THE ME IN the modern racine car the driver is almost completely hidden from view, but the driver, of course, is even more important than the car. 1A good driver can make bad car go tast, but a bad Triver will not be able to make even a good car go fast. Here are some personal details about the leading contenders in Saturday's premier sporting event:~ JACK BRABHAM Jack Brabham has won the New Lealand Grand Prix three times and the world champlonship twice, and he rated high among the ivorlds top 10 drivers. lamiliar figure in New Zealand, he has competed in many Lady Wigram Trophy races with considerable success. JACK BRABHAM Brabham is now also highly successful racing car , construcior, and he and Denis Huime will be racing Brabham cars at Wigram. Brabham was a flight mechanic in the air force during the Second World War, 14- and started racing on cinder tracks in Australla. He soon became ohampion In this fleld, and also became champion in hillelimbs. He was seen in New Zealand in modifled Cooper Bristols and never missed a N.Z.G.P. meeting. In 1955, after building up a motor business in Sydney, Brabham went to Britain, where drove Cooper-Alla and a Maserati. In 1957 he joined Coopers and with this firm won the world- championship in 1959 and 1960. He Is a designer and mechanic of very considerable talent, and left Coopers to build hig own cars, which have been successful in the G.P. fleld and very successful! in Formula Junior. Brabham is quiet and retiring, and is dedicated to motor racing. He is married, and has two children. BRUCE MCLAREN Generally acknowledged as New Zealand's greatest driver, and rated high in the top 10 for the last five years, Bruce McLaren has always compered enthusiastically in New Zealand race meetings, and has often been well placed at Wigram, which he won last year. Last season McLaren had an excellent season in New Zens nde ra es strain wine. win- In Europe he was handicapped by his car, which was heavier and slower than others. McLaren is the son of a former racing driver and motor-cyclist, When McLaren Les McLaren, of Remuera. was 10, a tall from a horse led to a bone disease in one hip, which kept him for two years in the Wilson Home for Crippled Children. BRUCE MCLAREN He was unable to take up ordinary sports, but by perseverance he confounded the doctors' predictions and overcame his injury. He started racing at the age of 15 when his father bought him an Ulster Austin as a birthday present, and he later moved to Austin Healey, a "bobtail" Cooper, and in 1958 into a Formula II Cooper. The talent of the young driver was spotted by Brabham and Brabham sold him the him "bobtail" Cooper. In 1958 Brabham brought out the Formula II machine for McLaren to race, NAT THE WHEEL and ho made an excellent showing in It and was nominated is the first "Driver to Europe" under the sponsorship of the N.Z.G.P. organisation. In England he Joined Coopery under Brabham's wing, and went from success success. In 1060 he was second to Brubhum in the world championship and when Brabham left Coopers he became number one driver for the Cooper team. A cheerful, sucluble and very likeable personality, McLaren is marrled. TIM MAYER Virtually unknown in this country, Tim Mayer has had much success in the United States with a Formula Junior Cooper, He raced in Europe during the last season. Mayer comes originally from Pennsylvania, and has been Dalton racing since he was a student at Yale at the .... TIM MAYER age of 21, He spent two years United States Army, but continued racing during week-end leaves. His Arst car was an Austin Healey 3000S, with which he considerable success. 1960 he changed to a Lotus F.J. car, but he wrecked the car against a barn in Louisville. was back in 1961 with an F.J. Cooper, with it the North-eastern States F.J. Championship In 1962 he won seven national races in a row with an F.J. Cooper, setting a new lap record each time and gaining the Ameri- F.J. Championship. This earned him an entry Into the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, drivfour-cylinder Cooper, but gearbox troubles put him out after qualifying fastest among the private entrants. Before leaving for Britain to take a place in the workssponsored Cooper F.J. team, Mayer raced a Cooper Monaco 2.7 litre in sports car events and was leading the United States road racing championship. He learnt much during his 1963 season, although mechanical troubles robbed him of much success. At Wigram he will drive Bruce McLaren's second special Cooper, and McLaren believes Mayer is one of the most promising drivers to appear in the last two years. Mayer admits to having no mechanical aptitude, and he is a cheerful and friendly personality. He is married, and his wife is accompanying him on his New Zealand Lip. JOHN YOUL John Yout is another driver who is not well known New Zealand, but who has JOHN YOUL done very well on Australlan circuits. A wealthy grazier from Tasmania, he has been one of Australia's leading drivers for the last four sea- Youl is at present rated 85 the coming Australian champion, He has not