23-1-59 LADY RACE 23-1-59 Family Car Benefits From Track Racing Developments in the family car can often be traced to the experience of racing drivers on the track, according to B.R.M. racing driver Ron Flockhart Speaking at the Junior Chamber of Commerce first luncheon of the year yesterday, Mr FloCk nart outined some oi these improvements — brake linings, sparking pługs, and the improved road holding of tyres. Sports car racing at Le Mans was not so much a race as a long drive, he said, when stamina counted. It was definitely a team affair, with cars having be refuelled and: changed, and the driver at the wheel for a maximum time during the twenty-four hours. Grand Prix racing was more of an individual effort. 'Best Man Wins' Car racing was one sport in which there was no definite line between amateur, quasiamateur, semi-professional, and professional. "The best man wins and no one complains if he is an amateur. I have heard no complaint about the professional, although he is expected to take part in more international and Grand Prix racing. WIGRAM TROPHY AN OPEN CONTEST "HE best field ever will national 150 mile La morrow, and it is impossible stands head and shoulders almost a certain winner. In past years it has almost! always been possible to sort out two or three cars and safely say that they will be the ones that will contest the finish. This time there are five or six entrants who look as though they could win the race, and there are at least the same number again who will hurry the top men along and possibly take some of the minor placings. Flockhart will be driving the exceptionally fast B.R.M., which has shown a great deal of prom.! ise but has been dogged by minor troubles in the big-time European races. Brabham, the No. 1 Cooper "works" driver, will be running the 2200 C.C. model which he drove steadils into second place in the New Zealand Grand Prix. Fictory has eluded him at Wigram so far but he could turn out to be the hardest man to beat. Last night the Christchurch Motor Racing Club held drivers' reception and few of the experts were willing to make predictions. The general feeling was that the two overseas men, Ron Flockhart, of Scotland, and Jack Brabham, of Australia, will be the hardest to beat. New Record? It seems likely that the early stages of the race will see a real duel between the B.R.M. and the Brabham Cooper, and it is almost certain that the 87.06 miles an hour lap record set last year by the late Archie Scott- Brown with a Lister-Jaguar will go by the board in this duel. The B.R.M. should be able to get round the 2.116-mile circuit at an average speed closely approaching 90 miles an hour. But the overseas men will. not nave things all their own way. The duckland trioRoss Jensen (250F Maserati), and Bruce McLaren and Mert Neil, with 1960 c.c. Coopers should • hold them comfort. ably and be well placed to more into major places in the rital concluding laps. These New Zealanders, along with the Palmerston North Cooper exponent, Syd jensen, have had overseas experience and have proved themselves capable of holding their own in any company. McLaren is, course, the young man who made a name for himself in line up for the fifth interady Wigram Trophy to to sort out any driver who abore the others as being Formula II racing in Europe last season. The main challenge to this group is likely to come from another Aucklander, Tom Clark (Super Squalo Ferrari), the local driver. Pat Hoare (3-litre Ferrari), and yet another local man, Frank Cantwell (Tojeiro-Jaguar). In First Six Hoare's car was not right in the New • Zealand Grand Prix and . he took tnings rairly easy, but all is in readiness for to morrow and he should finish in the first half dozen. Cantwell will be driving a sports-racer. This car is exceptionally fast and in fact in practice at 'Ardmore he was lapping faster than Scott-Brown did in last year's race. He seems assured of winning the Archie Scott-Brown Memorial Trophy. This is actually. the Lady Wigram Trophy Scott-Brown won last year. It has been sent back to New Zealand by his mother and will be awarded to the frst sports car driver to finish. The Wellington driver, Bob Globons, Will again be nanding Ralph Watson's Lycoming Spec ial. Gibbons drove it well at Ardmore and he could easily give a lot of the more-favoured men something to think about. 33 Starters The trophy race has attracted thirty-five entrants and thirty. three of them will go to the line; the slower cars will be eliminated on practice times. Practising does not start until to-night so drivers have been able to do nothing more than look at the course so far. By and large, it is almost certain that new records will be established to-morrow and it is also evident that for the first time a New Zealander could win the race. Supporting events have drama record entries also. The fifty-mile sports car race is likely to develop into a duel among Cantwell with the Tojeiro-Jaguar, the diminutive Aucklander, Ken Harris (Ferrari), the young : Timaru_ driver, David Young (C-type Jaguar), and a batch of very. fast Austin- Healeys. Cantwell should prove the hardest man to beat. It would be surprising if Ray Archibald, the local driver who romped away with the saloon car race at Ardmore, did not repeat the performance with his 041:+=- 23-1-59 Kon Flockhart, te winnering driver and twice winner the Le Mans twenty-four-hour rart, supervises his team they check the powerful B.R.M. in a city garage this morning in readiness for tomortals Lady Wigram Trophy race.