The rear end was a 10-bolt Chev, like the old 55-64 diff, with a 6.17 ratio. The Gen3 testing plans of Queensland Supercars teams Triple Eight, Matt Stone, PremiAir and Dick Johnson Racing have been delayed due to wet weather. It was based on a Chev Duntov grind that had a bit ground off the nose. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and much more. It finished with a dish in the piston and still had 13.3:1 compression.. Facebook @autoactionmagTwitter @Auto_ActionInstagram @autoactionmagOnline Shop, Bruce Williams[emailprotected] Because the R5 racing Dunlops of the day were only narrow, you couldn't turn the steering wheel when the car was stationary but once you got it rolling it was okay. 1969 Australian magazine ad for Norm Beechey Speed Shop. It is little known that both the Mustang and Nova qualified for the race, the Mustang actually quicker, but Beechey decided to take on the Geoghegan Castrol Mustang in the newer Chevy Nova. The speed in which these cars were developed and made race ready in this era was astounding. Posted September 20, 2006. I think the Supercars Retro Round is a great throwback to the early days of touring car racing in Australia, he said. Neptune and Shells Brand Manager, Rod Troon managed the Tridents Racing Team (which would become the Shell Racing Team in 1968). There was nothing (else) to choose from back then; you had to buy a Jaguar (to win). Instead it was just one more demonstration that that FJ, the famous (some still say infamous) Howler of Victorian Ron Harrop, had the goods on all the top V8s of the day. "When I switched to the S4 Holden, Bobby had got his Jaguar going faster and it still dominated; the Jag's reign only finished when I brought the Mustang out in early-1965. A DNS at Bathurst in round 2, after clouting the fence at Forest Elbow, may well have cost him the 1969 Championship but the new Monaro finished strongly with wins at Surfers Paradise and Symmons Plains. The place: the old Castlereagh drag strip in Sydney. Beechey contested in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1963 to 1972, in which consisted of 31 ATCC rounds and 26 races. It was Holdens first ATCC, setting the stage for the Lions domination from 1974-2017. So much has been written about him that is hearsay or third party opinion that it pains them. Chevy Impala, Mustang, Chevy Nova II and Camaro, HK Monaro GTS 327 and, finally, the cheekily dubbed Trans-Aus Monaro (a dig at the imported Trans-Am Mustangs). Harrop overcame a slight holeshot to drive past John Whites Bad Man Chevy, scoring an 11.96sec win over the Queenslanders spluttering 12.26. The rest of the car was essentially standard, with the usual lightening and Perspex windows. But it wasnt. I suspect as a road car far nicer all round than the 427s. Racing Driver He was a very, very clever man. He starred in the 60s with his cavalcade of cars, changed almost annually. It helps to already be famous to become a social media influencer, but he demonstrates that you need to have a raw or personal touch and engage with your followers if you want to do well on Instagram Facebook, Twiter, Youtube, etc. You are now racing Norm beechey retro by Andrew Hofmann in iRacing. Achievements Along the way, he achieved seven round wins, and one pole position. Stephen , the red 4 door Galaxie seems to have had a few pilots . Itd take an hour or so to convert the car to race trim and to return it, but as time went on it would take a whole day. Norm and his wife Marg were friends of our parents, as were many competitors from the 70s so it makes the tribute a very personal one for us.. LGH ED Reception - Phone: (03) 6777 6405 Fax: (03) 6777 5201 MCH ED* - Phone: (03) 6478 5120 Fax: (03) 6441 5923 NWRH ED* - Phone: (03) 6493 6351 Fax: (03) 6464 1926 RHH ED Reception - Phone: (03) 6166 6100 Fax: (03) 6173 0489 Share this: Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest Email to a Friend. The 1973 Iso Lele being auctioned by Shannons in its 2022 Autumn Timed Online Auction from May 17 - 24 comes from long-term ownership by 1970 Australian Touring Car Champion, Norm Beechey and is one of just 285 of the Marcello Gandini of Bertone-designed, American V8 powered 2+2 coupes produced between 1969 and 1974.. Named after director Piero Rivolta's wife, the Lele filled the gap . His championship win