Eagle eyed Drag News forum member Geoff McInnes stumbled across this archaic footage from Calder Park in 1968, the footage is based around a local musician at the time – Terry Walker.
Terry Walker had a band “The Strangers” popular at time and used to race a factory injected Corvette convertible regularly in A/Stock, including winning Stock Eliminator at the 1969 Nationals at Castlereagh.
According to Geoff the footage features:
– What he thinks is a rear view of Jim Gullan’s rail leaving the line.
– Graham Withers in the Ampol GT fueller being turned around behind the start line after being push started in the reverse direction down the track, then in a few pieces after one of this car’s three trips off the end of the Calder braking area – which in those days had a 30 degree bend in it about 100 yards past the finish line
– One of the Dodge Super Stockers Ash Marshall originally brought into the country, not sure who, but maybe Bert Needham.
– Black Jack McDonald’f first jet car.
– The FX or FJ, and the EH following it on the dirt track down to the start line – that is now the two lane paved staging lanes between the track and the crowd – are believed to be from the Stoopman Motors team.
– Brian Hutcheson’s Fiat altered.
– Walker racing the killer Don Figgins’ “Stinger” split window ’63 Vette which was a MP car with four webers on the 327, and dominated the then Street Eliminator for several years – while apparently still registered at the time, it was a strip only car.
Thanks to Geoff for this great find that gives us a small snapshot of drag racing history than many of us would not have seen.
{fcomment}
