8-2-54 8-2-54 WHARTON GUIDES B.R.M. ROUND A TURN BRITAIN'S € 200,000 B.R.I. racing car cornering at speed during the Lady Wigram Irophy race on Saturday. At the wheel is Ken Wharton. WIGRAM CAR RACE ТО P. WHITEHEAD The fastest car race ever run in the South Island, the Lady Wigram Trophy, was won by Peter Whitehead, English woolbroker and farmer, in an Italian Ferrari on Saturday. He covered the forty-eight laps of the two-mile course in 69min 51.3sec—an average speed of a little over 85 miles an hour. A crowd of 15,000 saw the race. An H.N.N. driven Australianoorn Tont Gaze, of England, took second place. Ken Wharton pushed his B.R.M. over the line to third place. The engine had weakened over the last six laps and cut out 400yds from the line. 'Not First Time' Had the B.R.W. finished as stronglv as it had covered the first forty laps, it would undoubtedly have won. Wharton, greatly disappointed. said afterwards: " This 15 not the first time. It's just that little trick of fate that has been against us all the time. From the grid Whitehead led. but Wharton took the leari inside 200yds. The noise of his car could be heard at Lancaster Park. He rocketed to 150 miles an hour down the mile-long back straight. Beginning the second lap #i harton had a 100vd lead on Whitehead Great disappointment to many was R. Roycroft's withdrawal after the first lap. The black Alfa Romeo was lacking oil pressure. Ture Blow-out R. J. N. Archibald (Christchurch) in Jaguar XK120 gained fourth place the overseas drivers and ahead of H. Green 1 Christchurch) the eleventh lap. He nano corner and struck a hay bale, which jammed under the car. His Crew got to work feverishly and the rar was out again. in eighth place, With a new wheel. Archibald finished sixth. Green's tar burst into fames near the end of the race. Wharton made fastest lap of the day. Imin 23.5sec. an average speed of 88.9 miles an hour. The offkial results of the race, with provisional times. are: Whitehead (England). 2000 Ferrari. 69 nyin s1.3ser l F. A. O. Gaze ( England), 2000 C.('. H.W.M.. 70min 32.3sec .. 2 K. Wharton (England). 1500 c.c. B.R.J.. 76min 19.5ser -•••• 3 J. Melilland (W'ellington). 2900 c.c. Alfa Ronien. Timin 59.4sec 4 A. Stafford ( Levin). 499 C.C. Cooper Norton. Timin -••• 5 R. .T. .1. Arrhibald ‹ Christ- (hurch). -smin 3442 (.C. XK120 Jaguar. 19.3500 6 FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD.—These are the men who took the first three places in the Lady Wigram Tony Trophy motor race on Saturday. Left, Peter Whitehead, English farmer and woolbroker; centre, Gaze, an Australian-born driver now based in England; right, Ken Wharton, English professional driver of the B.R.M. 8-2-54 HOT RUBBER thrown up from the tyres of competitors as he passed gave this "five o'clock shadow" to R. J. N. Archibald who drove his XK120 Jaguar into sixth place in the Lady Wigram Trophy race on Saturday. Archibald also took second place in the sports and racing car handicap earlier in the day.