22-1-59 LADY WIGRAM TROPI ANYONE'S GUESS In the last winners hav own terms. few years t e been able to But the fifth he Lady Wig more or less international ram Trophy dictate their race in the series on Saturday is not likely to pan out that way. Unt to overseas drive ing in the 150-mile clas It is a pity that this i Zealand Grand Prix at Ar much for what mas earlier rs will be competsic. s so, but the New dmore proved too considered tough Continental competition people very wiselt deci match — on their Ardm competition to be expec and the Seuderia Buell ded their cars were no lore showing — for the ted in the trophr race. The point is that whereas The Cooper-Climax contin• gent is very strong. Ans- Iwo or three seasons ago an tralian Jack Brabham, 1958 overseas driver with a good winner of the N.Z. Grand car could come to New Zea- Prit and second-placeman land with a good chance off this year, will most likely use his 2200 c.c. car. Vicwinning at least two inter- tory has eluded him at Wignational races, now the over- ram so far and naturally he seas man must have a vert will be anxious to add the Lady Wigram Trophy to his good car and be a very good long • list of international driver. successes. Even then, as last season Brabham had an untroubler showed, and as has been in- run at Ardmore this year and; dicated already in this year's ) may have been able to go faster. It always seemed that he realised Grand Prix, an overseas man Moss had the measure of his car has little chance of a run-with the faster Rob Walker away win unless he is of the Cooper and Brabham was con- tent to come home second. brilliance of Stirling Moss. In the past it has been possible to sort out a select two or three drivers in the trophy race as Third place at Ardmore went, potential winners. The task is ¡to the brilliant young AuCK-: not nearly so easy this time. lander, Bruce cLaren, with his It is only safe to say that the 11960 c.c. Cooper and on his showrace will resolve itself into a ling there can be little to pick and four-cornered struggle between choose between him and the the British B.R.W., the larger • Australan. McLaren is quite capacity Cooper-Climaxes, and capable of winning at Wigram the Italian Ferraris and Mase- and should certainly finish in ratis. the first four. Then there is a bevy of 1500c.c. Coopers driven by capable! To pick the strongest corner! Jensen. pilots like Merr Veil and Syd Jensen. despite the hanis not easy. …It may be that'dicap of a small motor finished occupied by the B.R.M., which well' up at Ardmore and on his will be driven by • the young showing there should shade Neil Scotsman, Ron Flockhart. The at Wigram. It is safe to say that B.R.M. did not see out the dis- these two drivers will be handily! Prix, but it should perform bet- tance in the New Zealand Grand Pand ta pounce inta major fril positions ter at Wigram, and Flockhart cars wilt in the latter stages of! showed himself to be a first-rate the race. fast driver at Ardmore. If the B.R.)L holds together it will certainly be the hardest car to heat. Ross Jensen brought home his ailing El Salvador Maserati in fifth place at Ardmore, having been deprived of the use of the chitch fairly early in the race. This car proved itself much faster and more roadworthy than the Temple Buell Piccolo Maseratis. is in reality a huskier Ser• sion of these cars. Un the Aramore snowing Jensen, wno was placed second with an earlier 250F Maserati; to the late Archie scott-Brown in last year's trophy race, must be given a chance equal to that of Mc- Laren and Brabham. He is a good driver, but perhaps lacks that little extra something that auss able mand NicLaren in The Ferrari corner does not look quite so promising as the other three. Pat Hoare, the local driver, will be using his 3-litre model, and the Aucklander Tom Clark his older 3}-litre Super Squalo. Ron Roycroft, also of Auckland, did not start in the Ardmore race because his 47-litre model developed motor trouble at one of the practice sessions. If this car is ready in time, Roycroft could probably head off Hoare and Clark. But in the long run there should not be much to choose between the three of them, and seems likely that the Ferraris will run in close company with the smaller Cooper Climaxes and have about the same chance. The trophy field is big and there could be some dark horses in it. The most promising entrant in this category will be Bob Gibbons with the Ralph Watson Lycoming Special. Gibbons is a polished driver with a wealth of experience benind hin and the home-built fLycoming special came home in eignin place at Ardmore. At Wigram Gibbons should be able to head off the small capacity ¡Coopers and also the Ferraris. The Lycoming is extremely reliable and very fast. HY IS It seems a fairly safe bet that! the race speed will go up a little again this year. Last year Scott- Brown with the Lister-Jaguar averaged 83.8 miles an hour and made a new lap record of 87.06 miles an hour. On the way the B.R.M. went! round Ardmore it would not be surprising to see Flockhart send the lap record up to something approaching 90 miles an hour, and the winner of the race should at least put up the average speed by a mile or two an hour. Wigram is undoubtedly faster circuit than Ardmore and the trophy race is likely to be more closely contested. Unquestionably Moss cast his shadow over the Grand Prix field and probably discouraged some of the lesser lights. That will not happen at Wigram. Wigram Winners Here are the winners of past 1955: No meeting due to aero The Wigram circuit is of drome sealing. 2116 miles, but for the 1954 race 1956 (Distance 150.24 miles): the the bask sharp bend at the end (England), straight Ferrari, Ihr 18min 0.3sec moved making one lap equai 83.46 miles an hour. 2.073 miles. In that race the late 195; (Distance 150.24 miles): Ken Wharton, driving a 12 litre Peter Whitehead (England), supercharged put in a Ferrari, 50min at $9.37 miles S1 8- miles an hour. The fastest lap on the 2.116- :1938 (Distance 140.24 miles): Scott-Brown (Engmiles circuit was made in Lister-Jaguar, hy the late Archie Scott-Brown timin 33.+sec—83.80 miles an averaged miles an hour with a 3.8 litre Lister-Jag- hour. uar sporis racer. Brooklands Riley, (Welling- HOW TO 35min 56sec--66.17 1950 (Distance 105.8 miles: (Christchurch), REACH Special, Ihr 30mi 5/sec —69.79 miles an hour. (Distance 101.57 miles):" WIGRAM (Christchurch),: - P3 Alfa Romeo, 1hr 27min 41sec—69.5 miles an hour. Arrangements made by the 1952 (Distance 50.78 miles): Les (Christchurch), P3 Motor Racing Club to handle Alfa Romeo, 39min 4sec- the enormous volume of traffic 76.3 miles an hour. (Distance 50.78 miles): expected at the Lady Wigram Roycroft (Auckland), Trophy are substantially Romeo, 38min 40sec same as in previous years. —78.8 miles an hour. Traffic approaching the circuit (Distance miles): from the south will enter the (Engiand),! Ferrari; 1hr 9min 51.3sec .- aerodrome at the main gates to 85.46 miles an hour. the station. Cars from the city using Riccarton Road will be directed to the left immediately after crossing the railway line at Sockburn and travel down Vickerys Road to a large entrance which will be manned by twelve gatekeep- ' Strong Patrols Traffic coming to the circuit by way of Lincoln Road should turn into Middle Lincoln Road and there will be another entrance to the course which will be manned by gatekeepers. ¡entrance will be in Symes Road. To keep out gate-crashers the club will have strong patrols on all, the boundary fences. patrols with ransport of Depar Transport ment will also ensure that cars jarr not left parked along road- ¡sides rove tor be mason, they could prove to structions in the event of a fire. Despite the fact that there Iwas a record crowd at Wigram last year, all spectators were well clear of the course half an hour or so after the end of the last race. This was due in small measure to the efficient 'manner in which Transport De partment officers handled . the traffic. The club is gratefu lor the work the department does at its Wigram meetings and opale directionsists to folthe directions the