previously raced outside Australia, although his younger brother. Gavin, drove successfully in Europe in Coopers and Brabhams. CHRIS AMON Chris Amon is recognised as one of New Zealand's best drivers, although he is only 20. He started racing early, competing in hillclimbs in an Austin Special when 16, He also raced at Levin in 1960. A year later he bought an old finished an Formula II Cooper, and excellent second at Levin to Brian Prescott in ¡a 250F' Maserati. Next he bought a Maserati i 250F himself, and did well with it before crashing into CHRIS AMON telegraph pole in Dunedin in the-962 race there. Soon after this he finished second at Ohakea to Pat Hoare's Ferrari in an old Supersqualo Ferrari, and won at Levin in a borrowed 2-litre Cooper. Invited to drive in Australla for David Mackay's Scuderia Veloce he put up some impressive performances, and in the spring of 1962 he beat Angus Hyslop's late model Cooper at Levin. He was unlucky in the 1963 international season in New Zealand, as the Cooper he was driving proved unrellable. However, his driving greatly impressed Reg Parnell, for whom he drove a Lola in championship events In Europe last season. crashed at Monza when the car's suspension failed, and spent some time in hospital. Amon is at present rated among the world's top 20 drivers, and he has been named as one of the most promising young drivers of today. JIM PALMER Now 22 years old, Jim Ralmer has been steadily rising to the top amongst New Zealand drivers. Palmer comes from Hamilton, and has been driving since he was 15. The son of racing driver George Palmer, he started with a Ford-engined Buckler and then changed to a Lotus 11. He raced this car throughtout the country during the 1959-60 season, finishing the season With three wins at Levin. His next car was an ex-works Lotus 15, in which he finished seventh in the New Zealand G.P. of 1960 and earned fifth place on the Gold Star table. His next car was an F.J. Lotus 18, but the car did not JIM PALMER go very well and Palmer was placed seventh in the Gold Star. Next he had a Lotus and although it did not run well early in the season it came right to let Palmer finish fourth at Teretonga, second at Dunedin, and to win at Waimate after a very clean drive. Last season Palmer had another Lotus 20 and put up some excellent performances, and he again won the Waimate event. He was second in the championship. This year he has already made a dying start to the season with wins at Renwick and Mount Maunganui and a good place at Levin. He may well win thig year's Gold Star. TONY SHELLY Tony Shelly has for some years now been rated as one of , the top New Zealand drivers, and when he spent a year in Europe in 1962 he earned a good reputation there also. Shelly began racing in 1954 with Morgan, and he later went to Britain and took lessons at the Cooper Training School, Back in New Zealand he raced the F.ll Cooper formerly owned by Syd Jensen and won his Arst start, TONY SHELLY at Teretonga in 1958. He followed this up with two firsts and four seconds at Napier and Levin, but the 1959 international season was not a good one for him. In 1960 he bought Denis Hulme's Cooper Climax and with it finished fourth in the Croid Star list, He won at Ohakea, was second New Zealander at Levin and third at Teretonga, Napier and Waimate. He started the 1961-62 season well with four wins at Levin, but then his luck failed him. He went to Europe the same year and did well in his first races, impressing overseas observers. Then, once more, his luck ran out and he was Involved in several accidents. Next his engine gave trouble, but with a new engine he finished fifth in the Oulton Park Gold Cup and first amongst the private entrants. Shelly is now regarded as one of the fastest drivers in New Zealand, if not the fastest. If his run of bad mechanical luck runs out he could do very well. DENIS HULME Denis Hulme another driver to Europe under N.Z.G.P. "Driver to Europe" scheme, and there he indeed, and is now regarded as the world's top driver of Formula Junior cars. Hulme first came Into minence when he was 23. This was at the end of the 1959 season when bought a Cooper formerly raced by Brabham: His first performances were not outstanding, but-next season drove brilliantly. In the 1960 his driving regarded as near fantastic, forced to retire, and after an excellent win at Levin he left for England. During the 1961 season he returned to New Zealand after a good showing overseas and drove a Cooper 2.5 litre and an F.J. Cooper. He easily won the Gold Star, and in 10 races he was the first New Zealander home in nine and the second in one. In 1862 he drove Coopers and Brabhams in Europe with congiderable success, and also did well at Le Mans In a Fiat Abarth shared with Angus Hyslop. He. did not return to New Zealand for the 1962-63 season here, but was kept busy developing Brabham F.J. car. With this he won race after race, and lost the F.J. championship to Peter Arundell in a Lotus by one race. •Hume is noted for being quiet and modest. was married to a Te Puke girl a lew weeks ago.