The Road to the Gold Star

The season ahead

From 1975 the Gold Star ran as two island series. The South Island drivers would meet at eight hills from Nelson to Balclutha, with points divided by the number of rounds and carried into a single inter-island final against the best of the North, set for April in Christchurch.

Lyn had been 2nd in the South Island in 1974-75 in his Cooper S, despite missing two rounds. For the new season he had a new car: "a rebuilt Mini with aluminium panels for lightness and a 1300 cc Cooper S motor with a special head for power", sponsored by Middle Park Motels. It had already won its first outing, a gravel sprint at Tua Marina in September, in a record 44.8.

The contenders

• Lyn HattonBlenheim · Mini Sprint 1293 cc
• Russell GreerRenwick · Stanton Corvette, 5.3-litre V8
• John RushOamaru · Toyota Corolla · 1974-75 SI champion
• Alan HewlettKumara · Ford Anglia / Escort 2000
• Arthur JelleyWaipahi · V6 Anglia
• Ian FehsenfeldEscort
• Kevin IngramFeilding · Terrapin 1420 · reigning champion (North)
• Darryl SeymourWanganui · Terrapin (North)

Sources: Marlborough Express, 29 April, 23 September and 24 October 1975

Rosedale: a certificate first time out

The Mini Sprint's first Gold Star climb, in fine weather in the Upper Moutere Valley. Dave Watson beat Lyn on the day; Lyn was equal 2nd overall in 1:09.6, and the Nelson Car Club gave him a Certificate of Merit for it.

The scrapbook doesn't record the other placings or the winning time.

Sources: Nelson Car Club certificate; Marlborough Express, 28 October 1975

Redwood Pass: a record at home

"Whatever you are doing Sunday you won't regret getting on up to Redwood Pass": the Marlborough Car Club's advertisement promised "the tops in the South Island hill climb competitors", with Lyn billed among the locals in his "Middlepark Clubman". Adults 50c, children 10c.

He delivered. Lyn "stormed up the tight, twisting Pass in the final run to shave 0.6 s off the record". Ian Fehsenfeld's Escort equalled the old record and still finished second.

Sources: Marlborough Express, 25 and 28 October 1975

Coronet Peak: the missing round

The long haul south to the ski-field road above Queenstown. I. Bisman won in a Brabham Formula Ford, and Stuart Rooney's Formula Ford went off the road and had to be "hastily rebuilt" for the next round.

No clipping of Lyn's run survives in the scrapbook. The tallies printed later in the season (four wins and two seconds after seven rounds) mean he wasn't in the top two here.

Sources: Marlborough Express, 8 November 1976 (last year's winner); Motoraction, 12 December 1975; Marlborough Express, 9 March 1976

Ngapara: Mini against Corvette

Before the climb both Marlborough cars went on show at Leslie Motors in Oamaru, the paper calling Lyn's "the potential winner of the series". On the day three drivers broke Blair Paton's hill record. Lyn "was playing a waiting game" and shattered both the record and Greer's time, "an outstanding effort for a 1300cc car", but Greer answered on the final run with 53.890. Lyn lost by 0.34 s.

Fifteen starters; seven more from 59.385 (John Hazard, Mazda RX3) to 67.317.

Sources: Otago Daily Times, 14 and 17 November 1975; Motoraction, 12 December 1975

Kaitangata: under the minute

After the summer break, "a convincing win in his Middlepark Clubman". Lyn broke the five-year-old record of 60 s on his first run; only four of the 15 drivers got under the minute. The field had seven Mazdas, a late-model Porsche, Escorts and Corollas, and an RX2 went over a bank. Cold and showery.

Source: Marlborough Express, 23 February 1976

Reefton: fastest on every run

A week later, across to the West Coast: 2.8 km of gravel, timed as an aggregate of runs. "Leader in the series, Lyn Hatton, from Blenheim, driving a Mini special" was fastest on each run and finished three seconds clear, another record.

Official results from the Westland paper. Two cars weren't placed because their racing licences hadn't arrived in time, which is why the Marlborough Express list (W. Gladstone 2nd in 150.3) differs. Twelve entries.

Sources: Westland paper and Marlborough Express, 1 March 1976

Dunedin: the title can't be caught

Two hundred yards of seal had been dug up during the week and the gravel made most drivers slower than the year before, but Lyn bettered his 1975 time and beat Buster McGaw's Formula Ford by 0.19 s. Russell Greer finished sixth and then blew his differential.

"After seven meetings in the series Hatton has won four and been second twice. With one meeting in the series still to be held … his points lead cannot be beaten." He had qualified for the New Zealand final.

The paper prints the times as "8:1.03" and so on; read as seconds they match Lyn's 81.58 at the same climb in 1975, which the report says he bettered.

Source: Marlborough Express, 9 March 1976

Craigmore: fastest of the day

The last South Island round, seven-tenths of a mile of shingle. Lyn slid the Mini Sprint to fastest time of the day, 56.65, just 0.65 s outside the record Leo Leonard had set the year before, when Lyn was 3rd in his Cooper S. The Mini Sprint was classed as a sports car and was the only entry in its section; the fastest saloon was John Rush's Corolla, almost three seconds slower.

Sources: Timaru Herald and Christchurch Press, 5 April 1976

Top of the South, ahead of the North

Lyn finished the South Island series on top with 132 points from eight meetings, five wins and two seconds, and more points than the best North Islander. Divided by the number of rounds, that gave him 16½ points to take into the final at Gebbies Pass. The reigning champion, Kevin Ingram, had 101 from seven North Island meetings: 14½.

The clipping prints Rush as "John Bush". Barnard and Phillips qualified but only six cars ran in the final.

Source: Marlborough Express, 10 April 1976

Gebbies Pass: four seconds clear

Two kilometres of the Summit Road above Christchurch, "recently resealed", with loose metal that made it "fiery and dangerous". The snub-nosed Mini Sprint "proved much too good for the country's top hill-climbing road machines". Kevin Ingram rolled his Terrapin in practice and had time for only one official run. Greer's Corvette lost a run to a timing fault and holed its sump on a rock.

Sources: Christchurch Press and Marlborough Express, 26 April 1976 · The full story of the final →