LADY WIGRAM 1966 CAN CLARK 18-1-66 COM EAT WIGRAM TROI PHY DO UBLE'? FOLLOWING on the debacle at the start of the Ne Jim Clark stripped first gear on the front row of nated in the ensuing telescopic collision and the ot race seconds later, the question uppermost in most Clark complete a Lady Wigram Trophy 'double'?" . w Zealand Grand Prix, when current world champion the grid and Australian Frank Gardner was elimiher Australian, Spencer Martin, skated out of the racing enthusiasts' minds at the moment is: 'Can As was the case in lished distance of about 100 a very narrow torque range or planting the right foot hard and Gardner, who will be: So as far as the B.R.M. sidelinear and on we mies be even greatest ev note res using American tyres, will be team is concerned. a great saw|gives the event greatest New In other words, B.R.M. driv- Until the drivers have their racing on British all-weather deal could depend upon how former world champion Zealand stature. ers Jackie Stewar. and Rich. training sessions on Friday: tyres. quickly its members can Graham Hill race away It remains the Oniy ard Attwood will, to get the and experiment with gear and: This must put Clark at a I learo the circuit and whether with the Grand Prix in international race of 100- best out of their cars, have to final drive ratios, it is almost disadvantage, for he must 'he weather remains untthe 1930 c.c. V8 B.R.M. add miles on the New Zea- keep their engines turning impossible to forecast whether! formly fine or uniformly wet decide, taking into account with team-mate Jackie over at something like 10,500 the Climax or B.R.M. engines for the practice and race land calendar and the look of the sky Stewart glued to his tail automatically becomes ¡ revolutions a minute or even will prove better at Wigram. whether he will race on , days. in second place. the finest test of car and more. To do this they will! It does seem that the dry weather tyres or rain A weather change between With Clark and the have the advantage of six- B.R.M. team will be con- days could exert a driver. tyres. Each provide optitwo Australians out of speed gearboxes, but it re-fronted with the most difficult marked influence on the outmum performance under the race, major Grand From the mechanical aspect, mains to be seen just how thetask in that it will probably the conditions for which come. Prix interest centred on New Lealand international cars will perform on the bave to compromise between they were designed, Another visitor with the the fortunes of the re. racing has been dominated by slower sections of Wigram-maximum speed and maxi- but each are almost hope- advantage of experience is the! mainder of the field who the rather antiquated, but ex- notably the tricky Loop and theimum power for the slow see- less otherwise. Australian Gardner. не ran. tailed along miles behind ceptionally reliable, 2.5-itre, hairpin at the end of the tions of the course. into fourth place last year! the B.R.M.s. four-cylinder FPF Coventry-long and very fast back Clark's Lotus is fitted with and that race should give him the International Climax engine. straight. • Head Wind centre-lock wheels that can be at least a slight advantage Really, changed very quickly Gold Leaf, race at Levin- Clark used two of these en- fas over his fellow-countryman,! second round in the Tasman gines last season in his Lotus. Right Gear Another factor that as driver §pencer Martin. Championship - last Sat- He won at Levin, Wigram never be neglected at Wigram can change his mind, accord- The New Zealanders, perurday did not resolve any. and Teretonga Park and on So the fortunes of the B.R.M. is the possibility of a heading to Team Lotus , chief haps with one or two excep thing, for it was nothing more each occasion he had engine/team could very well depend I wind on the back straight. (Colin Chapman). However, in tions, have had plenty of than a thirty-mile sprint on an worries, but his tremendous upor the selection of the right Even a fairly light bead a 100-mile race any sort of a wigram experience and exceptionally tight and com-sail and mechanical sym-gear and final drive ratios to past has pit stop just about puts paid on bat score at least the paratively siow circuit, far re- pathy made up for the hand provide optimum speed caused problems for Cli- to a driver's chance of a win buman factor should be the. moved in every respect from cap. Wigram's very fast straights! and certainly a four-wheel least of their worries. max-engined cars which and maximum torque in the change would cost Clark all the fast, power-driving Wig- Different gave .. optmum speed On ability Clark must be slow corners. chance unless the Wigrami ram course. under still conditions but reckoned the man most All the other major con- Trophy proved to be a very The Wigram Trophy race This year the situation isi were found to