20-1-60 BRABHAM'S CAR ON SHIP IN STREAM: TIME RUNNING OUT E the world champion racing driver Jack Brabham was in Christchurch at the moment he would be a worried man. As it happens he is in Australia and does not know that the 2-litre Cooper-Climax with which he won the New Zealand Grand Prix recently and hopes to win the Lady Wigram Trophy here on Saturday is at present in the vessel Waikare sitting out in the stream in Lyttelton Harbour. In the meantime Brabham's his Grad Prix Lotus, making mechanics are biting their inger-! adjustments to the rear suspennails with worry because the sion. car has to be stripped down and re-built in time for Wigram. Official Check The latest information they had this morning was In another city garage cars are that they would not be able to get their hands on the being scrutineered and checked racer till late to-morrow tor roaawortniness by omcials of; morning. the sponsor of the Lady Wigram Trophy, the Motor Racing Club. It leaves them little time to Scrutineering will be comgive the car the thorough check pleted to-morrow and drivers it needs following the Ardmore will have an opportunity to prac race, which Brabham finished i tice on the fast 2.Imile aerowith the motor almost white hot drome circuit on Friday afterfrom lack of water. noon. Time trials will be held to Will Be Lucky determine the starting positions: of cars for the trophy race andi also to weed out the slower cars Brabham, a first-class mechanie to bring the field down to a himself, is now expected to fly maximum of twenty-four. into Christchurch late to-morrow afternoon. He usually puts the finishing touches on the prepara. SID JENSEN tion of his cars. Now it looks as it he will be LADY WIGRAM extremely lucky if he gets out for a training session at Wigram RACE ENTRANT on Friday afternoon, In the meantime, the other A late entry for the Lady Wig overseas drivers are busily checking their cars in various ram Trophy is the North Island garages about the city. Cooper-Climax expert, Sid Jensen. The Englishman, lan The Motor Racing Club re- Burgess, started work on his ceived good and bad news about 2.2 litre Cooper-Climat this starters in the race this morning. morning. The engine in his The good news is that Sid Jencar is one Brabham used in sen. believed by many people: Des Zealand last season, but to be the best Choper driver in it has been fitted with differ. wil now ent carburettors now.. the country today, race his Formula II Cooper and David Piper, the other English it will be fitted with a 1960c.c. driver is also hard at work on Cooper-Climax engine Halme Pulls Ont The bad news is that young Denis Hulme, who has been selected to spend a year racing in Formula TI events. will not be starting in the trophy race. His Cooper has to be shipped to England within the next few days and it is not possible for him to start here. The 1960c.c. engine that Jensen is , going to use is out of Hulme's car. Hulme's car will be . fitted with a new engine when it reaches Britain. Other Scratchings There are other scratchings. The most important is that of the Tornado, which was to have been driven by the Australian, Ted Gray. The Tornado, the Australian land speed record-holder, was unimpressive in the New Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore and went out with motor trouble in the early stages of the race. Ap- , parently the damage was more extensive than first thought. Also scratched is the Super Squalo Ferrari which did not perform well at Ardmore. It was to have been driven by R. H. Smith, of Waitakaruru. Home-Built Specials Still Find Favour ALTHOUGH the days when/ I'ne Stanton brothers can look home-built specials dominated to some serious opposition from the programme at Wigram have the RA special of Hector Green, passed, the spirit of enthusiasm another car which has taken for the sport is not dead among hundreds of hours to build. Green Christchurch mechanics. Some built the engine for this car out interesting entries have been re- of his own head—a task which ceived for Saturday's races-some most mechanics would shudder at. if them even with gearboxes and Yet this car has a grand turn disc brakes that have been built of speed, and although it may locally. be beset by teething troubles, it Pride of place among the local still represents an outstanding specials which will be seen attempt by a local mechanic to Saturday goes to the new Stanton challenge the factory machines. Special of M. F. and C. W. N.) Neil Stuart, a clever mechanic Stanton, two Christchurch motor who has been racing V8 specials mechanics who hold the present for some years, will drive his car fitted with a newer and larger Australian and New Zealand speed record at 173 miles an hour. Mercury engine this year. With Their new car, similar in lines to a longer