Castrol Six Hour - Manawatu damn it not Wairarapa

[merv]

We got talking on the "Why the dislike for Honda" thread http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=55466&highlight=like+honda&page=2 about the Castrol Six Hour. Now years ago on another thread I said this http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=19094&postcount=25

The Six hour ran from 1974 until 1988 - who can remember all the winners?

Went something like this that I remember starting in 1974:

1974 Ginger Molloy - solo - Kawasaki
1975 Graeme Crosby - solo - Kawasaki
1976 Graeme Crosby - solo - Kawasaki
1977 Graeme Crosby, Tony Hatton - first double pair - Kawasaki
1978 Dave Hiscock, Neil Chivas - Suzuki
1979 Dave Hiscock, Neil Chivas - Suzuki
1980 Dave Hiscock, Neil Chivas - Suzuki
1981 Malcolm Campbell, Mick Cole - Honda
1982 Dave Hiscock, Neville Hiscock - Suzuki
1983 Bill Biber, Phil Payne - Honda
1984 Alan DeLatour, Dave Martin - Honda

then we had kids and my memory goes a bit fuzzy.

Done a bit of research since so filling in the gaps.

1985 Dave Hiscock, Neil Chivas - Suzuki
1986 Aaron Slight, Rob Doran - Yamaha
1987 Aaron Slight, Wayne Clark - Yamaha
1988 Tony Rees, Dave Hicks - Yamaha




p.s. no matter what I do after entering Manawatu for the location this damned thread keeps defaulting to Wairarapa. What the heck Manfield must have moved.

[Ivan]

Cause the Wiararapa the best,

Oh and i know he didnt race it on the TZR but does anyone have any pics of Aaron Slight racing the TZR 250??????

[roadracingoldfart]

Aaron teamed up with the man that brought us MOTOCOURSE, Peter Clifford on a FZR 1000 genisis but i dont remember if he won it or not.
I think my memory must be a bit fuzzy as well.

Paul

[roogazza]

Merv , I can remember Dave and Nev winning it together (on a Katana I think ? 82 ??) that was a pretty emotional one , especially after Nev dying shortly after in SA. I know Dave treasured it. Gaz.

[limbimtimwim]

I've love to do a endurance race, it'd be awesome.

[scrivy]

I think NZ is desperate for one!!
What do we have to do to start one? Where would it be held? Could we lure some big names from overseas for it?:yes:

[sidecar bob]

I think NZ is desperate for one!!
What do we have to do to start one? Where would it be held? Could we lure some big names from overseas for it?:yes:

We know youre desperate for one ya bloody passage lurker.

[merv]

Merv , I can remember Dave and Nev winning it together (on a Katana I think ? 82 ??) that was a pretty emotional one , especially after Nev dying shortly after in SA. I know Dave treasured it. Gaz.

So he wasn't with Chivas in 82 then you reckon, I'll change my list above.

[roogazza]

Sorry , moved to Sth.Aust and didn't follow from 84 onwards. I do recall Bill Biber winning it tho , on a "VF 750 Honda"....(after everyone else either broke down or fell off.) G.

[merv]

OK Gaz I've filled in all the gaps but trusting you got the Hiscock brothers one right. I do know Dave was teamed with Neville in 1981 when Campbell and Cole won. I've looked up the later ones and LB reminded me of Tony Rees winning.

So do you reckon we've got it right now?

[roogazza]

Linda B.is probably the best to remember this stuff. But I do recall Dave and Nev together on a wire wheel Katana. A lot of the time they had separate teams . I rode with Nev one year on a GS400 but he blew the thing after and hour thank Christ,so I didn't have to ride it ! but I can't even remember the year !!!!!!!! time for my medication !!! Gaz.

[merv]

It was a great spectacle and its shame we've never quite had anything like it since. In my mind two people stood out as triers that just never had the luck to win and they were Glenn Williams and Robert Holden.

In 1985 the first year of the Gixxer 750, Robert Holden put a pass on Dave Hiscock early in the race, no mean feat, and not long after that he ran out of gas on the back straight effectively ending any hope of winning.

Glenn Williams never won because the Kawasakis after the early years always seemed to fail with mechanical issues, either engines or brakes.

Croz blew the Z1R in 1978 but prior to that the aircooled Kawasakis did the business, so why couldn't their watercooleds compete successfully?

[Robbo]

Geeze Merv, the good old Castrol 6 hour racing at Manfield, sure brings back a few fond memories and the ride down there for the weekend on the trusty old CB750. with the missus and a gear bag on the back.
Many of those names you mentioned are coming back to me now, but do you also remember Roger Freeth? Not sure just what success he had in those days but i definately remember him riding in the Castrol 6 hour. I have a feeling that he may have rode the CBX at some stage??

[merv]

Can't remember Rog at the six hour and I am sure not on a CBX. In his early days Rog was on Kawasakis (remember him fitting spoiler wings to one) and later Suzukis especially the McIntosh Suzuki which he did very well on here and in Aus. (Here's a recent vid of the McIntosh http://www.livevideo.com/video/D48D4578E74F4A60B66ED8F8EDC3BE67/rodger-freeths-mcintosh-suzuki.aspx

[What?]

Solo entries were banned in 1977; Croz was teamed with Tony Hatton, and won the race. Otherwise the list is correct.

Mike Webb teamed with Peter Clifford 1986, 87 and 88. IF Clifford ever teamed with Slighty, it could only have been in 84, in the junior class, on a Yam RZ350.

[merv]

OK I thought Croz had won it 3 straight solo and then was with Tony Hatton in 78 but the bike blew, so I'll stand corrected and amend the list.

I agree about Slight because I remember him with Doran and Clarke.

[What?]

Slighty was going like a man possessed in the '85 6-hour, but sort-of DNF due to a blown oil line (went back out at the end, just for the sake of finishing). That bike was the Genesis.