Page 8-The Christchuith Star-Sun Sports, Feb. 13, 1954. Racing Ma Drivers Prov ny Thrills at VERSEAS racing driver Gaze, and hen Whar sport the biggest boost it ha since World War I, gave racing at its best in the Lad: Saturday. No. doubt What impuessed the more uninitiated was the terrifir spend of de B.R.M., bat for 1.h0:4 interested in thie finen benso motore racing there tiny Keatures. 1}K• first place. the over- KOH! men, although thes Were shit ing: 000 il wide airstrip cir- 1:1111. Janelled their ws 1116 1 weir rawing on il road They did not indulge in ally dittrack-style broadsiding 01) die heiris. buit slowed down coming to them and accelerat plete in true pad racing faction. imposing the nanineme Somed Time Molentr onployink thi: Bíyh 1 /it probal Juany precios seconds. ail (11 whits anne Panolnt impot tarne in treilen rating. AA was only to "1prated, the pact set boy the H.K.M.. Ferrari, and B. W.M. proved 100 for Eir New healanders. There certainly was aod one Nev Wralawd (all : 1hat approach these of the orer. Aras drivers tither In speedd er aceritantione 11 must bond be evident that poldated Cimm Prix cars such as the Alla Romeos of Ron Royand John MeMillan and the Maserati of Fred unbucka are no match for the lacels men are likely 10 bring 1o this country in the future. If drivers of the calibre of last week's overseas trio make the trip to New Zealand in future seasons for the major event--and tiere is now They Never Give Up! Whe auft of shich racing drivere are made saw admir. ably wwwn at the Lady Wignun Trophy race last Naturday. After having the run of the 'ace for the greater part of the dintaner, Ken Wharton went dramatically out of the content when the B.R.AL., which bad needed a gallon of all al He pit atop de the end of the forty-second lop, rume Anally to a atandallil about a quarter of a mlle from the fulshing line. A lenser man snight well have given up all hope. Not Whardon. He pushed the car scross the Hae for the best third place over carned at Wigram. It was not the first time Whardon has pushed a car home. He did the same thing with & Cooper-Briatol ut Monas, In Italy, recently. No one would have bamed the Nolion driver Halsey logan If he bad raced past Hee Green's blazing 8.A. In lies final alagen of the race, bet Logan, melg Green's dilemma, drove in R.A. to the Infeld and landed Green # fires extinguther (aN GreN'n woN Ntil in the cockpit of the blazing (sar), before continuing on his woy.. There are the things that mike motor radiog and other sport worth while. They aunt have Deem Jennone that made an leprenulan on the thoananda of youngaters at Wagram. r's Peter Whitehead, Tony lon, as well as giving • the as had in the South Island a demonstration of notor ly Wigram Trophy race last reason to suspeed that they will not, for Wharton has already stated that he is anxions 1o return--it is unlikely that New Zealanders will take any major share at the stakes, if they do not get comparable cars. I Could be Quite possibly New Zealand's classle events coukl develop into nothing more than exhibitions of motor racing in the grand mansier given by overseas drivers with a few of the more optimistie New Zealanders lag King along behind. There are a select few New Zealand drivers vio have the ability to win major Plenty given the proper cars. This was it Wigram. Rat Archibald, who has not made regar appearances in His country's big rares, abil demonstrated that he is a fine driver by taking his spolls Jaxuar "p to fourth place fairly early in the race. He hek! it there ontil a right front tyre gave up the unequal struggle and went flat, causing him to drift off the circuit into a straw bale on the sweeping bend into the pit straight. On paper it did not look as though the Jaguar which is a far cry from a Grand Prix racing rat, bad much of a show of finishing well up at Wigram. But the car bad been excellently prepared ind Archibald drove extremely well. If it had been realised that the lyre was going and he lad been stopped for a tyre change, there is Jiltle doubt that he eula have bee, 1o Most lans Alla Romeo did not have the performance that could be experted. The small motorcycle engined Cooper-Norton of Levin driver Arnold Stafford was the excepnon inat proved the rule at Wigram. While a number of other drivers of this type of car attempled the impossible and tried lo go with One larger car's, Stafford exercised pattence and wailed for the main chance. This came in the latter stages of the jace when drivers uf more powerful cars bad forged them to death in hopeless attempts to keep up near the front. He was rewarded with an excellent fifth place and it came from using his head. Gambled Much the same thing could be said of Whitehead's win. The Ferrari was obvlously not ag fast as the B.R.M. In fact it was probably a liltle slower than Gaze's H.W.M. But Whitehead contented himself with holding a comfortable second behind the B.R.M. Whether he could have gone faster only he know8, but he probably gambled on the fact that the jinx would not be lifted from the B.R.M. The gamble came off. He was not concerned when Gaze speeded up and passed him. to make up time for his 3lsec pit stop for new rear tyres and fuel, for obviously at that stage of the race he rided FAMOUS CAR BEING Wigram TUNED UP BEFORE THE RACE Luisang JUST HOW DOWSI'NG Brital's BRO. racing car is d shosen in the photograph of hast-minede aljustments before the Lady Wigram Trophy rare last Saferdag: realised he woukd he able to run through non-stop. Undoubtedly his steady driving conserved his fores and that was what made his win possible. If he had stopped, Gaze would have been assured of a win. So it was that Whitehead demonstrated that brains as well as a good car are of prime importance in winning races. Sponsors of the event, the Motor Racing Club. turned on an excellent day's racing. Apart from a flight time lag, caused In part by the grass fire which broke out before the Troply race cars practised, bere wils nothing anyone coul nna rault with. Arrangements must have made a favourable impression on the overseas drivers and the day must have done much go remove the misgivings that existed after the muddle which followed the Ardmore race on January 9.