Midgets – 1950s and Early 1960

TQ days

The ex-hogan

The Mintex V8-60 #7

The ex-Ray Revell V8-60 @91

The Mintex Offenhauser #7

TQ days

Here is 17 year old Barry Butterworth in 1956 in the first speedway vehicle he ever raced, TQ #40.
(Max Butterworth Collection from One Tough Dude, The Barry Butterworth Story by Alan Batt, Speedway Classics, Alan Batt, Christchurch, NZ)

TQ drivers at Western Springs 1956. L to R: Skip Eade, Reece Facoory, Morrie Mephan, Vern Davenport, Doug Culhane, Pat O’Neill, Trevor Hollier, Johnny Missen and 17 year old Barry Butterworth.
(Max Butterworth Collection from One Tough Dude, The Barry Butterworth Story by Alan Batt, Speedway Classics, Alan Batt, Christchurch, NZ)

Barry running hard in #40 at Western Springs in 1956-57.
(From the Des Harris collection)

Barry (L) posing with (R) Trevor Hollier (#4) in their TQ midgets.
(From the Gordon McIsaac collection)

Barry Butterworth (#40) leads Doug Culhane (#44) and Ray Armstrong (#10).
(From the Gordon McIsaac collection)

No 40- it wasn’t pretty but Barry got it going faster and faster.
(From the Gordon McIsaac collection)

For the 1957-58 season Barry purchased the ex-Johnny Missen TQ (#18). Here he is seen on the inside of Trevor Hollier (#4). Barry was a top-line TQ driver throughout the 1957-58 and 58-59 seasons in #18.
(Max Butterworth Collection from One Tough Dude, The Barry Butterworth Story by Alan Batt, Speedway Classics, Alan Batt, Christchurch, NZ)

Johnny Missen (#17) leads from Reece Facoory (#30), Dusty Rhodes (#11) and Barry B in (#18) during the 1957-58 season.
(Max Butterworth Collection from One Tough Dude, The Barry Butterworth Story by Alan Batt, Speedway Classics, Alan Batt, Christchurch, NZ)

Ray Armstrong leads Doug Culhane with Barry B in the ex-Johnny Missen #18 bringing up the rear at Western Springs in the 1958-59 season.
(From Speedway Archives; www.speedwayclub.co.nz/)

Nineteen year-old Barry Butterworth readies himself, and #18, for the next TQ race at Waiwhakaiho Speedway in the 1958-59 season.
(Max Butterworth Collection from One Tough Dude, The Barry Butterworth Story by Alan Batt, Speedway Classics, Alan Batt, Christchurch, NZ)

Barry receives the trophy from Johnny Missen after winning a feature race in TQ #18 (Johnny’s old mount).
(Max Butterworth Collection from One Tough Dude, The Barry Butterworth Story by Alan Batt, Speedway Classics, Alan Batt, Christchurch, NZ)

A young Bob Leikus tends to TQ #18 during Barry’s trip to Waiwakaiho Speedway in 1957. Thirty one years later, Barry asked Bob to officially open the Meremere Highbank Speedway!
(From Waiwakaiho Speedway. The Early Years. Vol. 1 by M Rutherford and D Gifford, New Plymouth, 2013)

Doug Culhane (#44) leads #14 Daryl Jefferies and #22 Don McCullum with Barry Butterworth #18 bringing up the rear during the 1957-58 season at Western Springs.
(From the Mike Ryan collection, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1413821385528211/)

Barry Butterworth at speed in TQ #18 in 1958-59. By this time Barry was a leading TQ driver in Auckland.
(From the Des Harris collection)

After trying solo motorcycles, Barry returned to TQ racing when he purchased the ex-Ray Armstrong #10 in 1960.

(From the Des Harris collection)

Barry raced the ex-Armstrong TQ with considerable success at Kihikihi during the 1960-61 season. It was renumbered as #81 and had a similar livery to his former TQ #18.

(From the Des Harris collection)

Here is #81 in the pits ready for racing action.

(From the Des Harris collection)

For the 1961-62 season Ken Mullins fronted his first TQ #19 and had Vern Davenport, Doug Culhane and Barry Butterworth drive it. Barry won a TQ feature at Western Springs in it. Here are Ken (standing) and Barry (squatting) at the side of the road swapping wheels on the trailer while returning from an unsuccessful sojourn to Forest Lake for the NZ TQ Championship. Ken and Barry remained lifelong friends.
(http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=435742359806858set=o.192239297460554&type=3&theater)

Barry in the Ken Mullins TQ #19 on the inside of Les Nixon (#32) atWaiwakaiko Speedway during 1962-63.

