31-1-59 TROPHY RACE HOLD OWN IN ANY COMPANY ALTHOUGH the tremendous duel betveen Ron Flock- hart and Jack Brabham overshadowed everything else in the Lady Wigram Trophy race last Saturday, New Lealanders were by no means disgraced. They proved once again, as they had already done in the New Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore a fortnight earlier, that among them are men who can hold their own in any company. It is true that the brilliant voung Auckiander. Bruce Me- Laren, sid Jensen, of palmerston North, and Johnnie Mansell, another Aucklander, were quite a distance benind Flockhart and Brabham when they were flagged off, but that margin was almost entirely due to the fact that their cars were outclassed by "works" models. There is only. one private. owner in the world to-day who can really throw a scare into the factory teams. He is the Englishman, Rob Walker, whose 2014 c.c. Cooper-Climaxes took the Argentine Grand Prix and the Monaco Grand Prix last season in the hands of Stirling Moss and Maurice Trintignant respectively. It was perhaps asking too much to expect Mclaren, Jensen, and Mansell to hold their own with factory cars, especially on Wigram, which exceptionally fast circuit. It is certain that the New Zealanders will show to much better advantage at leretonga Park, Invercargill, next Saturday, on the snorter, tighter course, where driving ability counts rather more than sheer performance. Out on Own Once the practice times were announced it was obvious that Flockhart's B.R.M. and Brab ham's 2200 C.C. Cooper-Climax were in a class of their own as far as Wigram was concerned. As it happened McLaren, Jensen, and Mansell, with their smaller cars, dia not put a foot wrong and there is absolutely nothing to suggest that if they had been mounted on faster machines they would not have held on to the overseas men. As it happened they all lapped at speeds that a couple of years ago would have won the trophy race and, with the exception of Mansell. did it with far smaller cars. On the basis of Wigram it is a pity that Mclarer is the only New Zealander who can look forward to wholehearted support during the fast- approaching European season. McLaren has proved himself in the best overseas • company already. Jensen during a brief tour gave European drivers something to think about last season and Merr Neil, another Aucklander, aiso acquitted himself well. Mansell, given the chance, could turn into a real force in this country and with overseas experience might also turn into a top nignt driver. it Is a pity that last year's New Zealand champion, Ross Jensen, has not had • the chance this season to show just what he is capable of doing. The 250F El Salvador Maserati, specially commissioned for Jensen for the New Zealand season, has proved rather disappointing. Misgivings Even before the car reached this country, Jensen, after the Teretonga Park meeting : late last year, had some reservations about it. On the whole he might have fared better with his old ex-Moss car, which is being driven this season by Mansell At Auckland it was only the fact that the _clutch packed up that stopped Jensen from bring ing it home in fourth place. As it was, Schell, by dint of inspired driving. was able to take him in the last few laps and so bring home a Temple Buell Piccol Maserati in fourth place. In the practice session at Wig ram Jensen managed 1min 26.2 sec with the 3I Salvador car. but he did not appear to be nearly as happy as he was the previous year with the older Maseratl. In fact there were quite a number of experienced drivers and observers who be. lieved that New Zealand's No 1 racing driver of last seasor was right on the limit. SHOWED Drising right on the limit is something that can be necessary to sin a race in the last few laps when spit seconds count. But it is not a healthy occupation when all that is at stake is a place in the front row of a starting grid. The Flockhart-Brabham duel must have made up for a lot of discomfort the thousands spectators suttered througn poor organisation at Wigram. It is being suggested in some quarters that Flockhart could have gone even harder with the B.R.M. if the need had arisen. But it is hard to believe that any driver would be prepared to hold back just for the sake of winning by a mere 3.7sec. Even the slightest error-and that could be one that would not even have been detected by the spectators-would have been enough to put the Brabham Cooper-Climax in front in the last lap or two. So seems logical to assume that Flockhart would have opened up a wider gap once he assumed the lead for the last time if it was within : his power to do so. Slow Cars There is no doubt that the greatest difficulty these overseas drivers met was the number of slow cars in the field. The time has come for a really realistic approach to this matter by race organisers not only in Christchurch, but right throughout the country. Unless the slow cars and siow drivers-and there can be slow drivers in fast cars are weeded out . the very near future there is going to be a nasty accident as sure as night follows day. It is absolutely nonsensical to permit slow cars and drivers to compete an international event just for the sake of building up the field. In point of fact the slow machines only serve to contuse the issue for spectators who find a 150 mile race difficult enough to follow in any case. There are now enough fast cars in this country to provide good racing. But most organising clubs seem to labour under the impres sion that unless there is a big field there cannot be a good race. N.Z. DRIV That might have been the case five or six years ago, when speeds were slower and when cars were not so reliable. In the early days, in fact, there • was almost alwars an unspoken fear that by the time the chequered flag fell there might only be two or three cars still running. It would certainly be surprising if such a thing happened these days. In any case if that fear still remains motor sport is doomed in this country. Finaliy Wigram must have proved that motor racing on the grand scale is not purely for the enjoyment of those taking part and those running the event. Financial Aspect The Lady Wigram Trophy race is an international event. It draws drivers from Europe with first-class cars. They are men who can command good starting money. It also draws first-class New Zealand drivers, and it is no secret that some of them were paid to appear on the starting grid last Saturday. This money and all the other money tnat is required to put on the race has to come from some where. And the only place it can come from is out of John Citizen's pocket. Money is hard enouh to come by at any time and there is a strong suspicion at the moment that now it is harder to come by than ever. That is one good reason why a meeting such as Wigram must rub like • clockmork. It certainis did not last Saturday. The Motor Racing Club, sponsor of the event, has a dificult task owing to the very short space of time available to put in all the equipment needed for the running of the race. It would be well advised to make the strongest representations to the Government to get more time to made preparations on the aerodrome. If this is not possible the only alternative is to find another equally suitable venue. Where that would be is anybody's guess. ERS 8.47 But there is more involved nan just this question. Wigram big business. It involves some housands of pounds, and this being the case there are grounds for believing that the expenditure of this money and the eventual recouping of it through the gates should not be left in the hands of enthusiastic but part-time workers. At the same time as the Motor Racing Club makes the bold stroke and eliminates the slow cars it should also look around for a capable organiser to work on the co-ordination of every. thing for at least four months before each race. FRIENDLI RIVALS lack Brabham (Australia)—in his Cooper-and Ron Flockhart (Scotland) have a talk just before the Lady Wigram Trophs race began last Saturday. Flockhart, the winner, and Brabham duelled all the way to the finishing line.