in 1970 was the first victory by a Holden driver in the Australian Touring Car Championship. Entertainers. Norm Beechey's HK Monaro The HK Monaro Here's a photo of the remains of Norm Beechey's HK Monaro. If you know of things missing or have corrections, please log in and submit them. GREAT DAYS is a line Norm Beechey often adds to his signature when asked to sign various pictures and books from his racing career. "The 409 engine had very non-descript bearings made out of aluminium and tin that were quite acceptable in their day, but the secret to getting them to run (at racing speeds) was to give it huge clearances, make a new oil pump with double the amount of gears in it (four in all), and then flow the oil through a very big cooler to cool the big-end bearings, otherwise they would seize. .2.the cambridge history of the native peoples of the americas volume 1 part 2 north ameri Added Brad: Theres a photo of me as a youngster sitting on the guard of the Chevy Nova with Norm and Peter Manton. A local bloke with a 63 Galaxie coupe has fitted his 390 4bbl engine with the tripower 427 set up. He was just brilliant to watch.. Motorcycle Insurance, and This time he would trail Petes Mustang and retire after only 12 laps. "Norm and his wife Marg were friends of our parents, as were many competitors from the 70s so it makes the tribute a very personal one for us." Beechey won seven of the 31 ATCC rounds that he competed in between 1963 and 1972 and has largely kept a low profile since his retirement. Beechey vann ett supportrace till det inofficiella Australiens Grand Prix p sin nuvarande bana Albert Park 1956, i en Ford V8. I think it was at the 1968 Nationals at Calder when the Moore brothers came down [from Sydney] with their Missile FJ. Beechey had the last word in an interview in Sports Car World in 1970. Copyright 2023 Wheels Media, a division of Are Media Pty Limited. The importance of the HT Monaro GTS 350 and its success were also not lost on Norm. 1966 The Templestowe Hillclimb June Sports Car Class up to 1100cc; 1st: N. Beechey 'Pete' Geoghegan's Mustang was a cult hero in the late 1960s, facing off against Norm Beechey's Monaro and Bob Jane's Camaro. [2] Contents 1 Race summary 2 Results 2.1 Starting grid 2.2 Race 3 Statistics 4 Notes I don't understand how it came to have that bonnet bulge in Appendix J. John, just on 12 months ago Russell Hawthorn (son of Calder instigator, Pat Hawthorn) posted this great closeup of Lex's March 1963 Sandown armco experiences on social media. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous Racecar driver. The build of the HT Monaro GTS 350 was to be overseen by young engineer, Lou Mallia. He had most of the say. Norm Beechey nationality Australian age 90 years old born July 9, 1932 hometown Melbourne Racing highlights Racing career summary Disclaimer: the data and summaries are all taken from the data available in the career details section further below on this page. BRYAN THOMSON. I note that pretty well everyone does that today. Vinnie Bentley. But because the car had drum brakes and I didn't want to wear them out because I wanted to drive it home, I waved Allan through on the toughest corner on the track. But at Lakeside we both won a lot of races, Norm recalled. also know about his Social media accounts i.e. "The brakes were very poor and I'd have to stop early and I got sick of Bob (Jane) hitting me in the bum so I fitted a towbar," Beechey laughs. Those words do capture his career of the 1960s and early 1970s perfectly. Maybe some connections were made and strings pulled. Beechey, now 75, and sharp as a tack with a prodigious memory, still has the June 1961 issue of Motorsport that includes a report on Gurney shocking the British racing establishment by leading the International Trophy Race at Silverstone from the start until a rear wheel packed up two laps from the chequered flag. My new for 71 Galaxie LTD in the US had 2 and 4bbl versions of that engine along with numerous others from 240 6 through to 429 Cobrajet. This tribute to Norm is something Kim and I are proud of, and hopefully it brings back a lot of classic memories of those ATCC glory days for the fans, as it does for us. "You had to rush down to the corner, hop onto the brakes firmly and then start rowing it down through the gears. It will be a real thrill to see them on track, and hopefully on the podium at the end of the 500.. Norm only seems to have raced it a couple of times , was it a success ? 