30-1-65 30-1-65 3-3-65 Smaller Cars Boost Motor Racing in N.Z. ALTHOUGH, judged by last year's standards, Jim Clark's end-to-end win made the Lady Wigram Trophy race last Saturday a fairly dull affair, the race did show, as preceding ones this season have also shown, that the standard of New Zealand race driving has improved enormously since the introduction of the Tasman Formula last season. From the New Zea land drivers' point of view this has undoubtedly proved to be the best season since international racing starled in this country nore than a decade ago. A year ago it would have been extremely risky to fore cast that New Zealanders would not only figure consistently in high placings in international fields. but would also be playing star roles in the New Zealand Australia l'asman championship series. Yet when the Wigram race ended the current national champion Jim Palmer, who finished third for the third time in succession in this season's international series. had 12 points to his credit in the Tasman series-six less than Clark and three less than Australian Frank Gardner. Solid Effort His has been a very solid effort when it is considered that international stars Bruce McLaren and Phil Hill completed Wigram with totais of eight and three points respectively. •In Auckland earlier this season there was a strong move afoot to change the Tas-! man 2.a-litre, 100-130-octane tuel formula in favour of the four-cylinder 1.5 litre formula. Fortunalely, when the international race promo ters met in Christchurch last Sunday morning they agreed to continue with the present formula. This was an extremely sound; decision for it was obvious that smaller and slower 1.5 litre cars would not have the spec-'in the same manner as the tator appeal of the "big ban-Tasman championship and gers" and also it would have proposes to make recommendbeen foolhardy to drop a for-ations to the international pro mula, so soon after its inimte introduction of such a ception which had done so much to improve the standard series would immediately inof local racing. crease the stature of 1.5 litre However, the international racing and should inevitably shere is rate for a 1.5 thre bester starting moners paying there is room for a category within the internat- That, in turn, would profional • Tasman championship vide the incentive races. drivers to consider the cat egory more seriously and Point Proved obtain better cars. Although the trophy race it- Right thoughout pointment, no one could comstrated that his Brabham-Ford tion in the saloon car events. is capable of holding its own with some of the 2.5 litre Cow. Good Value entry-Climax-engined cars. Levis's Wigram showing -an honest sixth place proved the point for Wigram is a power-driving circuit where engine output counts a great deal. Nevertheless Levis was able to finish well ahead of a number of the "big bangers." The 1.5 litre cars driven by Levis, Masterton farmer An- • drew Buchanan and the former national hill climb champion Ken Sagar, to name a . few, have added : great interest to the international series. With a bit of a push the 1.5litre category could play a much more significant part in New Zealand and Australian motor racing and the New Zealand Racing Drivers' Club, which also held its annual meeting here last Sunday, has come up with a proposition that would provide the necessary stimulus. The club has indicated that it would welcome a 1.5-litre championship series conducted There is no doubt that the i saloons are the favourites as far as the patrons are concerned and such drivers as Napier doctor Dick Langley. the - Morrinsville expert Brian Innes and Wellington's David Gooch, with their Mini-Coopers, to say nothing of the Anglia squad comprising Warner Col Pins, Robbie Franicevic, Jack Nazer, Tony Lawrence others gave excellent value at Wigram as they had already done elsewhere this season. This is the day of the smaller type of car. Paul ¡Fahey, who finished last Saturday with a total of 35 points • and a ting Disers Club satioon championship, has proved that with his Lotus Cortina, which h seeing out haust. faster Corvette-engined Zephyr of Aucklander Rod Coppins purely on braking and roadnolding. Driver Jim Clark (seated) and mechanic Roy Parsons check the Lotus car that carried Clark to victory in the Lady Wigram Trophy race last Saturday. There was a time. and it was not so very long ago, when the small car drivers came in for fulsome praise when they managed to get into minor places in fields of highly-tuned Jaguars and Zephyrs. Nowaday's the boot is on the other foot and Geraldine's lan Dow did exceptionaily well with his 3.8 Jaguar to hold his OWTI with some of the little 'uns. Times have certainly changed in New Zealand motor racing. but judging by the way things are going, the changes are for the better. Motor Racing Club Control The Motor Racing Club will be asked by the Paparua County Council to "comment on the ap parent lack of control over traffic leaving tile grounds after the Lady Wigram Trophy Race, and also to advise the measures of control it intends to exercise over such traffic in future," the council decided on Monday evening. The Sockburn County Town Committee had informed the council that the club had not maintained sufficient control of the exits from the grounds after the Lady Wigram meethad been closed for the occasion. Questioned