SALOON CAR RACING BIG CROWD-PLEASER TO-DAY AhOUGH the Grand Prix racing drivers tend to be the glamour boys of motor racing, there now appears to be little doubt that saloon car racing is the big crowdpleaser in motor sport, not only in this country but wherever races are held. Saloon car racing has en- lhing goes, provided It resemjoyed a tremendous upsurge bles slightly a road car and ¡in popularity in New Zealand has a roof on it. and at any meeting the saloon The "Allcomers" calegory drivers almost inevitaoly com-has given rise to some amazprise the bulk of the entry ing hybrids. There are small list. English Lals such as the To-day saloon Ford Anglia, fitted with racing giant Chevrolet Corvelle en- New! Zealand falls gines and bigger cars with broadly into three cale- , similar unils. guries. Almost invariably enormous In the first are the stan- tyres are used to transmit the dard production cars, such power to the track and some as those raced in the long-jof these hybrids are capable distance events at the Wills of speeds up to 140 miles an isix-hour meeting at Pukekohe hour. tand the DR five-hour meeting al Teretonga Park, Invercar-! On Trailers gill. Generally speaking, the Hybrids such as this mighty Zephyr-Corvette of Rod Coppins-it Is capable of something Group 2 "Alleomers" are strictly competition cars. They like 140 miles an hour-make "All-comers" saloon car racing one of the most exeiting are spectacles of the New Zealand season. The second category com-unsuitable for ordinary road! prises what are known as the use and are more often than This Ferrari, a beautifully another round in the New drivers as former national, Group 2 cars, These are very not taken to and from race finished and prepared real- Zealand Racing Driv. champion Kerry Grant with! slightly modified produc- meetings on trailers. engined coupe, is a direct ers' Club's saloon cham- his special Sebring Sprite-en tion saloons, the modifica- At Wigram on Saturday. Igined Austin A40, do say noth-! descendant of the Le Mans pionship. tions carried out being in patrons will see both ing of a swarm of very hot! and olher long-distance raceaccordance with factory re- Group 2 and "Allcomers" winning Ferraris and should Currently the 22-year-old S-type Mini-Coopers. commendations. in action and in both cate- certainty be the faslest "All. Aucklander, David Simp- In the Touring Car class one! This form of racing is gories, if the competi- 'comer" at Wigram. Under son, is leading in this ser-of the favourites will be thei growing considerably in tion so far this season is good conditions it would notties, with his fast-back Lotusjlocal driver Jim Mullins, who popularity because it does any indication, there be at all surprising if Martin Anglia. But hard on his heels drives i very good S-type provide racing for the dri- should be some ex- were to lap the circuit almost is the national saloon cham- Mini-Cooper, but who had tol ver who cannot afford to tremely close and thrilling as quickly as the single-sea-pion, Paul l'ahey, who has a give best at Pukekohe to the have a car specially for racing. Iter Tasman Formula cars en-similar car with a 1750 c.c. ¡lormer single-seater chamcompetition, and this sea- Considerable additional intered in the trophy race itself. engine--100 c.c. more than pion Angus Hyslop, who drove son, for the first lime, a ferest will be added lo the ta similar car. Bul if the Ferrari should Simpson's car. Group 2 or Touring Car "Alleorners" racing by the run away from the remain- Numerous olhers are well Hyslop will not bo driv. championship series of appearance of the 250LM l'er- ing at Wigram, his place der of the field, there is in the picture also-Rod C'op races has. been estab- rari coupe which has been being taken by the Napier still no doubt that great ¡pins with his extremely fast lished. entered by the Australian Scuinlerest will centre on the Zephyr-Corvette, Ivan Segedin doctor, Dick Langley, The third group is known in deria Veloce organisation for lop "Allcomer" driv- with the one and only racing driver who is probably this country as the "Allcom- the up-and-coming young Aus- els who will be fighting Ford Mustang in the country, just as fast as Hystop. ers." Here just about any. tralian driver Spencer Martin. out among themselves yet ¡and such small capacity car Although North Island saloon drivers have tended to dominate the scene in re-l cent seasons, the Canterbury Car Club's Ruapuna Park meetings have done a great i deal to bring South Island drivers - and particularly Canterbury men - very much ¡back into the picture. SUPER METHYL Undoubtedly the fastest "All-comer" at Senderla Veloce by Australian Spencer the Lady Wigram Trophy meeting witl Martin. A direct descendant of the I be this 250LM Ferrari, to be driven for •e Mans-winning Ferraris, the car will LADY WIGRAM 1966