob was always there. don't ya love the way someone jumps the fence onto the track when the sidecar topples over - don't remember there not being a high fence!!!???
holy Side burns batman
Sideburns were certainly a "sign of the times", and dates the video very nicely!!
Pat Johnson sitting in the number 6 on the in-field smoking !!!
I have a question on the date as in '76 Trevor Morris was running the Jim Beam sponsorship (?)
Also noted Bob Leikis' orange Tappenden Motors truck in the in-field. And "Bob" the back-straight flagman. He did that job for years.
Was Peter lowe racing sidecars then ? Anyone ?
Hell yeah
Can anyone confirm is is Mel Kenyon in the blue #1, John Fenton in the orange (Australia) #1. And Trevor Morris NZ in the black car?
Nice Signwriting there by Garry Carr!
Hi, yes I am Peter's son. Peter has passed away but Bryan is still going well. Cheers.
I knew you may have been a relative of one or both of the famous "Cunneen Brothers!!"
Lucky you, I would like to have some of your memories of the 1960s, and growing up in a house full of the "Speedway bug!!"
Hope that your Dad is still going strong!! Let him know that his followers will never forget either him or his brother, Bryan.
Best wishes from another dedicated fan!! 👍