14-2-53 21-2-53 14-2-53 TAKING A TURN AT SPEED.—R. Entwhistle competing in the side-car race at Wigram aerodrome on Saturday, when the Christchurch combined motor-cycle clubs held a meeting in aid of the Air Race F'und and Kiwi Restoration Fand. Heavy rain was falling when this photograph was taken. 14-2-53 14-2-53 LADY WIGRAM TROPHY RACE. WIGRAM, "SATURDAY, 28th FEB. Admission: Adults 3/-. Children 1/6. Cars 1/-. 8849 Racing Car on Display For schoolboys the shop windows of city retail stores usually hold little attraction, but lately the window of one has been an attraction for many boys-young and old. It contains the rear-engined R.A. Vanguard racing car of one of the city's leading racing drivers, Green. Resplendant in glossy red paint, the car is usually seen only from a distance and moving at speed in one of the local events. Many have taken the opportunity of making a closer and more leisurely inspection of it and the motor-racing photo graphs that surround it. The window display has been set up as a prelude to the Lady Wigram Trophy race at the end of the month. ROYCROFT HAS CHANCE AT WIGRAM After his outright win at average speed of 66 miles an hour in the 150-mile Mairehau road race, the Auckland racing motorist, Ron Boyeroit, looks almost certain to win the 50-mile Lady Wigram Trophy race at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Station, Wigram, on February 28. But no race is won until the chequered flag finally falls. Although most car enthusiasts will be surprised if the Aucklander does not complete the double with his Grand Prix Alfa Romeo, there is another school of thought about the trophy Unluckiest man last year was the local star, Hec Green. who romped from a high-class field establish a comfortable lead in his rear-engined R.A. Vanguard, only to lose it through a collapsed rear wheel. With his partner, Jack Brewer, Green is DOW completing extensive overhaul of the B.A. Vanguard with his eyes on a Wigram win. Green's car has never been asked the ultimate question as far as performance is concerned. With handling characteristics that far outshine the out-dated but fast Alfa Romeo, a maximum speed of about 140 miles an hour, and, perhaps the slightly better acceleration than Alfa Romeo, the Green-R.A. Vanguard combination must be conceded a very fair chance of success. Wellington Man's Prospects Wellington Bob Gibbons wheeled his 1100 c.c. the 2.1 mile circuit at an driver, cooper around average speed of 80 miles an hour last year and he must also be conceded more than a fighting chance. In a field which is likely to num- Roycroft, Green, and Gibbons look, the most likely men to fill the major places, but there is a powerful second string in the shape of Hec McLean (Cooper 1100), George Smith (Gee Cee Ess), Special), Les Moure (Kieft), and Des Wild (Alta). Roycroft should lap Wigram at abcut eighty miles an hour and the rest of the fast men, with the excep tion of Green who may prove faster than Roycroft, should not be far short of that figure if they want a share of the £600 stake money the Motor Racing Club is putting up for the race. This speed appears to be outside the capacity of most of the other cars in the race which include R. J. Patterson (Singer Special) H. G. ›'Neill (Chevrolet Special), V. Shuter (MeMillan Special), Stafford (J.B.S.), W. Darrell (A.C.E. Special), C. A. C. Ransley (Ransley Riley), D. J. Haigh (Citroen Special', E. Sprague Pope (Warners 158 Special Hoare in 1 Special). Yauxhall), and H. R. Logan (H.R.G.). ANOTHER WIN FOR ROYCROFT LIKELY IN WIGRAM RACE D races. Rone Rota Romeo that has already won two Wigram races, Ron Royeroft, of Auckland, looks an almost certain winner of the 50 mile Lady Wigram Trophy race, which will be run by the Motor Racing Club at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Station, Wigram, next Saturday. Starting from scratch, korerott brought the Alta Ronieo to victory in the lo0-nile lairenau road race at the end of January, and following that performance, and the previous performances of the Alfa Romeo at-Wigram in the hands of Les Moore, it would be hard to select another car to beat the combination. However, the fifty-mile Wigram dash, in which lap speeds of more than miles hour can expected, is a much different proposition from the long road race, and Roycroft would have to make only one mistake such as spin on one of the fast bends—to finish outside the major money, for it is almost certain there will be at least six cars in the field of twenty-two very close behind him, and waiting for the main chance. Other favoured men will be the Christcharch drivers Hec Green (B.d. Vanguard), Frank Shuter (V8 Special), Hee ScLean (Cooper 1100), Des Wild (Alta), the Wellington driver, Bob