stroke and a good deal the famous Indianapolis cars of more power, this car should finish the United States, develops tre-l a high mendous power from a specially weainer reasonably cool. modified Chevrolet Corvette en- American V8 car engines have a gine. If the hours of work that bad habit of overheating in rachave gone into this car were to! ing. be totalled, the car would be Ron Rutherford, whose cars are worth many thousands of pounds. always perfectly prepared, will thoroughly checked and rechecked Every slightest detail has been this year drive a car powered by a Zephyr engine with a Raymond by the Stanton brothers and the! Mays conversion. car has been constructed in such a way that it is indistinguishable Most of the local specials buildfrom one of the finest cars to be ers will be competing the turned out by a European motor/ Motor Racing Club's championracing factory. ship event of 42 miles. This event ¡is a real boon to the small-time in their praise of Local mechanics are unstinted enthusiast, for it gives him an op- the Stanton portunity to compete on far more brothers' latest car, and if there equitable terms than if he were is any car which deserves to win entered in the trophy race itself the title of first New Zealand There are three classes in this special to finish, then it is this race—up to 1500 c.c., 1500 c.c. to one. 3000 c.c., and over 3000 c.c. The following was international race wh numbers in parenthesis (3) I. Burgess (5) J. Brabham (8) M. F. Stanton (9) A. McBeath (10) A. I. Freeman (11) W. M. Gill (12) L. C. Moore (13) L. F. Buleraig (14) L. Lukey (15) J. M. Windelburn (16) F. Shuter (17) J. , Nansel (18) D. Piper (19) P. Hoare (22) R. H. Smith (23) R. Jensen (26) It. Green (27) A. Moffatt (29) W. J. Thomasen (33) L. R. Gilbert (38) D. C. Aulme (39) T. Gray (41) J. Palmer (47) B. MeLaren (51) J. A. Malcolm (54) G. Lawton (88) R. J. Roycroft (97) B. R. Webster the list of drivers en entries closed 5) - (England) (Austra1a) (Christehurch) (Otaki) (Wellington) (Auckland) (Christchurch) (Kawakawa) (Australia) (Maungaturoto) (Christchurch) (Glen Murray) (England) (Christchurch) (Waitakaruru) (Auckland) (Christchurch) (Ashburton) (Huntly) (Hamilton) (Te Puke) (Australia) (Hamilton) (Auckland) (Huntly) (Whangarei) (Glen Murray) (Havelock North) s entered for the last week (car Cooper Cooper Stanton Corvette Normac Special Lago Talbot Lycoming R.A. Vanguard Cooper Cooper Lotus Maserati Maserati Lotus Ferrari Ferrari Maserati R.A. Tojeiro Jaguar Monza Ferrari Cooper Bristol Cooper Tornado Lotus Cooper Cooper Repeo Cooper Ferrari Cooper Porsene Supporting Races The following as the list of entries " Cotle (Danedin), Buckler; N. for the supporting races at Wigram (Christchurch), Stuart next Saturaay.- Special; A. (Hastings). Sports Car Race Jaguar D type; A. F. Holroyd (invercargill), A56 Special; W A. Gerrard E. Tims (Timaru), Austin Healey: Gerrard Special: C. F. Losee • (Dunedin), Austin Healey G. B. J. Cottle (Dunedin). Buckler; D Herridge (Christchurch). Malvey Young (Timaru), Wintor) Nelson, Jaguar C type: D A. Hyslop (Hastings) Jaguar rAl Monty (Christchurch) Singer Special; type; Pope (Christchurch), {E. D. Candy (Timaru), Healey Cor- E. vette; W. Darrell (Christchurch). Triumph, Miss C. Kuzmich A.C.E. I11; I. A Bennett (Dunedin), (Christchurch), Morgan; D. G. Young Morgan; J. M. Windelburn (Maunga- (Timaru), Jaguar C type: W. M. Gill (DunedinI, (Auckland), Lycorire, 1. A Bennett Morgan; M. Windel- J.B.M.: Campion Lotus: E. D Cooper burn Maunsaturoto Triumphi Candy (Timaru), A. Lawrence (Wanganui) Cooper; Moffatt (Ashburton), Tojeiro Jaguar: Briggs (Christchurch) Mercury W. Thomasen (Huntly) Monza Special; B. Blackburn (Christchurch), Ferrari; D Lawrence (Wanganui). Citroen; I. G. Johnston (Auckland). Cooper; Gilbert (Hamilton). Austin Rutherford (Auckland). Lotus: 1. Cooper Bristol: Miss 4. Stephensor Christchurch). Buckler; Saloon Car Race (Hamilton). Johnston Healey. Flat; i (Auckland). Austin D.K. W.; Open Car Race E. Tims i see Tinedim) Austin • Stanton (Christ- F Healey: Furchi. Austin A35; P. R. Cresswell Healey: (Christchurch), Morninor Morris Blackburn (Christchurch), Minor; C. J. Knight (Kaitaia), Standard 10; Cantwell church). Triumph Kinsley (Australia), Holden: H. G Sheppard (Christchurch), Ford Thames: J. Mullins (Leeston), Simca; A. Irving (Timaru), Volkswagen: D. I. W. Craw (Christchurch), Morris Minor; Brown (Christchurch). Simca: H. J. Heasley. (Rangiora). Humber 80: R. F. Redmayne Hast- Worsen: skoda: Ransley (Christchurch). Shields (Gore). Fiat 1100; R. G. Macdonald (Cheviot), Ford Zephyt: Sprague (Timaru), Ford Zephyr; F Dow (Geraldine), Jaguar 3.4; W Potts, Jun. (Waverley). Ford Zephyr: E. B Symes (Waverley), Humber 80: J. W. Alexander (Christchurch). Chevrolet; G. S. Crene (Kaitaia), Morris Minor.