(From http://www.facebook.com/barry.butterworth.21?fref=ts)

Barry in the Ken Mullins TQ #19 on the inside of Les Nixon (#32) atWaiwakaiko Speedway during 1962-63.

(From http://www.facebook.com/barry.butterworth.21?fref=ts)

The ex-Hogan V8-60 #7

Barry and his first midget car. A young Barry B sits in the ex-Hogan V8-60 in the pits at Western Springs in the 1961-62 season. He won the midget feature at the first, second and fourth meetings!
(From http://www.speedwayclub.co.nz/history.php)

Barry at speed in the ex-Hogan V8-60. He was one of the top four midget drivers at the Springs in the car and a NZ representative on the international nights.
(Max Butterworth Collection from One Tough Dude, The Barry Butterworth Story by Alan Batt, Speedway Classics, Alan Batt, Christchurch, NZ)

Placegetters in the New Zealand Junior Speedcar Championship in 1961-62. From left to right: Barry Butterworth third, Ron Carnell first and Brian Tracey second.
(From Australian Speedway -’68, Kenmore Press, NSW)

The ex-Hogan V8-60 in the red and white livery that Barry B raced it in.
(From the Des Harris collection)

Here is another shot of the ex-Hogan car. It was named the “Springdale Special” after the name of the farm where Barry and his wife, Joan, were living at the time.

(From the Des Harris collection)

Barry in #7 lines up on the outside of Johnny Harvey in the Mackay Holden #13. Barry was part of the NZ Midget team (along with Ian Holden, Ross Goonan and Lloyd Nutt) that raced against an Australian midget team of Andy McGavin, Ray Revell, Johnny Harvey and Len Brock at Western Springs.

(From the Gordon McIsaac collection)

Barry not giving an inch in the Springdale Special as he races with Australian John Harvey (#13) in the Don Mackay-owned Holden powered midget.
(From the Gordon McIsaac collection)

A photo from one of the 1961-62 Western Springs Programmes. The caption read “Most impressive first year speedcar driver, Barry Butterworth”.
(From https://www.facebook.com/kevin.mcintyre.52)

The Mintex V8-60 #7

Barry purchased the ex-Lloyd Nutt V8-60 and drove it in the 1962-63 and 63-64 seasons as the Mintex V860. He dropped an offy motor in the car in early 1964 and won his first NZ Championship (1963-64) ahead of Ian Holden and Ross Goonan (equal second) in their V8-60s.
(Max Butterworth Collection from One Tough Dude, The Barry Butterworth Story by Alan Batt, Speedway Classics, Alan Batt, Christchurch, NZ)

A fantastic early colour shot of Barry B in the Mintex V8-60 (#7) going around the outside of local driver Jim Collins (#1) at Waiwakaiho in the 1962-63 season. Barry won the Waiwakaiho Midget Championship that season.
(Photo from the Max Rutherford collection)

Barry receives the winner’s trophy after winning the Waiwakaiho Midget Championship in the Mintex midget.
(Max Butterworth Collection from One Tough Dude, The Barry Butterworth Story by Alan Batt, Speedway Classics, Alan Batt, Christchurch, NZ)

An advertisement in a Western Springs programme from the 1963-64 season featuring Barry in the Mintex V8-60, #7.

An enlagement of a photo shown above. Barry at full speed at Waiwakaiho Speedway in 1963. That weekend Barry drove the Mintex V8-60 #7 in the midget events and the Ken Mullins TQ #19 in TQ events – he won all his starts in both classes!
(From the Max Rutherford collection with Photoshop from RJH)

An action shot of Barry at speed at Western Springs in the Mintex V8-60 in 1962-63.
(From the Des Harris collection)

The Mintex V8-60 (#7) in the driveway being readied for racing on Saturday night.
(From https://www.facebook.com/barry.butterworth.21?fref=ts)

Another shot of #7 in the driveway.
(From https://www.facebook.com/barry.butterworth.21?fref=ts)

Ken Mullins (back to the camera) about to move the Mintex V8-60 as he speaks with Barry at Waiwakaiko speedway in 1962-63.
(From https://www.facebook.com/barry.butterworth.21?fref=ts)

The crew working of the motor of the Mintex V8-60 in the pits at Waiwakaiko.
(From https://www.facebook.com/barry.butterworth.21?fref=ts)

Here is Barry in practice for the 1963-64 season with a converted overhead valve V8-60 motor in #7. Unfortunately the motor was not reliable and Barry ran a McGee Holden-powered midget for much of the season.
(From the Gordon McIsaac collection)

