Hi David,

Well lots of years and adventures happened since my dive into Vee's.  Still have my racing overalls would you believe, proudly wearing the Formula Vee badge.

Got old, got wise, but still look at these photos with a lot of affection.  I started rallying Mini's to start with, then bought the bits of an old Mk vii Bolwell,

after getting huge help from Bob Gill (Prahrans fastest Plumber) I finally raced it, but then Cams in their wisdom changed the class to include porsches etc.

So it was from racing against sprites and MG's to the big boys. Completely spoilt a whole era of racing just to placate a few well heeled porsches owners/drivers and sellers. 

The Vee, when I got it, had its first race at Calder, not too long after I bought it.  I know it was raced at Calder beforehand as a trial.

The nose was a bit of a "new thing" amongst the other vees. They all reminded me of cigar tubes!  I joined the Formular Vee club of Vic then. 

It was more a club than a bunch of win or die drivers, much to my liking.  There were a couple of tearaway drivers then, Gary Dubois being one, and I think Dave Chapman.

I can remember turning up with my bog engine, and listening to people talking of sending their motors to some guy in SA for blue printing etc.  Me, I hardly had enough money to buy the petrol in those days.  It was great stopping at the shell garage, topping up, pumping up the tyres, then going racing.

I "put up" with the original nose for a while, and one race at the island, it started to flop around, and I thought thats it, time for a change.  I didn't have to wait too long

for a change as I drove in the finals of the Aus championships at the island and some clown from NSW lost it on the southern Loop and totalled me.

It ran under the shell colours for a while, then went to the black and silver, and at one time was blue and white. 

It had a grand total of three engines in my time. 

So hence the new style nose. I always raced it as the Daverick Vee, never wanted anything else, it would have been an insult to Daverick to do otherwise.

In those days I kept the car in an old furniture factory in Prahran, along with two dirties, (rally cars), one owned by Lance de Luca, Jon Davison kept his

F 5000 with us for a while.

I raced the car in both guises, shovel nose and chisel nose.  It ran at Sandown, Phillip Island, Calder Park, and a few others. 

I ended up selling the car to a young guy who worked at the Police Workshops. I gave him all the programs and any photos I had. 

I never got to see him actually race it, so have no idea of who would have it now sadly.

Now I am building up a Mini Clubman as a bit of fun, drive an old Datsun Pathfinder, and ride a metric cruiser. 

Thats it.

Regards to the "daverics", such a lovely surprise to see the old girl again, now the only photos of her, I own too.

 

Cheers

Dennis.