be pulling rather different. There will be tenders, Clarks with his Lotus, falsely run race. likely to carry off the this year is, without too high & gear against troppy. But, obviously, So, Clark, apart from lack shadow of doubt, the most the full B.R.M. works team at the Australians Frank Gardner of power output, will have to Stewart so closely ap important one on the New Wigram on Saturday and and Spencer Martin with their proaches him that the Zealand international cal the cars are powered by en- Brabhams, and the leading other factors could deterendar. mise the result in his This is because the New the 15-litre V8 B.R.M. en- Andrew Buchanan, Red Daw'could be considerably ampli- or so thai the race will take. favour. gines. The capacity of this en-son and Neil Whittaker and. Other things Zealand International Grand gine is 1930 c.c. On size it is perhaps, Syd Jensen with being equal,! Advantage Then, again, no one has Prix organisation, for rea- well within the Tasman For. Brabhams, and Denis Marwood tyres could well be the deter- Teally seen Martin at his sons which it has yet to mula regulations which per- with a Cooper and Johnny mining factor. The other factor is the hu best and, if his Grand Priz divulge, elected to cut the dis mit engines of a capacity up Riley with a Lotus, will be These days, with new rub man one and, as far as this practice times are any inditance of its feature event using the FPF Climax engines. ber compounds, wear is genis concerned, Clark starts cation, he could be the thorn! down from more than These sturdy four-cyl- erally not so very important. at Wigram with a decided act | in the side of the Scotsmen. :100 miles to about 84 miles. On the face of it, if size However, the rate of racing vantage. He' raced here un. Gardner comes to the race counts for anything, the inder units provide useful !tyre development is so fast!successfully in the wet a nur-; with an excellent record, but: It could be that the N.Z.I.G.P., looking back over: Coventry Climar engine power right through their that improvements in the comber of years ago and he won be is probably no better than sheuld be superior to the engine' revolution range, ¡pound used, general casing the race last year. •Palmer who this year is going past events, reached the con-t smaller B.R.M. unit. But, clusion that too often in thei the peak of which is pro- land tread design and so on,! Clark starts with the ad better than ever. as far as power output is ¡can improve lap speeds by* vantage of knowing the In fact. the safest thing to past the race had developed bably something like 6800 concerned, the B.R.M. ¡anything up to see from one circuit under wet and dry say about the Lady Wigram into a procession and, if there revolutions a minute with was to be one again, the best wins hands down as it de- year to another. conditions. Jackie Stewart, Trophy at this stage is that thing to do was to get it over! velops something like 260 a reasonable degree of re- On Saturday, : most of the on the other band, is a *he result should be known in the least time possible. brake horse power com- liability. major contenders, with thei new boy. So is his team- "very shortly after 3.30 p.m. on: pared with the 225 or so Thus Clark and the others notable exceptions of Clark mate Attwood. Saturday! Greatest of the Climax unit. using these engines can af- However, all the power of ford to let their engine- Be that as it may, Christ- the B.R.M. engine comes in|speeds drop considerably, safe church's Motor Racing Club! around the top end of the en in the knowledge that there has kent the Lady Wigrami gine revointion scale and thislis still nlentv of Dulling ADY TWICE WORLD CHAMPION World champion al thEs end of the 1963 season and y again at the end of last; {season, 28 year-old Scottish! {farmer Jim Clark bas achiered fame in meter + sport far beyond that of say other Briton. Last year he won one of! the world's richest sporting; events, the American in-! dianapolis 500-mile race. ini La Ford-powered Lotus. Clark won the Tasman! Championship tast season. scoring nine points towards! It by winning the Lady, • Wigram Trophy race. Hes had raced once previousiy at Wigram, in 1961. wittou', › success.. This very friendiy Scots man, who is unaffected bi the fame and honours tha have been heaped upon him {began racing only eigh years ago. He remains : bachelor we claims. spite of the fact that he i at the pinnacle of fame i motor sport, that his fr love la his Scottish Berde farm and that motor racing comes very much in second place, As a racing motorist her 31s, in many respects unique. for from the time he gradu ated from club racing me has remained with one! {team. Lotus, and has con-t › fined his driving either ir › straigat Lotus cars orl ¡Lotus-modified ones pre-s ¿ pared under the watebtu! eve of his friend and chief.! • Colin Chapman.