23-1-64 25-1-64 McLaren 3 Points Ahead of Hulme Running Second Wow the ma race in the in 2o Setion of the Tasman Championship to be run at Teretonga Park, Invercargill, on Saturday, New Zealand's leading racing • driver Bruce McLaren currently leads the eight-race New Zealand and Australia series with a total of 22 points gathered from wins in the New Zealand Grand Prix and Lady Wigram Trophy and a third place in the Vie Hudson Memorial Trophy, at Levin. Contestants must count points won in the New Zealand and Australian Grand Prix : races and their best points in any two of the other three races held in each country. Points are awarded on the basis of 9, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 for the six major places. Good Chance The way things are shaping would indicate that McLaren has a very good chance of pulling off the title. But he will not have things all his own way for the other leading New Zealand international driver, Denis Hulme, is very much in the picture with a total of 19 points gained from a Levin win, a second in the New Zealand Grand Prix and & third in the Lady Wigram Trophy. Both • can improve their chances at Teretonga Park on Saturday. With yet another win Driter Car McLaren Cooper-Climax Holme Repco-Brabham Mayer Cooper-Climax Youl Cooper-Climax ... Brabham Repco-Brabham Palmer Cooper Climax …•• Shelly Lotus-Climax McLaren could bring his New Zealand total to the maximum of 27 points. On the other hand if Hulme were to win his total would be 24 points. There are, of course, other permutations. But basically to improve their positions both McLaren and Hulme must obtain a second place or better on Saturday. Currently they are • both counting third places in their scores. Seven So Far So far only seven drivers have scored points in the series. The others are McLaren's American teammate, Timmy Mayer (2.5 Cooper-Climax), Tasmanian John Youl (2.5 Cooper-Climax), Jack Brabham, Hulme's team leader, with Repco-Brabham-Climax, and the resident New Zealand drivers, Jimmy Palmer (2.5 Cooper-Climax) and Tony Shelly (2.5 Lotus- Climax). The points table is: Jerin Pusekobe Wigram Points : g 6 4 19 6 4 10 3 3 3 - 1 2 1 1 McLAREN-IN THE BOX SEAT completing the Trophy "double' Bruce McLaren, has I Championship win this New Zealand Grand Prix-Lady Wigram " New Zealand's leading racing motorist, ut himself in the box seat for a Tasman season. MeLaren drove the race of his life in his light-weight Cooper Climax last Saturday, staving off the Repco- Brabham-Climaxes of Jack Brabham and Denis Hulme with only seconds to spare. That trophy race win brought McLaren's Tasman Championship points total to 22, and to improve on his score he had to place better than third in the final New Zealand round at Teretonga Park, Invercargill, today. But the great thing about this Tasman Championship is that Hulme is also right in the middle of the picture and he could easily pull it off too. What a harvest festival these two young New Zealanders are having this season! And it is not just a question of luck. McLaren, one time runnerup • in the World Racing Drivers' Championship, ¡leader of the Cooper Grand Prix team, test and develop- 'ment expert and driver foriset new lap records at the 500,000 dollar Ford GT¡Levin and Pukekone and (car project, has an interna-made fastest lap on the ¡tional reputation that is onenew Wigram circuit in the ¡of the most enviable in trophy race must have set motoring sport. Brabham thinking, as he has already announced that he He's Good and the American Dan Gurney will comprise this He is as good as any-year's Repo • Brabham Grand Prix team with ‚body in big-time motor raci Hulme getting an occasional! and much better than most. But what is not gen- drive. ¡erally recognised is that so The Lady Wigram is Hulme. Trophy gave New Zea- Frankly, I believe that- land motor racing the Hulme, given equal oppor- shot in the arm it so tunity, would see off his badly needed and all boss, Brabham, six or seven credit must go to Nietimes out of ten in any big Laren, Hulme and Brabmotor race. ham for doing the job. The way he drove at They turned on the great- Levin, Pukekohe and Wig-lest sustained effort yet seen ram showed that he is first-lin an international race in iclass Grand Prix racing ma- this country, driving for terial and the fact that he labout half the distance with seldom more than 3sec between them all. For McLaren, Who was straddled by the Repco- Brabham drivers for SO long, this race must have been a most unnerving experience. No Sign But when it was all over and he had won by 8sec from Brabham, he displayed no sign of the mental stress he must have undergone and, in my book, with the revolutionary new Formula I Cooper he will have for the world title series, he must be counted a major contender. In the South African Grand Prix at the end of 1963 Brabham had the satisfaction of placing two of his cars on the front row of the starting grid, a tremendous achievement for a man who has been a racing car constructor for the • brief span of two years. The Christchurch Star Sports, Jon. 25, 1964.- Page 21 With 19 points in the Tasman Championship series to his credit after bis third placing ta the Lads Wigram Trophy Race (above) last Saturday, Repco-Brabham Climax driver, Dens Halme must be conceded a good chance of pulling off the series as he was only three points behind the leader, Brice McLaren His cars must also figure largely in the thoughts of Grand Prix opposition this rear. What a tribute it is to the skill and tenacity of New Zealanders and Australians ¡that they have been able to rise to the top in one of! most hazardous and costly competitive activities • with genuine interna itional status! 24-1-64 The Motor Racing Club is to be congratulated on Many cleane to no Many realise e that the preparation of the circuit, which entails large not of sorr work, is done voluntarily by the members of the club, and there IS also: 20 enormots amount of work invalved timing.": arranging receptions: for: drivers, arranging programme, and so. Di! This year's race was undoubtedly the best for yeats, and the new loop is very populat with the spectators. Many of the drivers also now find it more to their liking.