Ex Bruce Smith Mazda RX7 Qld, 1985

[dat2kman]

New here, I have accuired the Ex Bruce Smith Mazda RX7 Sports sedan, it ticks all the boxes, and now qualifies for CAMS new Historic Group U, with some minor mods required to bring it back to its then 1985 spec, ( ie the 13b Series 5 turbo engine rplaced for a 12aPP, and the 16x10/9" BBS rims replaced with some 13x10/15x10 rims)
It has a one line mention in the 85/86 Australian Motor Racing yearbook, and I have its logbooks.
It ran at two of the ATCC rounds,one Australian F1 round, as a support race entrant, and, as an entrant in the Qld round of the Australin GT and Sports Car Champs. All in year 1985.
It was campaigned by Bruce Smith in 1986, and all events were either Surfers or Lakeside.

It came with all body/panel moulds, three front spoilers, and it is same flares/spolers/wings as the Group C MAzdas of the day, also plenty of other "old" spares.

It was sold to Pat Peck in NSW in 1988, then onsold to Tony Hudsun, It was entered in the Sports Sedan race for Bathurst in 1991/, but was a no-show due to en engine failure just prior. It ran at eastern creek as per its second logbook, driver Tony Hudson, but, there are no entries for Pat Peck, I suspect at the time ( late 1980's) there was not a lot of credence on second tier older Sports sedans in club level racing in NSW.

It has always been all red in colour, and did not have any sponsorship/stickers. The original 1985 logbook has it with No 13 in the car.

Bruce Smith lived in Mooloolaba Qld, and ran a Capri SS prior to the RX7 ( 1984)

Any one here remeber this??
Any help or info/history on the events or the car appreciated!!
Dates as per entered events in its logbook:
18/5/85 Surfers ( round 7 ATCC)
22/6/95 Lakeside ( round 8 ATCC)
20/7/85 Lakeside 9 rd 3 Aust Form 1 Champs)
24/8/85 Surfers ( ran in the Aust GT and Sports Car Champ Rd 6)
Then in:
13/4/86Lakeside
17/5/86 Surfers ( caught fire at rear body work damaged)
14/6/86 Lakeside ( damage to LHF corner- suspension/guard/door)

[2002 turbo]

You didn't by chance buy this RX7 from Danny Castro in Sydney?

[jd yort]

Welcome to the forum, dat2kamn.

I have one of the races from Surfers May 85 on dvd but you dont see the car at all however it listed in the grid positions.
Also have the June 86 race from Lakeside but can't see it in that either. They may have been the two races televised that the car did not start in???. Have attached some screen scrapes for you regardless.
Will go through the archives and see what else I can find for you. Have piles of Rx7 clippings so there may be something in there.








Lakeside

[dat2kman]

You didn't by chance buy this RX7 from Danny Castro in Sydney?

I did buy this from Danny. ( I did not pay what he was asking for it though, a very tough job to do!!)
Why do you ask??
I am aware it is not currently elegible for Group U, as Danny had done some work on it without giving too much credence to the "Historic" side of things.
Danny accquired it from Tony Hudson a couple of years ago, and set about "updating" it, with the intention hoh having his son drive it, ( his son runs in IPRA class)

On close inspection of the frame, it is quite obvious it was originally built as a "backyarder" by Bruce Smith to have a go at Sports Sedans, she is a bit "industrial" in places, but, by old results and entered events, it must have performed well and served its purpose.

[dat2kman]

id yort thanks for the welcome and pics, It is pleasing to see that Smith at least made the 3rd row of a grid, even if the images dont seem to show it being a starter at Surfers.
The second lot of pics ( from Lakesdie) dont seem to show it, maybe he had problems?
In the log book entries, the scrutineers had made comment about front corner damage, maybe that could be why its not on the grid.

Any help in getting as much documentation, will be well appreciated, ie: grid sheets, qualifiying time sheets, event programs, race results Auto Action/Racing Car news articles etc, even scanned copies will be plenty good enough to keep CAMS happy.

[jd yort]

It sure looks like the car definitely was not in that race at Lakeside and it may of been in the race in Surfers but just obscured. I can't tell what races they were but assume they would have more than likely been from the Sunday of each meeting as they were both ATCC Support races. WHat was also quite common back then was for C7 etc to put up the wrong grids on tv. Have a few DVD's like that.

[jd yort]

This is all I got Dat2Kman. Could not find any other references to the car or pics in all my archives.

[roverboy]

That cutting is absolute solid gold!!!

We have the photo from the bottom left on the wall in the shed. The old man in his final year in the Mini.

Check out the names in the Gemini report. The one and only Phast Phil taking the win.

[FalconEL]

That's just superb work there jdyort!

Great shot of Warren in the Mini!!!

And I have the ex-Sigley Escort Rotary in the shed at home too!

Crompo was actually a superstar in the Gemini's from memory, regularly gave the lads a flogging. ;)

[phillby_racer]

I think I might have a couple of old shots of the Red RX7..... I am digging through some old pics ATM (Film, so they need to be scanned) ... I think they are of the car at Lakeside.... I remember the day it caught fire at Surfers... I was a Flag Marshal at the time and it pulled up in front of us ( I didnt put it out though... was on "Yellows" at the time) ..... I'll try and find the pic/s and post em up....