SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 1960 BRABHAM TAKES T ROP Price 6c. HY Armchair Run In His Fourth Race Attempt By Peter Greenslade TE anyone ever had an armchair drive in the Lady Wigram Trophy Race it was the world champion, Jack Brabham, this afternoon. He led from start to finish and looked a winner the whole way. whole way. With the works-entered Formula I Cooper Climax, he set a new race record of 100min 42sec and a new lap record of 1min 20.8sec. Those times represent average speeds of about 90 miles an hour and 95 miles an hour. The times aro a little better than these set by Ron Mockhart with the B.NM. last year, The young Scol't race lime in 1950 Walk formin see. and his record lap was lin 22.2s0c. But Mr amaalag thing all Bradisas his fourth and fiend Naccossinf attempt it flee Wigram Traphyaus that he really never had to go tor his life. The second-placed man, Davia Piper, with the new Grand Prix Lotus, finisher only 11,4500 behind blin, but Brabham was casing up. Things might have been little citterent if Piper had not become involved in a spin-up of Maurier Stanton's in the fortieth lap. Piper bumped the Stanton Corvette — or vice versa - and that damaged on air Intake ou the Lotus. from then on Piper 1 may have cased off a little, but дотрона he had never been in a position lo make an issue of it with Brabhatn. Fine Effort Third place man was Ian Burgess, the other Englishman, and some ways his effort was probably one of the best of the day. Alter putting in some exceptionally fast times at the tralning session last night, a prorace check of the gear box of Brabham (No. 4) is shown lapping a bunch rounding the hairpin during this afternoon's Lady Wigram Trophy Race. Nearest the camera is W. J. Thomason (Ferrari), then L. B. Gilbert (No. 3il), Cooper Bristol, Brabham, and B. J. Roy• croft (Ferrari) at extreme right. his 22 litre Cooper Climax revealed damaged teeth on the forth gear. Burgess did nol have another gear box, but derided to ris kracing. Ir drove magnificently, marring his car all the way, 1o brine it looser for a very sal third. P'he mental strain must have been agony jor Burgess all the WRy, for he had to bandle the car with kid gloves 1o avert wrecking the gear box. The sporting offer of Malcolm Gill gave Bruce Mclaren a welldeserved fourth place. Mc- Laren, leam mate of Brabham, look over his Lycoming Speciai, and as Brabham himself said afler the race: "Il was a splendid effort in the car he had to ddrive." Indeed, it was a splendla effort. lor Mclaren took it round at belter than 87 miles an hour and headed off sonie mord potent factory built racers to earn his place. This should close the lips of those who have said Melaren wouk be no good with anything other than rear-engined Cooper. He drove it like champion and the Lycoming is probably not the casiest car to drive. First N.Z. Man Mclaren cannot race as a New Zealander, and so it was lat Hoare who was the first New Zealander to finish. It is true that the Christchurch man, with for Denis place with only a few laps left to run when his Cooper Climax lost its oil pressure and he had Eve the acet we tact remains that Hoare's effort was a good one. He lapped consistently faster than he did at last night's training session and this is not an easy thing to do in a race. HAPPY SMILES from the victor, Jack Brabham (left), David Piper (second), and lan Burgess (third). Last ycar Brabham finished second to Ron Flockhart, who drove a B.R.M. His fifth place do-day puts him in first place squal witl young Jimmy Palmer in the New Zealand drivers' chamionship. Palmer, a Hamilton 18-ycarold, finished sixth and did not appear to be quite so happy as he was this morning, when he won the sports car rare with his 1960 c.c. Lotus. Nevertbeless, he is definitely one of the best of the Now Zealand drivers and like Hoare, should have an excellent run in the rest of the South Island races. Lost Chance Ten Gibert, driving the Cooper Bristol, finished behind Palmer, and he was very workmanlike as usual. Next in line was Sid Jensen with a 1500 c.c. Cooper. Jensen made one stop lo lake on some water and then had another one for a change of sparking plugs. This put paid to his chances of linishing in the bigger monry. In this race today there were sixteen starters and more than half of them had only runners' chances. The story might have been much different if Melaren had been supporting Brabham. The pace would undoubtedly have been notter, and perhaps some of the drivers would have been inveigled into going faster. As il was, the retirements were not beavy. In fact the percentage was probably lower than it tax been in previous years. It is always difficult to estimate the crowd at Wigram, but today's one looked like a record. What is more, unlike last year, when there were frustrating delays, everything ran like Clockwork and the standard of racing generally was better than it has been in the past. It was Brabham's •day, and that is all there is to it. The Trophy, Race, except for the minor incidents, developed into a procession, but that is motorracing. At the Start ROW I: J. Brabham (Cooper Climax) 1 Burgess (Cooper Climax) D. liper (Lotus), P. Hoare (l'errari.) ROW 2: J. Mansel (Maserati), S. Jensen ('voper Climax), d. l'almer (1,0(118). ROW 3: B. Welter (Cooper Porsche), 1 Gilbert Cooper-bristol, H. Melatren (oycoming Special, (i. Quirk (Maserati). ROW 4: W. Thomasen (Perrari), D. Hulme (Cooper Climax), M. Stanton (Stanton Corvetle). 100w 5: R. Royeroft (ferrari), I.. Moore (RA Vanguard). 0-02