20-10-59 Sporting Notebook NO FINALITY ON FOR SOUTHERN ALTHOLGH it appears that the New Zealand Ire o- national Grand Prix Organisation has more or less tied up its quota of overseas drivers for the Grand Prix on January 9, nothing has been settled for the Lady Wigram Trophy a fortnight later, or for the Dunedin and Invercargill meetings. As far as the Grand Prix is concerned, now that Moss is in with the Rob Walker Cooper, looks as though the result is settled. The only thing is that he will be handling the much-raced 1959 model and may have to cope with newly developed cars driven by the Cooper works men, Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren. But these days there seeras to be an air of finality about things when Moss's name appears in an entry list. It is not really surprising that Reventlow Automobiles should decide to give the Grand Prix of the United States a miss and bring two Grand Prix Scarabs to New Zealand. The races here will not be so long and-let's face it-the competition overall will not be so tough. The Scarabs in the hands of Lance Reventlow and Chuck ¡Daigh could quite easily pick up some major placings on the New Zealand international circuits and that would be good publicity. Solid Driver David Piper is a solid driver to represent the Lotus works at Ardmore and it will be interesting to see how this little Climax-engined Formula I car performs. Undoubtedly, Colin Chapman, the brilliant young director of the Lotus firm, is anxious to give his car as much racing as possible before the next : European season starts and New Zealand is just about the best place to do that and also pick up prize money. Other British drivers have also been approached, so it is possible that the complete list has yet to be released. However, there will be five • Australians competing at Ardmore and it is highly likely at least three of them will do the southern circuit. Those likely to be seen at Wigram are Arnold Glass (250F Maserati) Len Lukey (2.2-litre Cooper-Climax) and Gray, who drives the very fast Corvetteengined Tornado. The other Australians bound for Auckland are Bob Stillwell (2.2-litre Cooper - Climax) and Doug Whiteford (300S Maseratil. DRIVERS CIRCUIT Three Cars Another man likely to be seen on the southern circuits is Ron Carveth, an obviously, wealthy American. He is bringing three cars to New Zealand and has announced that he intends to compete at all the international meetings. His cars are all sports models--a Ferrari, a DB3S Aston Martin, and an American model known as the Ram. Nicky Thompson, the ingenious young American who established four new car world speed records on the Bonnerille Salt Flats, Ltah, earlier this month has really earned his success and it would not be surprising if he turned out to be the next holder of the absolute car speed record. Thompson took the 5-kilometre record at 345.33 miles an: hour, the 5-mile at 340.70 miles• an hour, the 10 kilometre at 327.59 miles an hour, and the 10 mile at 286.16 miles an hour. He has abandoned further attempts on of 394 miles an ine absolute record hour which stands to the credit of the late John Cobb. He will attempt this mile record next year. Prototypes Employed as a colour pressman by a Los Angeles newspaper, 31-year-old Thompson has built and raced cars as a hobby since his teens, spending his vacation each year at tne Salt Flats testing • his newest cars at the Bonneville National Sprints. When in 1958 nis twin engined car reached 289 miles an hour, ¡he decided the years of building prototypes must end, and he was ready to make his bid for the world speed record. Svery night and meekend during the next ten months, Thompson worked on the construction of the car he was to call Challenger I. He designed it smaller and more than a ton lighter than Cobb's car, mith radiinnorations геduce the wind resistance of • the frontal area. Challenger I is powered by four modified 1959 Pontiac engines, two being geared to each axle for maximum traction. From the aluminium nose panel to ejectable parachutes that are used to brake the car, American components have! been used exciusively. He first tested the car in mid- August on the Edwards Air Force Base runway, and nearly ' lost it when it hit a small bump at 200 miles an hour and became airborne for 60ft. At Bonneville he again had a worrying moment when he went into a giant skid on one run. But he continued undeterred. Talent Aple 27-90-59 nty In Overseas Entries for W gram Trophy OVERSEAS entries for the 1960 Lady Wigram Trophy race have now been signed up by the Christehurch Motor Racing Club and there is plenty of talent for the 150-mile classic which will be run on January 23. In the first place there will be two American Scarabs which will be driven by Lance Reventlow and Chuck Daigh. From Britain there will be David Piper with the latest Formula I Lotas. In addition there will be another Lotus with a 2.2 litre motor which will be handled by a New Zealander. For the Wigram race and others in the South Island it is possible that the drive will be given to a South Islander. But it is on the cards that whoever puts in a claim for the drive will have to convince the works inat he is a better driver than Sid Jensen or George Lawton. First Choice In addition there will be one other British entrant and an order of priority has been settled. First choice is Ron Flockhart with one of the latest B.R.M.'s. Next in line is Joakim Bonnier also with works B.R.M. Then comes Roy Salvadori with a Rob Walker Cooper, and finally there is Ian Burgess who would also be driving a Cooper. Everyone is anxious to have Flockhart back here again. He, of course, just headed Jack Brabham off to take the trophy this year. In addition to the Australians Len Lukey • (2.2-litre Cooper), Arnold Glass (250F Maserati), and