9-7-58 WIGRAM RACE NEXT YEAR Date Fixed For January 24 The fifth international motor race for the Lady Wigram Trophy will be held next year on January 24. At the annual meeting the Motor Racing Club last evening it was reported that the secretary of the New Zealand International Grand Prix (Mr F. Perkins) is at present in Europe: negotiating on behalf of the club for overseas drivers to compete in the event. Subject to the approval of the Marine Department the club will organise the New Zealand Beach Race championship at South Erighton on July 20. Twenty-six entries have been received the event, some of which are from drivers in the North Island. Officers elected were:—Patron Mr i. Mathison, M.P.; president. Mr C. H. Croft; secretary, Mr s. A. Brewer; treasurer, Mr P. M. MacShane; vice-presidents, Messrs 1. Daikee and J. O. Trevor; committee, Messrs B. Williams, Hardy, D. Farr. H. Bandy, W. D Laing, A. E. Kennard, A. Stuari, W. Halliday. D. S. Drewery. 19-8-58 SPORTING NOTEBOOK Prospects for an exceptionally It seems unlikely that Tony good senes international Vandervell will give Moss a Vanraces in New Zealand early next wall to race in New Zealand. It year have been heightened by would not be surprising, howthe announcement if his mount was one of secretary of che Auckland Intere evel, Walker's 2.2-litre Coopers. national Grand Prix Organisa- These cars have gone very well tion (Mr Frank Perkins) has this season. Moss won the Argenbeen able to sign up Stirling tine Grand . Prix with one much Noss, Carrol Shelby and Jack Brabham. to everyone's surprise, and then Naurice Trintignant Whether Moss will be able to Monaco Grand compete in the Lady Wigram Walker car. Trophy and at the Invercargill These very fleet machines are international meeting as well as prepared by Ali Francis who, in the New Zealand Grand Prix at one stage, was loss's persona Will most likely depend upon his mechanic. Walker 1s probably commitments in the Argentine. the only private owner who has Unfortunately the races in that. cash with New Zea Won a world champions race things usually domain of the factory teams. Although everyone would like towards the world championship. to see the Vanwall performing Before Mr Perkins left for in New Zealand in Moss's cap , Europe, officials of the Christ- able hands, one of the Walker church Motor Racing Club and Coopers would perhaps be the the Southland Sports Car Club best alternative. arranged to book drivers on their behalf, but without prejudice to the Auckland It must be remembered organisation. the successful Formula I and Il So far, the secretary of the Coopers are holding their own Motor Racing Club • (Mr _ Jack with the more powerful Grand Brewer) has received no details Prix cars and has made with the three drivers racing to-day. of the arrangements Mr Perkins speaking, the lightest case all he has signed up. The Coopers have an enviable But it can be taken as almost safety record, and this is all the certain Australian,. | more surprising because they are Brabham, will be at Wigram by far the most widely-used raconce more. He likes spend ing cars and thus are not althe summer here and in ways handled by the best driv home country with his family. John Cooper tackled the prob- Shelby, the American, is by lem of designing a racing car no means in the top class, but by getting away from all pre he has had his share of success conceived notions. He realised that to win races in the United States and taken some places in major events on the lap times count more than the Continent, so he should bel anything else. Io put it quite! good value, and could possibly plamiy, he has proved conmake the full New zealand cir- clusively that the maximum •cuit as it is unlikely that he speed can be only a secondary will be committed in the Argenconsideration. His cars are not tine. Recently he has been driv- fast by Grand Prix standards, ing for the Centro Sud stable, but they do go round corners using Maseratis mainly. exceptionally quickly and sately, * and their light weight gives So far the Motor Racing Club them a very favourable powerhas had only one direct inquiry for a Tady a driver ie them to accelerate hich, enables John Campbell-Jones, an lishman, who is considering bringing out a Formula Cooper and a Lotus sports car.l The club has not made any definite arrangement with him, but some joint plan with Auckland and Invercargill is likely. * 26-8-58 The Christchurch Motor • Racing Club has not yet received any word from the New Zealand International Grand Prix organisation about the terms ¡under which the secretary (Mr Frank Perkins) engaged Moss, Carroll Shelby and Jack Brabham to race at Ardmore next January. The two organisations are working together on the engagement of drivers, but this does not necessarily mean that all the arivers engaged for Auckland will appear in the Lady Wigram Trophy. In Auckland there is a feeling that moss may be given a Vanwall to drive in the Grand Prix. Brabham will certainly be ariving a Cooper, and it seems most probable that Shelby will have a 250F Maserati similar to the one owned by Ross Jen. sen, New Zealand's 1958 cham-! pion. * * * 2-9-58 SPORTING NOTEBOOK HINGS are beginning to Special Interest • Safest speed up with New Race control is a subject that Zealand's series of interna-is oi particular interest to clubs which promote the international ALTHOUGH there may be some people who would call Mike tional races getting