22-1-65 Jim Clark Far in Fastest by Practice for Lady Wigram Race THE 1963 world champion racing motorist, Jim Clark, greatly enhanced his chances for a Lady Wigram Trophy Race win to-morrow in the opening practice sessions at the circuit this morning. Driving the Lotus Climax which gave him a clear-cut win at Levin last Saturday, Clark was by far the fastest on a drying track. He put in his best lap, according to unofficial timing, in Imin 33.6sec. That was well outside the best practice lap of Denis Hulme Brabham Climax) last year. Hulme went round in Imin Zi.7sec. but conditions them were ideal. Although conditions had improved considerabl! as the morning progressed thev were still far from good and there was some water lying on parts of the circuit. The other overseas stars. Bruce McLaren and Phil Hill. did not have much joy with their Cooper Climaxes. Cracked Battery His was one of the first out but spun his car at the hairpin Subsequently he returned to the pits with the engine misfiring and it was found that the car had a cracked battery. At lunch time his mechanic: were trying to find a replacement for it. McLaren was content to go fairly slowly. Then he, too, was in bother, coming into the pits with a rear tyre punctured. timed at imin Unofficially 42sec, claren however. was the fastest of the rest. Australian Frank Gardner was slow, so, too, were most of the New Zealanders. Clark and the leading New Zealanders looked the best prospects with their Engishmade tyres which have been designed for wet as well as dry weather racing. The McLaren Coopers and Gardner's Repco Brat ham Climax are fitted wit American - made tyres which are good in dry conditions but make car handling difficult on a wret track. In spite of the early morning ; rain, there was a big crowd at •Wigram early to watch the opening practice sessions as Motor Racing Club members and volunteer helpers put the finishing touches to the facili- ¡ties for tomorrow's race. Work started at the aerodrome about the same time a the rain last night and progres: was not as speedy as had been hoped for. However, by lunch time to-day everything was well in hand. The massive prefabricated timekeepers' stand had been erected and was ready for timing trophy гасе entrants at three o'clock this afternoon in their qualifying laps for the preliminary heats tomorrow. First on the circuit this morning were the saloon cars but their job was utilitarian . rather than competitive. They were used in a fairly successful effort to splash the water off the track to makc the going safer for the troph! race competitors. Best Prospects By lunch time the 2.25 mile circuit had dried out fairl well and it looked as though. by the time the qualifying sessions came on. most of the drivers would be able to carte at least five or six seconds oft their morning lap time. With the exception of the national champion, Jim Palmer, all the major contenders Wigram honours tomorrow were at the circuit this morning. Palmer was a late arrival. having crossed from the North Island only last night. His mechanics had been busy installing a new gearbos in his Beneo Bochham Cla: Scotland's Jim Clark moves at speed in his Lotus during Lady Wigram trophy race. The contestants all had the of using the at Wigram Aero drome to-day.