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Wigram race, Jan. 18

The Motor Racing Club announced the next Lady Wigram Trophy meeting would be held on 18 January 1964 with total prize money of 600 pounds on the main race. The meeting would include a Motor Racing Club championship for single-seater and sports cars, saloon races in three classes, an invitation race for the ten fastest cars and a motor-cycle race.

Facts

  • The 1964 Lady Wigram Trophy meeting was announced for 18 January 1964 with 600 pounds prize money on the main race.
news

Pit stops

The Motor Racing Club announced changes to the 1964 Lady Wigram meeting. The Trophy race would be two preliminary 25-mile races and a 100-mile main race, with grid positions for the main race decided by preliminary race times. The Motor Racing Club Championship would have two 20-mile heats and a 15-mile final, and the saloon race would have heats and a final in three engine classes.

Facts

  • For 1964 the Lady Wigram Trophy was restructured as two 25-mile preliminary races and a 100-mile main race; the club decided the allocation of entries between the heats.
  • In the 1964 Motor Racing Club Championship each 20-mile heat carried 125 pounds prize money; the final carried 15 pounds prize money and 60 pounds starting money.
  • 1964 saloon classes at Wigram: up to 1300cc, 1300 to 2000cc and over 2000cc; the six fastest from the heats and six invited cars contested the 15-mile final.
  • The 1964 programme included an invitation race for the ten fastest cars, about 12.5 miles, and a motor-cycle race of about 25 miles.
feature

Streamlining for Wigram race

An editorial welcoming the Motor Racing Club's decision to streamline the 1964 Lady Wigram programme by shortening the Trophy race to 100 miles with two preliminary heats of about 20 miles, since the feature race had often become a procession. Wigram would have ten car races and one motor-cycle race, up from seven races (two motor-cycle) in earlier years, with the writer predicting a 100 mph lap.

Facts

  • In previous years the Lady Wigram programme had seven races, two of them motor-cycle races; in 1964 there would be ten car races and one motor-cycle event.
  • Complaints before 1964 held that the 150-mile Lady Wigram Trophy was too long and often a procession.
  • The 1964 invitation race was for up to the ten fastest cars at the meeting, over about 12.5 miles.
news

Improved circuit for Wigram

Motor Racing Club president J. A. Brewer announced the Wigram circuit had been greatly changed for the 1964 Lady Wigram Trophy: the chicane was replaced by a U-turn of three slow bends, giving spectators a better view and slowing the fast circuit, and lengthening the track by about one-fifth of a mile. The Trophy race would be run in heats, as would the saloon and club championship races.

Facts

  • For the 1964 Lady Wigram Trophy the Wigram chicane was replaced by a U-turn involving three slow bends, adding about one-fifth of a mile to the track.
  • The 1964 Trophy format gave the public three grid starts in each race.
advert

No advertising at Wigram Airfield

Notice that no advertising or sale or display of goods was permitted at Wigram Airfield on 17 or 18 January 1964 without the Motor Racing Club's consent.

feature

First American driver to contest the Trophy race

Profile of 25-year-old Timothy Andrew Mayer of Dalton, Pennsylvania, the first American to contest the Lady Wigram Trophy in 1964. He was to drive one of two lightweight Cooper-Climaxes built for Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd, backing up McLaren in the NZ internationals. Mayer was SCCA 1962 Kimberly Cup winner, American formula junior champion and had raced for Ken Tyrrell's team in Europe.