Here is Barry in practice for the 1963-64 season with a converted overhead valve V8-60 motor in #7. Unfortunately the motor was not reliable and Barry ran a McGee Holden-powered midget for much of the season.
(From the Gordon McIsaac collection)

The ex-Ray Revell V8-60 #91

Barry purchased the ex-Ray Revell car off Merv Neal and fitted a V8-60 motor. He planned to race the red and white liveried car at the Springs for the first part of the 1964-65 season while the Mintex Offy was being prepared for shipment to Australia. However, a blown radiator hose early in the season left Barry with nasty burns and he was sidelined for a number of weeks.
(http://justmidgets.homestead.com/Revell-Offy.htm)

A young Ken Mullins working on the V8-60 motor in #91. The fuel injected V8-60 motor was owned by Ken while Barry owned the car.
(From the John Stanley collection)

Barry hugging the pole line in #91 as he goes under Snow “the old fox” Morris in #1.

(From the Gordon McIsaac collection)

The Mintex Offenhauser #7

The offenhauser motor installed between the chassis rails of the Mintex midget. It was the first NZ- owned Offy to compete on the NZ speedway circuit and was the car Barry won his first (1963-64) NZ Midget Championship.
(Mark Joblin photo from https://www.facebook.com/groups/
1413821385528211/)

The NZ Championship-winning MintexOffenhuser #7 on display in the driveway.
(From https://www.facebook.com/barry.butterworth.21?fref=ts)

Another colour shot of the Mintex Offenhauser.
(From https://www.facebook.com/barry.butterworth.21?fref=ts)

A young Bill Mudgway speaks to the crowd at the trophy presentation for the 1963-64 NZ Midget Championship. Barry (in the black tracksuit) speaks with Ross Goonan while Ian Holden looks on. Barry won with Ross and Ian second equal.
(From the John Stanley collection)

Barry running the Mintex Offenhauser at Waiwakaiho Speedway at the end of the 1963-64 season. He had just won the NZ Championship at Western Springs in the car.
(From the Max Rutherford collection )

A close-up of Barry at full throttle at Waiwakaiho in the Mintex offenenhauser as current NZ Champion.
(From the John Stanley collection)

Barry Butterworth racing the MintexOffy down low at Waiwakaiho as local driver Jim Collins spins out behind him.
(From the Gordon McIsaac collection)

Barry speaks on the PA system after winning the 1964 Waiwakaiho Midget Championship in the Mintex Offenhauser #7.
(Photo from the Max Rutherford collection)

With additional red livery added, the Mintex Offenhauser was shipped to Australia. Above, Barry sits ready for action at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground in 1964-65.
(Gordon Hogarth photo from Speedway’s Sensational Sixties by Tony Loxley, Bookworks, Padstow, NSW)

Ready to take on the Aussies in their own patch! He won the South Australian Speedcar Championship at Rowley Park first night out in Australia!
(From Oldtimespeedway.com/ – 1960s Speedcars – Album 1)

Barry charging to a win in the South Australian Speedcar Championship at Rowley Park. He started from grid 12 and blitzed the field.
(David Brock photo from Vintage Speedway Special No 8, July 2007)

Barry (R), on the victory lap, holds the spoils as winner of the 1965 South Australian Speedcar Championship. With him on the back of the ute are (from R to L) Johnny Stewart, Bruce Rickard and Kim Bonython.
(A J Batt collection from One Tough Dude, The Barry Butterworth Story by Alan Batt, Speedway Classics, Alan Batt, Christchurch, NZ)

Barry sitting in the MintexOffenhauser after winning the South Australian Speedcar Championship. Drivers standing are from R to L, Johnny Stewart, Bruce Rickard and Kym Bonython.
(From the Gordon McIsaac collection)

Bob Tattersall in the Holywood Spring and Axle Offenhuser (#54) on the inside of Barry who is partially obscured in the Mintex Offy.
(From http://justmidgets.homestead.com/54HSAOffy.html)

A young, happy-looking, Barry Butterworth on this first racing trip to Australia.
(From http://justmidgets.homestead.com/Evolution-Car27.htm)

Full opposite lock and honkin as Barry gives the Mintex Offy a boot full.
(From Oldtimespeedway.com/ – 1960s Speedcars – Album 1)

An extremely rare colour shot of Barry Butterworth at full speed at the Sydney Royale in the Mintex Offenhauser.
(Bill Meyer photo from https://www.facebook.com/groups/184768618290981/)

Bill Goode tries an inside pass on the “fiery kiwi” at The Brisbane Exhibiton ground.
(From Oldtimespeedway.com/ – 1960s Speedcars –Album 2)