So i met Kevin Bartlett yesterday...

[redzone]

At the Bowden's collection tour.. it's amazing i hadn't gone through there before, as my uncle does all of their cabinet making, and they live about 1km from my parents..

Anyways, an old friend of my father's (who he used to knock around with back in the 60's in tassie, when dad used to race sports cars), who had a couple of other mates of my dad coming up for the warwick historics meeting this weekend, and they decided to visit the Bowden's collection, and wanted to know if Dad would like to come along? (needless to say i did aswell) Also, my father told me a year ago that he actually went to school with Bartlett, and i also knew that KB was a friend of the Bowden's, and used to go to their collection often as he only lived up on the range near here, and raced some of their cars, including their genuine GT40..

So i asked John who was organising the visit, to ask the Bowden's if KB was available yesterday, as my father would be coming along and would be absolutely chuffed to see him.. we didnt know until the day if he would or not, but he turned up after lunch, snuck in without anyone realising, and started talking to my dad for about 10 seconds before Dad realised who he was LOL

So, Dad and KB caught up for the first time since about 1970, and i also had the chance to chat to him for a while, and of course i asked him about the Starion years!

To cut a longer story short, i'm looking at organising another Starion cruise later in the year, and KB said he'd be keen (as long as his schedule permits) to come along and meet some of us and have a chat about Starions and what they were like to race at bathurst back in the day!

For those who dont know his name, KB was the man that started Ralliart in Australia, and raced Starions at Bathurst and in group E for a few years..

So, anyone wanna see some pics of the cars at the collection?

[Vulpes]

That is a cool story. I bought a ja years ago off an old guy and turns out. Kb did all the servicing on it. I called kb to ask him about the ja and
he coulnt have been nicer and more helpful. I would be keen to come along. Cheers.

[WANTSOM]

Yeah Dave post some pics up when you can.

KB is a top bloke. I raced karts with/against his son Steven for a few years and Kevin was always out there with him and I found him to be a very down to earth but friendly bloke. Doesnt tolerate bullshit but good guy of you're straight with him.

Isnt it funny how the old racers still have respect for one another and remain friends long after they stopped racing. I wonder if the current generation will see the sport in the same context.

You dad would have been over the moon at catching up with him. Days like that are gold hey :beer

[OLD FART]

I have also spoken to KB as well and Greg Carr has driven my Staz on our dirt autocross track when it had a heap less grunt and he said he had forgotten how taily they can be :D
For those who don't know about Greg he has won the Australian Rally Championship 3 times and in the International rallies held here he was often faster than Ari Vattenen & Stig Blomquist For those who don't know Ari & Stig both won the WRC

[redzone]

Yeah KB was still very very keen on the Starion chassis, not so keen on mitsubishi australia's lax attitude to group A homologation LOL

[rodney007]

ya show some pics

[Sonic]

I would be keen as.....

[Mr Ralliart]

Isnt it funny how the old racers still have respect for one another and remain friends long after they stopped racing. I wonder if the current generation will see the sport in the same context.

You dad would have been over the moon at catching up with him. Days like that are gold hey :beer

Yeah, Dad and KB were in the same class in primary school, then they raced eachother in the late 60`s.
I remember as a kid in the 70's ( when Redzone was a baby lol ), in the pits playing tennis ball cricket with Brocky, Bondy, Bartlett, Harvey, Moffat, dad etc. ( only DJ was too up himself to join in), it was a different World back then. You could talk to any of those guys like your next door neighbor. It was sad when it got too `professional` in the late 80`s.

And yeah, even after dad retired, if we`d go to the races and bump into one of those guys, they`d always stop and talk. Even Brocky 20 years after would remember the `cricket` games and have a laugh.

I guess now with them, it`s like talking about old `war stories` was for their own fathers, they never get sick of it

:)

[merlin]

good KB stories -
back in the eightys, Bob Riley asked me to do some work on KBs Bathurst Starion, specifically to fool the stock ECU into richening or en-leaning the AFR on demand.
It was a good project and fun to work on.

[groupAralliart]

That would have been the Delcourt Gold Starion in84 I am guessing. Bartletts own car which was basically a factory one he purchased to run privately as a money earner. I crewed for it and had major electrical issues and never strted the race. Not a complete loss - I got the drivers pit pass and was able to go any where I liked!