29-1-56 21-1-56 21-1-56 FIRE DANGER AT WIGRAM RISK DURING MOTOR RACE CLUB OFFICIALS APPEAL FOR CARE The fire danger at Wigram will be acute when the Lady Wigram Trophy motor race is held today. During the last race a major fire was started at the aerodrome when a careless spectator threw down a cigarette butt. This year the fire danger is even worse. Officials of the Motor Racing Club, which is organising the programme. are concerned at the risk of fire breaking out when the large crowd assembles. Spectators are asked by the club to be extremely careful with matches and cigarette butts and any other material which could cause a fire. Signs warning of the fire danger will be erected about the course. Club officials have also made an appeal to the public not to avoid ticket-sellers by jumping fences. "The cost of bringing four of England's top drivers to Wigram runs well into four figures," said the secretary of the club (Mr P. MacShane). "If the public wants to see overseas drivers competing in the years to come, they should be sporting enough to contribute. It is nothing for spectators. in Europe and England to pay from £5 to 27 for a ticket, and the cost of a race is just as much here as there." Mr MacShane referred to an unpleasant incident during the last Lady Wigram Trophy race when a member of the public had trespassed on to a farmer's property near the boundary. "We expect the public to respect other people's properties near the airfield, and although we are not responsible for such damage. we are most concerned about it, " he said. ARRANGEMENTS FOR TRAFFIC Arrangements for trame to the Wigram aerodrome today for the international motor race have been announced by the Motor Racing Club. The club asks that spectators have the exact money at the gates, to avoid the serious congestion which could otherwise arise. Those wishing : to view the cars travelling along the back straight should approach Wigram by way of Lincoln and Annex roads. The main stream of traffic is expected to use Riccarton road, and cars should turn left immediately after crossing • the Sockburn railway. A large entrance gate on this route can admit five lanes of traffic at once. Motorists coming from south of Christchurch are advised to use the main entrance gate to the aerodrome. If this entrance should happen to be congested, motorists can use Vickery's road. The Simes' road entrance is strictly for pedestrians and bus passengers. The gates will open at 8.30 a.m. Almost 100 men on the gate are voluntary helpers from the Papanui Returned Services Assnciation. Car Racing At Wigram To-day Retirements came early in the open car handicap which pre ceded the Lady Wigram International trophy race at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Station, Wigram, to-day. Barry Brown (Austin A40 Special) held the lead for the first six laps, at the end of which A. Shelley (Morgan), of Wellington, passed him, to stay in froni to the finish speciall, of with V.R Blackburn (Citroen Christchurch, second. Excitement Excitement reached fever pitch in the sports car race as Ross Jensen (Auckland), un an Austin Henley, fought lap atter lap to stove off repeated challenges from the Aston Martins of David McKay and Tom Suiman. Time and again he was passed by the faster cars down the back straight, only to pass them in turn as they started to brake for the S-bend. out in front was Tony Gaze in his H.W.M. Jaguar, unchallenged after taking the lead from Jensen in the sixth lap. Jensen had the lead from the start. Gaze had started badly in the Grand Prix start. Running across the track ne leapt into his car, pressed the starter, and roared away-in reverse. hastily stopped and changed into low, forward gear. He took several laps catch the leaders. Christchurch Driver With Jensen during his fight with McKay • and Sulman was the Christchurch driver, Ray Archibald, in his Jaguar 4hI20. Archibald sat comfortably be hind the tight group of three and when Jensen spun backwards into the straw bales on the entrance to the front straight, on the twenty-second lap, Archibald moved past Sulman and McKay. Like Jensen, he was also chailenged by the faster car but he held on to go inside both cars as they approached the S-bend. He heid his place to finish second to Gaze with McKay, third. Sulman fourth and Jensen, who had restarted, into fifth place. Results: All-powers Race for Motor-cycles 500 c.c. Class: B. McGiboon • (Tai Tapu), Triumph, 1; S. Burtt (Soutabriage), Norton, 1, 3. 350 CC Round (Christchurch, Triumph, 3. Class: A. 3L. Daniel (Christchurca), BS&1, E Timms (Timara), | church), Ciass: P. Phillips (Christchurch), B.S.A, * ESt there Christ, ne 200 cc Class: C. Fisk church), Excelsion, i; B Knowles (Christchurch), Francis Barnet 21 R Scott (Christchurch), O.2.C- Open Car Race (25 miles, 12 laps) -A. L Shelley (Wellington), Mor gan, Blackburn (Christchurch), Citroen Special, R. Rutherford (Christchurch), Vauxhall, 3. Time23min 3.Isec. Sports Car Race - (24 laps, 50.7 'miles)-F. O. A. Gaze (Great Britain) H.W.N. Jaguar, 1; R. J. N. Archibald i (Christchurch), XK-120, 2; A. Moffatt (Ashburton), XK-120 Jaguar, 3. Time —39min 58sec. 500 c.c. Expert Race for Motor, cyclists (10 laps, 21 miles)-A. G. Holland (Christchurch), Norton, 1; T. McCleary (Christchurch), A.J.S. TR 2; N. C. McCutcheon (Dunedin), A.J.S. 7R, 3. Time-16min 34.2sec. Junior Experts Race for Motor- McClear y (Christchurch), A.J.S. 7R, 1; - N. C. McCutcheon (Dunedin), A.J.S. 7R, 2; I time 13min 45.8sec. Swarbrick (Oxford), A.J.S. 7R, 3. LADY WIGRAM WON BY P. WHI NGLAND'S Peter bright red Ferrari Lady Wigram Trophy Successive win at Wigra In second place was Tony faze, of England, also driving § Ferrari. This also was the same position in which he finished in the last race in 1954. Considering the terrific pace at which the race was won the 150 miles was completed without any serious mishap. A lastminute st • chain-breakage robbed , of Wellington, oi the honour of being the first New Zealander