4 seconds ago viscount freddie soames wright brothers names. It was in pretty shabby condition then but these days, restored and race worthy, Beechey enters it on the odd road rally and drives it on the streets and it's still a weapon, making 535hp (399kW), around 100 more than it did in 1962. It probably took us six months to get it to race condition then we ran it for about a year. They called him Stormin' Norman but maybe Australian touring car legend Norm Beechey should have been dubbed Mr Muscle, because the tin-top king really kicked off the Aussie muscle car boom when he imported his famous 1962 Chevrolet Impala 409. Shannons Pty Limited ABN 91 099 692 636 acts as an agent and authorised representative No 239594. Which means it would have been one of the first cars off the line of that model year, usually the release is towards the end of August. It was a huge luxury car but in that era if you were a bookie, wealthy businessman, or a farmer you had a Pontiac Parisienne, a Buick or a Chev and the Impala wasn't considered big in those days. All my cars had bench seats. For those unfamiliar, Iso Rivolta - or just Iso for short - was an Italian company that built cars between . Just looking again at a You Tube clip of Dennis Obrien driving the 427 coupe at Sandown. But it was 1965 that arguably changed the landscape of Touring Car Racing and almost certainly began the love affair with V8s as the staple diet of racing in Australia. But by the end of that race, the first race for a Mustang anywhere in the world, the laughs had changed to cheers. View or bid on all 2022 Shannons Autumn Timed Online Auction lots Well they couldnt. He had commenced with Beecheys Truck Dealership in the Chevy Nova era and progressed to race team duties after Graham Moore stepped down and John Sheppard left after a short stint. PHONE 0418 349 555, Copyright 2023 Auto Action/Action Media Partners Pty Ltd All Rights Reserved . Norms income mostly comes from and basic source is being a successful Australian Racecar driver. Born on 1933 in Australia, Norm Beechey started his career as Racecar driver . Custom Number paint tip Don't forget to check "Hide car numbers" in your iRacing graphics settings so Custom Number paints appear. Wasnt a shiny red but it did have 406 in chrome on either front mudguard. By MARK FOGARTY Beechey was a household name thanks to widespread promotion by his long-time sponsor Shell, which featured him in print and TV advertising campaigns. In fact, it took Beechey six months to get the car running reliably. The Lele initially was powered by a 5.4 litre General Motors V8 with either a manual or four-speed automatic GM transmission, but in 1972, Iso replaced the Chevrolet engine with Ford's 5.7 litre Cleveland V8, also sourcing the automatic transmission option from Ford. Ironically, Beechey failed to start the race following an engine failure in practice, but he had already clinched the title with victory in the penultimate round at Lakeside in Brisbane three-and-a-half months earlier. Beechey, Norm. That helped to launch the car because it had fairly large Goodyear slicks in the end without a lot of power. I broke one or two, but essentially they were good. And that made the brakes much better. Wilberforce despaired at his friend's end and Clarkson aided the king's wife and daughters when they were exiled to England. Harrop bought a traded FJ from Beechey for $29, installed the engine, gearbox and diff from the EH, all in the standard positions, and $1300 later it ran a 13.42 at its first meeting (April 1969). For the fifth time in five years, Shells main man would launch another assault in a new car. The Leles chassis was the same Bizzarrini design used by Iso since its IR 300 coupe of 1962, with unequal-length double-wishbones front suspension with coil springs, while the rear suspension consisted of a de Dion layout with a Salisbury axle unit. In fact, it took Beechey six months to get it to condition! At Sandown Park 1956, i en Ford V8 lightening and Perspex windows to get it to race condition we... Just looking again at a you Tube clip of Dennis Obrien driving the coupe! 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