19-1-60 TEN YEARS OF TRO HY WINNER ERD are the winners of * l past years. The Wigram circuit is of 2.116 miles, but for the 195% race the slow, sharp bend at the end of the back straight was eliminated, making one lap equal 2.073 miles. In that race the late Ken Wharton, driving s 1jlitre supercharged B.R.M., put in a record lap of 89.37 miles an hour. The fastest lap on the 2.116mile circuit was made by Roni Flockhart with B.R.M. at slightly less than 93 miles an: hour in the 1959 Tace. His lap time was 1min 22.2sec. —1949 (Distance 105.8 mlles): Mortie Proctor (wellington). Brooklands Riley, 1hr 35min 56 sec-66.17 miles an hour. -1950 (Distance 105.8 miles): Hee Green (Christchurch), Wolseley Special, 1hr 30min 57sec 69.79 miles an hour. -1951 (Distance 101.57 miles): Les Moore (Christchurch), P3: Alfa Romeo, Ihr 27min 41sec— 69.5 miles an nour. -1952 (Distance 50.78 miles):! Les Moore (Christchurch), P3 Alfa Romeo, small set 6.3 miles an hour. —1953 (Distance 50.78 miles): Ron Roycroft (Auckland), P3 Alfa Romeo, 38min 40sec-78.8 miles an hour. S AT IGRAM Ian Burgess, aged 28, who will drive the 2.2 litre Cooper- Climar he drove in the New Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore. -1954 (Distance 99.5 miles): Peter Whitehead (England), Ferrari, Ihr 9min 51.3sec-85.46 miles an hour. -1955: No meeting due to eroarome resealing -1956 (Distance 150.24 miles): Peter Whitehead (England), Fer. rari, 1hr 48min 0.3sec-83.46 miles an hour. -1957 (Distance 150.24 miles): Peter Whitehead (England), Ferrari, Ihr 50min 8sec-81.84 mailes an hour. —1958 (Distance 150.24 miles): Archie Scott-Brown • (England), Lister-Jaguar, Ihr 47min 33.4sec 83.80 miles an hour. -1959 (Distance 150.24 miles): Ron Flockhart (Scotland), B.R.M. 1hr 41min 4sec-89 mlles an hour. 'DRIVER-TO-EUROPE' IDEA IS SELECTORS' HEADACHE WHEN the New Zealand International Grand Prix Organisation decided to reinstitute the "driver-to-Europe" scheme this year and send a promising young racing driver to England to race in Formula II events unders the guidance of the Cooper Car Company, no one could possibly have realised what & difficult task was being set the selectors. Usually in these things! there is one candidate who stands head and shoulders above the others as was the case when Bruce McLaren, now No. 2 driver in the Cooper works team, was selected at the beginning of. 1958. But there were several young drivers on fairly equal terms this time, and of them there was very little to choose between 20-year-old George Lawton, of Whangarei, and 23-year-old Denis Hulme, of Te Puke. Both drive 1960 C.C. Cooper-Climaxes and both have, in the last few months, put up some lap times on various circuits that compare very tavourably with those of Bruce Mclaren. In the New Zealand Grand Prix last Saturday. they were out of luck. Lawton's car gave a great deal of trouble and he soon retired. Hulme had transmission trouble in his qualifying heat and the damage was not repaired until the leading cars in the Grand Prix had completed five laps. Hulae, once he had started, performed very trell, but he had no chance of getting up into one of the real places. When It was all over. it was announced that both youngsters would be sent to Europe. and they would be accompanied by Feo Stanton, who has been quide and mentor to Hulme for many years now, and is his managermechanic. Mery Neil Cooper-Climax and with it had his first outing at the 1959 Levin Easter meeting. There were no successes, but during the winter Stanton rebuilt the car, and in November they went to the Napier road races where the experts were surprised to find Denis lapping faster than Lawton who was racing the ex-McLaren Cooper. In any case, Hulme won the main event, but it was a hollow victory as Lawton retired with clutch trouble. Convincing The following Saturday at Levin the pair got to grips and Lawton won three of the four races, although one of them was a grandstand finish which could have gone either way. In the last race Hulme retaliated and won in most convincing fashion. George broke McLaren's lap record at Levin last taster and though bis car was down on power at the meeting there more recently When he was matched against Halme, his best time was only 1sec outside his record of 51.8sec. Hulme is tall and rather re. tiring. He is a smooto 1s: disciplined driver and this no doubt, due largely to the influence of Feo Stanton. For example, at the national meeting at Ardmore late last year, Hume let nis enthusiasm get the better of him and Stanton noted at the conclusion of one race that the motor of the Cooper-Climax had been over-revved. That was enough for Feo. He quietly told Denis there would be no more racing that day;; put the racer aboard the trailer, and the pair went home! sawton is a stocky Joung nan with a ready smile and a great deal of enthusiasm. His driving is like his nature and he gets involved more "Incidents" than Hulme but he, perhaps, more of a racer. In any case, as the selectors have decided, there is little to choose between the two and with the firm, pleasant and knowledge- Ambassadors The decision could not have been a fairer one. Lawton and Hulme, with Stanton to guide and advise them and look after their cars, will not only turn on good performances on the racing circuits. but will also be fine ambassadors, the Mc- Laren tradition. for New Zealand. Hulme, son of Mir Clive Hulme, V.C. started racing with a TF M.G. in 1957 and showed promise. The following year saw him racing an ML.G.A. Then came the ex- The English Lotus Grand Prix racers did not have a very successful 1959 Baropean season. One of the 1960 models has been entered for the Lady Wigram Trophy. It will be driven by David Piper, one of Britain's up - and - coming drivers. He held third place in the early stages of the New Zealand Grand Prix and then went out with transmission troubles. able Stanton to look after their cars and control them in their races this pair should go a long way in motor sport.