Gibbons (Cooper 1100) and the other Auckland competitor, George Smith (Gee Cee Ess). They are all good drivers, and they all have cars which should be able to lap Wigram only fractionally slower than Roycroft, with the possible exception Green, who must be regarded as the dark horse of the race with his R.A. Vanguard. Green may prove to be faster than Roycroft. Another factor which may well influence the final result will be the tactics adopted by the drivers. Roycroft is one who, in the past, has always driven well within his limits and held off for the main chance, being content to let others set the pace and overtax their motors in the effort. Grabs Lead George Smith likes to grab the lead from the drop of the flag, and then hold it all the way if possible. He does not mind having a pack of cars closely following him. Last year, Green went to the front from the start, and drew away from the field. It was reported that he could have gone considerably faster if he had been called upon to do so, but that did not happen, and Green retired with a collapsed wheel after twelve laps, when well in the lead Both Shuter and McLean are relentless drivers. They spare neither themselves nor their cars, and it is almost certain that who ever takes the lead in the early stages of the race will have these two men close up behind him. Wild, in the past, has not had a car fast enough to be a. serious menace to potential race winners. and his performance will be watched with interest, as he made second I fastest lap time in the mairehau race with the Alta. NZ's Best? There are few drivers who would not rate Roycroft the Dominion's top driver. Those who do not would most likely concede the honour to Gibbons, for he is probably the most stylish driver racing to-day. He is a natural racing driver who extracts the utmost from his car without overtaxing it, and he uses his head. If his 1100ec Cooper can last the distance, he must be given a good chance of taking some of the prize money. Unless there is a major upset among these top-rankers, the rest of the field does not look like taking any big share of the stake. Scratch Car Races Wil Be Welcome The decision of the Motor Racing Club to run two 25-mile scratch races for cars competing in the 50 mile Lady Wigram Trophy race at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Station, Wigram, next Saturday, will be welcomed by drivers and spectators alike. Last year the club ran two "heats" before the main event, and they developed into nothing more than processions as drivers of the faster cars either retired after completing one or two laps, or drove well within their limits to conserve ther cars for the trophy race. Two Classes This year the field of twenty-two for the trophy race falls into two categories, for half the cars have a capacity of more than 1500 c.c. and the balance have capacities of less than that figure. Therefore the club has decided to run two distinct races-one cars up 1500 c.c. and the other for cars of more than 1500 c.c. as a prelude to the trophy race. Of the two events the one for the smaller cars should prove the more interesting, for in it will be the 1100 c.c. Coopers of Hec McLean (Christchurch) and Bob Gibbons (Wellington), as well as the supercharged Kieft of the local driver Les Moore, and the 500 c.c. J.B.S. of Arnold Stafford (Wellington) to say nothing of Des. Wild's Alta. Their Best Chance These cars should be evenly matched, and a close race is likely, for the event will give these drivers their best chance of collecting share of the £600 stake which will be distributed over the three events. The race for. the larger capacity cars may not prove to be such a for the trophy race, for it is probable that the Christchurch drivers, Hee Green (R.A. Vanguard) and Frank Shuter (V8 Special) as well as the Aucklander, George Smith (Gee Cee Ess) will nurse their cars in the hope of heading Ron Roycroft (Alfa Romeo) in the 50-mile race. Roycroft looks the best of good things for the trophy race and if he wins he will be the first man to complete a hard double. At the end of January he won the Canterbury Car Club's Mairehau road race. Representative Field The twelve lap race for sports and saloon cars has also attracted an entry of twenty-two cars and Royo croft, Who will drive his Type 35A Bugatti, will give the limit men 6min 25sec start. In a field which is fairly representative of the bighperformance sports and saloon cars freely available in New Zealand today, it seems that Roycroft has a good chance of winning in this race laiso. However, the Bugatti is not the most reliable car, and it is possible, that the Mark VII Jaguar of R. M. Balley, which will start from the min 50sec mark, will come out the winner.