The 57th Port Rd Drags

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History

Thanks to Shady Lane for providing this history of Port Road.

Although it’s 40 years since the first Port Rd Drags, the story really starts back in 1962.
A group of us Hot Rodder’s that worked at Todd Motors formed the first Hot Rod Club in Wellington called the Charioteers.
Meetings at the Beachcombers Coffee Bar Oriental Bay with 18 members.
No funds & no way of getting road closure for Drag meets & frowned on by the general public.
I wanted to do more with my Coupe, so joined the Hutt Valley Motoring Club, which ran flying ¼ & standing ¼ mile racing at Battersea Rd & Temarie Rd in the Waiarapa & they had no trouble getting road closure.
Also sprints & racing at Levin race track. The HVMC had 550 members.

In 1966 HVMC decided to run a paired sprint at Port Rd Seaview like they did in the States, but really a Drag race.
I heard about it 3 weeks before the event, so decided to build a sort of Dragster.
The Evening Post 26/03/66 had a picture of the car from the first Port Rd, help supplied on the day by the late Keith Whiting a Charioteer member & Alan Hare an early Rodder.

 

 

The HVMC decided after the first event, that it was to hard an event to run by themselves, so in late 1966 the WGTN Hot Rod Club was formed with the help of Alan Larson of Auckland & also D.R.Britton of Valvoline fame.
So in 1967 the WGTN Hot Rod Club supplied bails of hay to go down the centre of the track to separate the cars.
Many Hot Rods ran that day, Keith Whitings 34 Hilborn Injected Ford Coupe, Alan Hares 34 Ford Coupe, Graeme Sutherlands 34 Coupe, Dave Chungs Pink Panther a Roadster, Alex Wilsons 283 Chev powered 100E which will be at the 40th also a Fiat Bambina Porsche powered, a Bristol powered Vauxhall Victor and a Jag powered Stuebaker\

So with many Hot Rodders past and present helping, Port Rd as we know it was born and then the tradition was handed on to Cam County to bring it to the present day without a wet day. 


So with many Hot Rodders past and present helping, Port Rd as we know it was born and then the tradition was handed on to Cam County to bring it to the present day without a wet day.