to finish. He replaced the chain, restarted, and went ốn to gain eighth placing. Syd Jensen, of Palmerston North, in his diminutive Cooper, was the first New Zealander to finish, and he took fifth place. For a few brief seconds the • Union Jack was held aloft in the strong easterly, then, accompanied by a rising roar of sound, it dropped and the 1956 international Lady wigram Trophy race was under way with twenty-two cars racing in one tight bunch into the first bend and around the hangars. Four cars emerged clearly from the tight bunch the time the back straight was reached-Peter Whitehead (Ferrari), Tony Gaze (Ferrari), Reg Parnell (Aston Martin), and Leslie Marr (Connaught). Surprise of the early lap was Ron Moore in his Coper who was not very far behind Reg Parnell and was certainly leading the rest of the field. Left Behind One of the fastest cars on the circuit, the 4 Cit Maserati. of Pat Hoare, was left behind at the start but by the third lap had caught up. It soon became obvious that the main battle was between Whitehead and Gaze. their only threat being Leslie Marr, who Kept them close company. but Jost his handy position when he şpun in front of the hangars as he started his tenth lap. Christchurch enthusiasts were disappointed when Ron Moore, still in fifth place, pulled into his pit. It was later announced that he had severed an oil pipe. Approaching half-distance the four leaders were Whitehead, ten lengths ahead of Gaze, who in turn was half a lap ahead of Marr. In the fourth place was Reg Parnell. Whitehead, driving his i, to-day won the 150-mile race. It was his second am, his last being in 1954. Syd Jensen settled down to the long distance, but was not allowed to have it all his own way and Ron Frost. of Wellington, also driving a Cooper, repeatedly challenged Jensen's position of fifth place. Parnell Lapped By the fifty-sixth lap, Whitehead and Gaze, in that order, continued to lead Marr, all three having lapped the fourtn man, Reg Parnell. Parneil, in fact, was threatened at one stage by Jensen and frost. The driving of Whitehead and Gaze appeared etiortless. They drifted into bends and drove out of them like the masters they are. Even the Coopers, renowned 'or their cornering, were passed by the two Ferrari drivers on both fast and slow bends: The tussie between Jensen and Frost changed somewhat after the fiftieth lap when Frost pulled in to refuel, That left Jensen out by himselt. Shortly after Frost had restarted, Jensen also called in for fuel. His fifth stop, lasting 54sec, must have taken longer than Frost's, for when he re. started he was a good quarter of a mile behind Frost. Place Battles Interest over the last few laps centred more on the battles that were going on for minor places. Frost, driving hard, kept Jensen at bay and in his pit there was much jubilation as he roared past with only two laps to go. Their jubilation was Shortlived. As he crossed the line his revolutions rose in a scream and he coasted siowly to a halt near the end of the front straight. Hurriedly his pits rushed a new chain to the car but it was too late to regain for him his position, although he finished in a creditable eighth place. Behind Jensen, who moved up to fifth place behind Parnell, was Frank shuter, in his special, Shuter had driven a consistent race throughout, and while his car is at times difficult to handle he lost little ground on the tricky S-bend and around the hangars. In seventh place as they finished was Ron Roycroft, who has been timed as the fastest driver around the hangar bend from the TROPHY TEHEAD Retirements Late in the race there were three retirements. J. MeMillan, who had been running steadily pulled out because his Alfa Romeo dropped a valye. P. M. Hoare's very fast 4 Clt Maserati, which had been dogged by bad luck from a late start, broke an oil return and was withdrawn. W. Darrel (A.C.a. Special), who with R. Symons (S-H) had been tailing the field, retired when his oil radiator burst late in the race. While England's drivers had a victorious outing and gave a grand demonstration of grand prix driving, for Australia it was a different story. Tom Sulman, the racing grandfather, put up a splendid fight against more powerful cars, although he was outdriven by the leading New Zealanders, finally retiring half-way through the race with trouble with his crown wheel and pinion. His fellow-Australian. David McKay, lost valuable ground in the early stages when he made a pit stop to check his tyres. Later in the race he repeated his pit stop, thereby losing all chance of gaining a major place. McKay inally • retired in the eighteenth lap with transmission trouble. Ross Jensen, of Auckland, in the Austin-Healey, with which he had put up such a fine per- - formance in the sports car race. was almost hopelessly outclassed in the bigger field, although be maintained his reputation for fast brilliant cornering. There is no doubt that New Zealand drivers acquitted themselves well in international competition with top English drivers. In comparison they proved to be lacking in only speed, for their bandling was m the main of highest standard, particularly on siow corners. * Of particulas interest was the > driving of Ray Archibald in his s Jaguar. While appearing to be completely at ease ne romped his large car through the bends with the same touch as shown. by the overesas drivers. Results: • Saloon Car Race (12 laps, 25 miles -P. P. Stringer, Auckland (Porsche-Super) 1, V. L. Neate, Christchurch (Borgwara 2, I. A. Archibald, Christchurch (Citroen) 3. Time-26min 11.2 sec. Lady Wigram Trophy Race (71 laps, 150 miles)... N. White. head, England (Ferrari), 1, 1.O.A Gaze, England (Ferrarı) 2, L. L Mart, England (Connaught) 3, R. Parnell, England (Aston-Martin) 1S. Jensen, Palmerston North (Соорет) 5, shuter, Christchurch (special) 6, R. Royeroft 7. Auckland (Bugatti-Jaguar) Time-108min 0.3sec. Fastest lap-1min 26.7sec, by F. O. A. Gaze on his eighteenta All results and times are pro visional