13-1-59 Motor Racing THREE OVERSEAS DRIVERS WILL COMPETE AT WIGRAM Only three overseas drivers since Flockhart's car is the same have accepted the terms offered'as the Owen organisation by the Motor Racing Club infrace in the championship series Christchurch to compete in the this year, its Ardmore failure is fith international Lady Wigram not a very promising start. If the Trophy race on January 24. They car can hold together for the 150 are Ron Flockhart (B.R.M.) twice|mile at Wigram it must have a winner of Le Mans in Ecurie good chance of an overdue win. Ecosse Jaguars; Jack Brabham Crash at Rouen (Cooper), world Formula Il champion; and Australian, Last Saturday's race was Flock- Amold Glass (Ferrari). hart's first since a crasn at praç- Several problems were met by tice at the Rouen Grand Prix last the Motor Racing Club repre- June. He broke his spine in two sentative (MI I. Daikee) when he places, crus! I six ribs and punediscussed the Wigram race with tured a lung overseas drivers in Auckland on "According to doctors, I should- Sunday. Harry Schell and Carroll n't even be driving,. Shelby, who drove the latest Pic- walking. but I feel pretty good colo Maseratis of Scuderia Buell and I've had a couple of drives," at Ardmore, took part in the said Flockhart Auckland. discussions, but later announced crashed when I had to leave the would be unable to come avoid an ambulance south. Maserati's chief mechanic which had been driven on to the track.' who is in New Zealand, Bertoc- Flockhart's greatest success in chi, is adamant that the two Pic- grand prix events colo Maseratis are in no fit mech-!! was a third anical condition to compete at place in the B.R.M, at the Grand Wigram. They will be shipped Prix d'Europe in 1957. Because Flockhart's car has a back to Italy immediately, where will be prepared for the bad reputation, Jack Brabham, the championship series Australian who is the world Formula Il champion, will be pre-race Joakim Bonnier (250F Maser- favourite. Brabhar was second to atl). the Swedish champion, Stirling Ardmore, booked out of Auckland on the has a car which is ideally suited aircraft to Wigram. Shelby. His car withdrew at Ard- McLaren, ol Auckland, more because of steering trouble, who gained third place at Ardbut it is difficult to understand more, will also drive a Cooper why this relatively minor fault and has a grand chance of being ¡the first New Zealander to win an should decide him against competing at Wigram. international event at Wigram. No entry has yet been received Not Money Zealand's champion However, all three drivers as- driver last season, Ross Jensen. Daikee that their dis-! interest in the Wigram race was not a matter of money. The Australian, "Bib" Stilwell (Ferrari) will stay in New Zealand until the end of this week. ,but he too, has made plans to Australia before the Wigram race. Although the lack of overseas drivers may be mourned by South Island motor racing it will give New Zealand drivers an opportunity to win some di the major prize money. For the last four years first prize has gone English , driver, ¡year New Zealanders will have! their best opportunity since the international races were begun at Wigram in 1954. Glass cannot be• considered among the top drivers in the race, so that Brabham and Flockhart are the main contend- It must have surprised few enthusiasts Flockhart forced to withdraw from the Ardthe B.R.M. The car was living up to its usual ¡reputation for unreliability, and 13-9-59 13-1-59 MOTOR RACING IN N.Z. Moss Surprised At Enthusiasm (N.Z. Press Association-Copyright) (Rec. 7.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 12. The British racing driver, Stirling Moss, today described the enthusiasm for racing in New Zealand as "fantastic." Moss, with his wife, arrived in Sydney today from New Zealand. after winning the Ardmore Grand: Prix. "The crowd of 100,000 people at Ardmore was unbelievable for a place that size," he said. Moss said he was disappointed at Mike Hawthorn's retirement after winning the world. championship last year. "I would have liked to have a crack at him," he said. Moss said he considered the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne one of the best tracks in the world. "With resurfacing the Albert Park track would be really excel- ¡lent," he said at Sydney airport today. "The New Zealand Ardmore track is only fair in comparison." Within two hours of landing, Moss was on his way to Darwin, to shoot crocodiles. He will spend two days there before fying on to Hong Kong and Bangkok. In Bangkok, he will stay with Prince Bira, who is also known jon Buropean racing circuits as a top line driver. WIGRAM TOO TOUGH FOR ARNOLD GLASS The Australian racing driver, Arnold Glass, who on Sunday contracted to drive his Dinoengined Super Squalo Ferrari in the Lady Wigram Trophy on January 24. has changed his mina. Glass, who finished well back in the field in the New Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore last Saturday, felt that he might have had a chance of paying his way in the 150-mile Wigram classic. But he has decided that the calibre of the _entry is so good that he would not have a chance with his car, which made such a poor showing at Ardmore. He is returning to Australia immediately with the car. Disgusted •Glass said in Auckland that he was disgusted with the way his car performed in the Grand Prix. The fact that it is fitted with the latest 21 litre Ferrari motor, which has been winning major European Grand Prixs recently, is indicative of the fact that the • stage has now been reached where there are at least some locally-owned cars that can hold their own in any comрапу. 13-1-59 14-1-59 B. MeLAREN'S PLANS Working On Car (Nero Zealand Press Association): AUCKLAND, January 12. Alter his magniticent run into third place in the New Zealand International Grand Prix on Saturday, Bruce Mclaren was busy working on his Cooper today in! preparation for four future races. McLaren will de competing in the races at Wigram, Levin, Invercargill and Waimate. valves main repair will be to two which McLaren believes he bent when he missed a gear some. time between the tenth and ffteenth laps. Discussing the spin in the third lap, which pushed him back from! the leaders, McLaren said that he got a bit out of line when passing Harry Schell at the Cloverleaf and hit the gravel. "This race was the greatest ever in New Zealand and will help to put our Grand Prix on the map," he said. Molor-Racing TROPHY RACE AT WIGRAM Glass Unable To Compete The number of overseas drivers who will compete at the Lady Wigram Trophy race on January 24 has now been reduced to two. the smallest number of overseas competitors to compete since the international races were began in 1954. Yesterday, the Australian, Arnola Glass, advised the Motor- Racing Club that he was satisfied with the performance of his Ferrari and was returning to Australia. The Motor Racing Club is now left with only Ron Flockhart (B.R.M.) and Jack Brabham ¡Cooper) as major drawcards for Wigram. The club was relying on the Maseratis of Joakim Bonnier, Harry Schell, and Carroll Shelby coming to Christchurch-which would have been an intensely interesting field-but all three are unable to compete because there are no spares : for their cars in this country. Flockhart will arrive at the Christchurch Airport by a privately-owned Cessna aircraft Sunday. His car, which has been fitted with a new gearbox after its failure at Ardmore last Saturday. is loaded on the Kamatui, which is expected to berth Lyttelton early on Monday morning. Gordon Newman, the chief mechanic for B.R.M. is travelling • on the vessel with the car. Brabham will not arrive in 'Christchurch until the middle of i next week. He will have two cars iat Wigram—a Cooper 1960 c.c. and the 2200 c.c. car which he drove into second place at Ardmore. On Thursday morning of next week, the drivers will be tendered a civic reception by the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr George Manning), and in the evening there will be a function organised by the Motor Racing Club.