Facts

  • Before 1964 no American driver had ever contested the Lady Wigram Trophy; Tim Mayer was the first.
  • Tim Mayer won seven national races in a row in a Formula Junior Cooper while a US Army corporal, and took the American formula junior championship.
  • Mayer started the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in an old four-cylinder Cooper, but gearbox trouble ruined his race.
  • The two lightweight Cooper-Climaxes for Mayer and McLaren were built by the Cooper Car Company for Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd.
Read the OCR text
11-7-63 Wigram Race, Jan. held on January 18, with a total prize money of £600 on the main race. This was announced by the Motor Racing Club to-day. In conjunction, there will be a Motor Racing Club championship open to single seater and sports cars, saloon car races in three classes, an invitation race for the ten fastest cars at the meeting, and a motorcycle race. 12-7-63 Pit Stops The Motor Racing Club has announced changes in the • running of the Lady Wigram Trophy Race for 1964. The Lady Wigram Trophy Race will comprise two preliminary races each of 25 miles, and a main race of 100 miles. The club will decide the allocation of the entries between the preliminary races. The grid positions for the main race will be decided by the race times in the preliminaries. * The Motor Racing Club Championship ai the Lady Wigram meeting will be open to single seaters not eligible or qualifying for the main event, and to sports cars. It will comprise two heats each of 20 miles and ai final of about 15 miles. Ine six fastest cars from the heats together with six invited cars will contest the final. The committee will allocate the cars to the heats Each heat will carry £125 prize money and the final will carry £15 prize money and £60 starting money. * The saloon car race at the Lady Wigram meeting will be open to all saloons, including G.T.'s. It will comprise two heats, each of about miles, and a final of 15 miles. There will be three classes: up to 1300 c.c.; 1300 c.c. to 2000 c.c. and over 2000 C.C. Heat one will comprise cars in the up to 1300 c.c. class and prise the other two classes. in six fastest cars the with six invited cars will contest and £60. · ing invitation event for 10 fastest cars The about 12% New driver. cycle 25 miles. Wigram meeting 18-7-63 18 Stre Lady amlining for Wigram Race THE Motor Racing Club has bull by the horns and Programme forte at wilt meeting-a move that thousands of Wigram patrons. at last taken the streamlined its ram international be welcomed by A major source of complaint in the past has been that the feature race, the Lady Wigram Trophy, has been too long and has too often developed into a procession. Club officials have wisely decided to shorten the event to 100 miles and to provide two preliminars heats each of about 20 miles. •Thus patrons will have at least two opportunities seeing the overseas drivers in action, and probably three, as an additional event on the programme will be an invitation race for up to the ten fastest cars at the meeting. Distance will be about 12.5 miles. * the next trophy race will see a 100-mile-an-hour lap of the circuit. The saloon car racing is always a crowdpleaser at Wigram and the new arrangements promise even greater excitement. These events will be open to all saloons, includ-! ing Gran Turismo models. Once again there will be two heats, each of about 20 miles, and a 15-mile final.; The six fastest cars fromi the heats. together, withi six invited cars, will contest the final. Engine capacity classes will be up to 1300 c.c., 1301- 2000 c.C.. and more than 2000 c.c. The first heat will be for! Two Heats le Motor Racing Club anionshin aner single seaters not eligible or qualifying for the trophy race, and to sports cars will also be run in two heats each of about 20 miles and a final of 15 These shorter race should make for much close racing and also consider ably higher lap speeds. Ir fact, it seems certain tha cars up to 1300 c.c. and the second one for the balance of the entrants. The programme will be rounded off with a motor-i cycle race of about 25 ¡ miles. In previcus years there have been seven races on the programme two of which were motorcycles. Next year there will be ten car races and one motorcycle event. The 1964 meeting will be held on Saturday, January 18. 2-8-63 28-11-63 IMPROVED CIRCUIT FOR WIGRAM "Motor racing fans can expect a greatly changed and improved circuit for next years Lady Wigram Trophy race, said Mr. J. 4. Brewer, president of the Motor Racing Club last night. "We have replaced the chichane with a U-turn involving three slow bends. This will give spectators a much better view of the drivers in action, and Show down what has always been a fast circutt The track length will be increased by about 1-5 of a mile, sata Mr Brewer. Important changes have also been made in the running of the major races. In the trophy race, two heats of 25 miles each will be run, the actual race itself corering 50 miles. This will enable the public to see three grid starts in each race. The saloon car race and the Motor Racing Club championship will be run on similar lines. Heats of approximately 20 miles each will be run in these events, and the finals will be over about 15 miles. To conclude the day, the fast est cars from any class will race over a distance of 12 miles and a half. 6-1-64 LADY WIGRAM TRO RACE JANUARY 18 No advertising of any tion may be carried Wigrara Alrield on Janu or 18, 1864. Nor may goods description be displayed i without the prior consent Motar Racing Club Onc.), First American Driver to Contest the Trophy Race ALTHOUGH the International Lady Wigram Trophy race has attracted the world's finest racing drivers over the years, it is an interesting fact that, to date, an American driver has never contested the classic. The deficiency will be remedied on January 18 when the tenth international race will be held at Wigram, for among the contestants will be 25-year-old Timothy Andrew Mayer, described by the Sports Car Club of America, atter he won the 1962 Kimberly Cup series, as "the most! improved and outstanding young American driver." Timothy Mayer will be backing up New Zealander Bruce Me- Laren in this season's New Zealand international races. He will drive one of the two special ligh-weight Cooper-Climaxes that have been built by the Cooper Car Company for Bruce McLaren Votor Racing Ltd. Start Born in Dalton Pennsy- Ivania, Mayer has been energetically pursuing a career in motor racing since he was 21. He would have started earlier, but Americans are not permitted гасе in their home country until tney achieve their major- Eren a two-rear stint in the United States Army could not carb Mayer's enthusiasm and he won race after race in a Formula Junior Cooper while on week-end leates. Mayer climaxed his education when he graduated from Taie with the equivalent of a Bachelor of English Literature and then made a start in motor rac- Ing. His first car was a • 2.6litre Austin Healey, and though he drove in only five of the 13 national races that season, he showed his potential br finishing fourth in the national class standings. PHY Demolished For 1960 he changed to a ¿Lotus 18 Formula Junior singie - seater. but after| finishing second five times descrip- in eight races he! out at' demolished the car and! Mary 17. almost himself against the s of any: side of a barn at a circuit or sold | in Louisville, Kentucky. • of the Undaunted, he was back again in 1961, this time with a Formula M13/ Junior Cooper, and despite his conscription into the he had three straight rictories in a five - race series to win the Northeastern States formula junior championship. As Corporal Mayer of the United States Army ir Puerto Rico, his motor racing activities in 196 were strictly limited, bu: they were certainly successful. He won no less thar i seren national races in row with a new Formula Junior Cooper, taking the record at each circuit. and thus romped off with the American formula junior championship. Grand Prix This success earned him a start in the U.S. Grard Prix at Watkins Glen in ar old four-cylinder Cooper. But. after being the fastest privaie qualifier gearbox troubles robbed him of any chance of placing in the race. After the successfral American season he was offered a place in the works • supported team of Formala Junior Coopers run in Eng. land by Ken Tyrrell. He was also racing a 2.7litre Cooper Monaco sports car, and before he leit the Army and the United States he was leading the United States road racing championship series. Valuable The Tyrrell team did not , have much success last season. but Mayer gained valuable experience racing on all the European circuits and had one notable success when, driving his own Cooper Monaco, he finished third in .big international race at Brands Hatch behind Roger Penske, one of the leading American drivers to-day. and Roy Salvadori, both of whom also drove Coopers. Mayer is married to 23-year-ola Connecticut girl, Garrill, who will be accompanying him during his New Zealand visit.

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