Ted Gray (Tornado cortetel, these irill be yet another australian, so far unnamed, with a 2.2-litre sports Lotus. And just to add flavour to it Ron Carveth, the wealthy American sportsman, has definitely decided to race in all the international events using one of the latest Testa Rosa Ferrari sports cars as well as one of the latest Aston Martins. Carveth will possibly have a drive in the Waimate 50 as well Mclaren In New Zealand's own Bruce Mc- Laren till, of course, be contest- Ing all events, using one of the latest Formula Cooper-Climaxes. Although it cannot be said absolutely definitely, it is fairiy certain that all the overseas men will contest all the races in the South Island series. This means that the South Island is going to have a real festival of topflight racing. The drivers might not be the world's best, but the majority of them are well up the scale and so competition should be fierce with New Zealanders having a good show of heading some of them off. The decision of Lance Reventlow to race his American Grand Prix hope, the Scarab, in New Zealand and give the final round of the 1959 world drivers' championship a miss, means that New Zealanders will be the first to see these new cars in action. Specification Reventlow hopes to break into ¡big-time Continental Grand Prix racing with a full Scarab team in 1960. The Scarab specification is most interesting, but in view of the conflicting reports about the cars, information being awaited now by the Motor Racing Club from Reventlow Automobiles in California on . the specific features of the cars to be • raced here. the Motor Racing Club Incidentally has definitely abandoned its "come one, come all " policy for the trophy race and is going to be most selective the question of entries. In other words, the difference in speeds between the fastest and siowest cars will be not nearly so great as it has been in previous years. Thus at least one safety factor that has been needed for many years in racing throughout the country is being given real consideration. It is to be hoped, too, that the club will clamp down and keep inexperienced drivers ofi the starting grid even if they do happen to have fast cars. Near Misses Other race promoters would be wise to follow the club's lexample. There is a real element Inf risk in motor racing at the Sporting Notebook best of times and although pro, cars and so far no power unit moters have been lucky in the has been named. past there have been near misses * too often. For the first time since the Luck does not usually hold for inception of the British Autoever. And with the eventy matched cars that will make up mobile Racing Club's gold medal the bulk of the fields this sea-/awards the club will present two son, the racing could become at the same time. will be David pretty rugged with the faster The recipents men closely bunched trying Brown whose Aston Martin cars clear slower cars and inexperi- have been the first British win- 'enced drivers. ners of the World Championship of Sports Car Manufactur- On the overseas front the ers, and John Cooper, who will racing season is drawing to receive his medal in recognition a close with only the final of the international successes round of the world cham- of Cooper cars in recent years, pionship to be run at in the Formula I, II,and III cate- Sebring, Florida, on Decem- gories. ber 12. They will receive their medals This race is definitely on, but at the annual dinner of the club it now seems likely that Tony in London on November 6. Brook, at present lying thira in the championsnip, will not be starting as Ferrari's No. 1 Incidentally, the latest intelli driver. gence is that the brilliant young The reason is that Mrs Brooks, American driver, Dan Gurney his young Italian fashion mode_ has been invited to join the wife, is expecting a baby round Scarab Grand Prix team for about that time. 1960. There is even a possibitity that he ventlow might crive one of Recars here this season. Porsche Move His plans for sports car racing are unsettled as yet. Gurney For the South African Grand has been in the Ferrari team Prix for Formula II cars which during the European season now will be held at Cape Town drawing to a close. January 1, Stirling Moss will be And while on the subject of driving one of the British Rac- Ferrari, it can be reported that • Partnership's Cooper-Borg- ¡Enzo's prototype rear-engined wards. car will shortly be tested at Moss will be supported Sebring, and if it proves success- Chris Bristow, one of Britain's ful it will be sent to Sebring. up-and-coming younger drivers, i * in a sister car. The German Porsche firm Bruce McLaren comes in for another pat or the • back from is evidently considering an Gregor Grant editor of "Auto attempt at making inroads sport," in the October 23 issue. on the Formula If category next season in a bigger way Discussing current Grand Prix than previously. drivers, Grant puts Nclaren the "two-star" class, and writes: It was announced the other "J1cLaren is yet azotber • real day that the firm would be con- discovery. young structing : a certain number of Zealander has what it takes to cars for special customers of British make a top-liner, be an asset to any team, Hould 1960. number drivers are interested. Grant puts ioss atone in tne Meanwhile Cooper "five-star" class, and gives Jack Company. to-day the world's leading racing car manufacturer, Brabham_and Tozy Brooks four is extending its activities beyond apiece. He rates eight drivers worth three - Irintignant, the Formula I and Formula II the Hills (Phil fields and is building up some Schell, Gregory, Formula Junior cars for nextland Graham), Shelby Salvadori and Bonnier. With McLaren he season. The general, chassis design ranks Ron Flockhart and Gurclosely follows that of the bigger ey.