Joe of All Trades, From a Formula 5000 Championship to an Island Paradise
by Joe Wright with Gordon Campbell
Robert “Joe” Wright was one of New Zealand’s most successful racing car mechanics and engineers. This is his autobiography. He worked with New Zealand motorsport author Gordon Campbell to bring it to fruition. Campbell’s interventions are restrained but add useful background and information. This is Joe’s story in his own words. Although it is a Kiwi story it will have broad appeal as Joe worked for top racing teams and competitors in the US, Europe, and Down Under.
During the 1960s and 1970s New Zealand mechanics could be found working with all the top racing teams around the world. Their ability to turn their hands to any kind of work, matched with their ingenuity, made them highly sought after. Joe was one of the best.
In the first chapter Joe tells the story of his early life as a mechanic, initially in New Zealand working on various saloon cars including the Shelby Mustang of NZ Saloon Car Champion, Paul Fahey, then on the Eisert (“The Fat One”), which was designed as an Indianapolis 500 car but was raced in New Zealand as a Formula 5000.
There’s a delightful story of how Joe’s Aunty Muriel, who lived in Teretonga at the bottom of the South Island, became known for post-event parties. One evening, after a round of the Tasman Series, Jim Clark announced at the prize giving that he couldn’t stay long as he and Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart were going to Auntie Muriel’s. Many at the official event assumed that she must be a long lost relative of Clark’s, but she was Joe’s aunty with a reputation for providing excellent Kiwi food and a good time. The book is full of amusing gems like this, which make it hard to put down.
Joe then tells the story of his first foray in the USA working for a team called Zeus. “It was just such a Mickey Mouse outfit. They were there for the social side of it more than the racing.” During his time with Zeus Joe was pulled over by the State Troopers when he was driving the team truck. He faced drawn guns until he produced his New Zealand passport. One cop said: “Why didn’t you say you were from New Zealand. My wife’s a New Zealander!”
Shortly after, Joe returned to New Zealand, once again working for Paul Fahey but on a new Mustang.
The next part of the book covers Joe’s time as Graham McRae’s mechanic, starting with the McLaren M10B with which they won the 1971 Tasman Championship. There is coverage of his and McRae’s time in Europe during 1972. Joe briefly describes each event in the 1972 Tasman Series which they again won. The sad story of the decline in the relationship between Joe and McRae is offset by numerous funny anecdotes, tales of the strife that Joe managed to get himself into, and the fun times he had at the various places he travelled to.
A minor complaint is a lack of dates throughout the book which sometimes makes it difficult to understand when the events are taking place.
Racing in Europe with the Begg Kiwi team and the Begg FM5 F5000 reads like light entertainment after the nerve-wracking times with McRae. This tiny outfit obviously had great fun and survived on a shoestring. He then went from pauper to prince when he was hired by Count van der Straten to work with the VDS team with two Chevron B34 F5000 cars for Peter Gethin and Teddy Pilette. Joe describes this well-funded and happy team that won both Tasman and European Championships. The Count and Countess were special people who valued all their team members and looked after them.
The last three chapters cover Joe’s adventures driving from England to New Zealand in a new Range Rover he purchased when he finished at VDS; his last stint as a racing mechanic back with George Begg in New Zealand; and in the final chapter, the story of how he and his wife moved to the Pacific Island of Niue where they built and ran a small motel. Although this last part has nothing to do with motorsport it is an enthralling read that underscores just how versatile this interesting Kiwi was.
I found this to be a fascinating book. It is well written with the author’s laconic voice being perfect to tell the many tales and adventures of his life.
There are sixty pages of photos, both black and white and color. These are grouped at the end of each of the seven chapters. The book is in landscape format (260 mm X 210 mm); the Foreword is by one of his mentors, Ray Stone. There are Acknowledgement and Bibliography sections but no Index.
Copyright 2025, Peter R. Hill (speedreaders.info).
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