closer. feature events in New Hawthorn a brasn young upstart The latest development is each season, and the author pro for taking Juan Manuel Fangio an inquiry directed to the vides valuable informa- to task over his statement that Christehureh Motor Racing TOn On Ms Subject. Grand Prix cars to-day are too His hints on lap scoring and light for safety, the weight of Club from Reventlow Auto-time keeping will be of particu- undeniably mobiles, of Los Angeles, interest to those who run Hawthorn. about the Lady Wigram cars in events here and will also The fact is that Grand Prix be helpful to those enthusiasts Trophy race. who find difficulty in following form of the sport. Since the This firm is run by Lancejraces. Bodley end of World War II only Reventiow, son of Barbara Hut-{through Fishers). three drivers have been ton, and it has been developing killed in actual Grand Prix an All-American sports-racer. Asked about the use of a comraces for Formula I cars — The car is not unlike the D-type pany's car by a English airm the Christian Kantz in 1948, and Jaguar in appearance and is accountants of an English Luigi Musso and Peter Colpowered by a specially-tuned wrote to the local tax office: version of the Chevrolet Corvette lins this year. "Our client only used the commotor. It is known as the pany's car for a period of seven Certainly a number of other Scarab. weeks between mia-November, big names have lost their lives Provided it can be assured of when he passed his driving test. in accidents-but not in Grand enougn starts in new zealandand the first week in January Prix acccidents, as a little reand Australia, the California when he completely wrecked search will show. During the firm has told the club it will send the car." currency of the 750 kilogrammes including, the New Zealand Grand Pris, ¡formula before Word possibly, a special single-seater will not be able to race in the there were five fatal accidents with a 5.5 litre engine. rest of the series because of in Grands Prix and only two of coramitments elsewhere. them were with the fabulously Reventiow and Chuck Haigh. ¡ever, it is virtually certain that powerful German Mercedes-Benz The club has not entered into and Auto-Unions. Brabham and the Texan, i The evidence overwhelmingly a definite arrangement yet be Carroll Shelby, will be available cause the promoters of the in- supports Hawthorn who błuntly for Wigram. ternational series here have an Although the Association of: stated that Fangio spoke "absoagreement costs of New Zealand Car Clubs met in lute rubbish." drivers, so the proposal will have Wellington to arrange the fixture to be looked at by all concerned. list for the coming season at the Retention week-end, the dates If the Royal Automobile Club Stirling Moss major national and international events were settled beforehand has its way at the Milan conter- In the meantime the club's ence of the International Autosecretary (Mr Jack Brewer) has There will be a meeting mobile Federation this week and received a letter from the secre- at Ardmore on December 13, manages to have the existing tary of the Auckland Inter- and on January 10 there will ¡Grand Prix formula - 2500c.c. national Grand Prix Organisation be the Grand Prix at Ard- unsupercharged (Mr Frank Perkins). in which The Lady supercharged - retained, Mr Perkins states that Stirling Trophy will be held here will be stronger than Moss, who has been engaged for On January 24. January 31 Britain in next year's has been allocated for the Dunedin Festival Road Race, The R.A.C. is prepared to ac- Valuable Book and February 7 will see the l'eretonga Park international cept a commercial fuel in place of the aviation spirit now being race at Invercargill. On Feb. That should be no great By Racing ruary 28, the Manarratu Car Club will run a meeting at hardship cult transition because the difficult Manager Ilast year when a change was No doubt this list will be ex- alcohol fuels to Most books on motor sport There will almost cer- aviation deal with the subject from the tainly be a national meeting at much research and development driver's cockpit and all too Teretonga Park about the end of frequently the reader learns November, then the Canterbury Notably the use of a less nothing about the immense Car Club will wish to sandwich fuel has not organisation behind the driver. in the C.W.F. Hamilton and J. F.+ sulted in any decrease in lap Now this gap has been filled by Tutton Trophy races. and it is just as John Wyer, who for a number the end of the season there will that the racers will of years, was racing manager of be the Ardmore "Fifty" meeting. lap even faster next year on the Aston Martin sports By and large it looks as though commercial petrol if that team. the season is going to be a very restriction is introduced. His booty is most Management, The Canterbury Car Club will Next Sunday will see the last start its sprint but one in the World taining instructive, and season with a Championship particularly well written. standing quarter-mile on Septem- Italian series - the though team racing is not com- Grand Prix at Monza. mon in New Zealand, the reader Stirling Moss won it last year tol will find Vir Wyer's chapter on give the Vanwall its third Grand this subject most illuminating. Prix of the season and undoubtedly he will be the hardest , man to beat again. He averaged 120.28 miles an hour to head off • Fangio (Maserati). von Trips i Ferrari) and Gregory (Maserati).i