Rindt Wins Hard -fought Wigram Trophy Race It was the d successive sleepless Austrian driver, J. in record-breaking t ay of Team Lo nights for Lotus Rindt, brought h ime, 26 seconds a tus at Wigram mechanics were is 2.5 litre Lotus head of his tea on Saturday. Two rewarded when the -Ford V8 home first am-mate, the world champion Graham Hill. Rindt, driving the new car which Lotus mechanics finished assembling only shortly before practice on friday morning, completed the 14lap 101-mile race in 58min 53.6sec. an average ol 103.11. i.p.h., compared with the record of 102.6 m.p.h. set last year by the late . Clark. On Friday night, the Lotus mechanics worked until an hour before the trophy race preliminary to change the engive of fills car, which had lost power badly during practice on the Friday. Rindt shared a new race lap record with the Ferrari driver, C. Amon: they both recorded laps in 1min 18.8sec, an average 105.08 miles an hour. The set Jast vear Amon and Clark, was 1min • 19.6sec. But in the preliminary heat for the main race Hill set lap record for the heats when he recorded a remarkable imin iSsec. beating even the imin 18.3s0g which Rindt recorded in practice on the Friday. The race. watched hy a crowd of about 21,000 in hol 5018 weather. was one of the best ever seen at wigram. Aithough Rindi Was always Well Cicar of the field Hill, Amon •Ferrari Dino V6 2.4• litre) and P. Courage i Brabham Ford Vs 2.5.litre) were rarely more that a few seconds apart, and put on a splendid display of driving. Behind the second Ferrari Bell, there was good good battle for much of the race between the two New Zealand drivers, R. Levis (Brabham Ford 1800) and G. wawrence Mcuaren Ford 1600) for sixth place and the position of first resident driver home. Lawrence's fine run ended thiris-third lap. howeve hen he had to make a pit sto rectify brake troubles. Lawrence, indeed. cen unlucky Wigram. as failed to finish in the la finished on Saturday. be was in last place and senred no points towards the New Zealand national championship. Another driver 15h0 has always been unlucky at Wigram. 1hc Australian. Gardner (Mildren-Alfa Romeo VS), also continued his run of bad luck. At the first corner in the main event. was rammed front behind by another and Lotus Ford 1500Y. Botha cars ere put out of the race. The other Australian driver, Geoghegan (Repco Brabbam 523) fared Mttle better: he ad to retire from sixth place 1 the fourth lan when Of the 23 starters. 12 Anished Amon still leads the Tasman Championship with 22 polnts. but Rindt ts now second with 15. Courage is third with 13. anc Bell and Geogbegan are equal fourth with five points each Gardner has four points. The points are awarded on the basis of 9, 6, 4, 3. ", 1, for the frst lo sixth places. FIRST HEAT Two preliminary heats decided the main-race grid. In Ine frst, for the smaller ears G. MeRae started from the front rOW In the McRae-Ford 1500 he designed and built himself, and led all the way. Behind him. a very fierce duri developed between other front-tow men. D. Oxton (Brabham Ford 1500) and fu Smith (Lotus Ford 1300). with Oxton coming in second nar. rowly ahead The Christchurch driver. Hawthorne (Brabham Ford 1500), held an excellent second ble then had to retire flas three laps, pressure ignition. A. McCuRly (Brabham Ford 1500) never looked like losing fourth spot, and W. Murdoch (Brabham Ford 1500) was creditable fifth. 3. Nicholson (Brabham Ford 1500), who had been expected to do well. spun at the loop on the first lap. and lost two laps. NoRae's rictory " ав all the more creditable because he had clutch trouble throughout race. Afterwards found a gearbox oil seal had failed, but he and his mechanic replaced it before the main race. HILL WINS The preliminary 11 lap event for the bigger main.race CArS certainly did 10l lack excite. ment. The front row comprised Rindt. Amon and Hill. ano it was Amon who got the best of 1hc start, ahead of Itill rand Bell, who was on the second row Rindt made a bad start. and was ffth on the first lap By ihe second lap the order was Amon. Hill and Couragealmost wheel-to-wheel -- then Rindi, already ll1 Courth spot ahead of Bell and Gardner. Afler a considerable gap came the Arst of the New Zealanders. L.. Brownlie i Brabham Ford 1600), very closely attended by I. W. Dawson (Repco Brab. ham 25), M. Guthrle i Brabham 1600) with ailing Repco Brabham came next. unfortunate Geoghegan bad pulled out with ignition trouble the first lap, and did not rejoin until the ilfln. On the third lap Hill pushed past Amon Into first place, bis lar sounding beautiful and! handling much better than the Ferraris, which were both skittering on the fast corners because of insumcient travel in the rear springs: which made 1hc suspension hit the bump stops. But the cars were still nose to tail. and on the fourth lap Rindi started challenging Amon. The next lap he got past the red Ferrari. and by the sixth oniy three seconds covered the Irst four cars: Hill. Rindt. Amon and Courage. Further back. Brownlie dropped seventh spot, behind Gardner, With a drag ging clutch and Lawrence took over the position for one lap before being passed by evis. By the seventh lap,. Rindt was pressing Hi really bard, the iwo cars being almost wheel-to. wheel as they blasted through TONG THE FIRST THREE PLACE GETTERS in the Lady Wigram Trophy race. From left are C. Amon, of New Zealand, who finished third in his Ferrari Dino: J. Rindt, of Austria, who won in his Lotus-Ford; and the world champion, Gi. Hill, of England, who finished second in another Lotus-Ford. the slower corners. Rindt was lapping in 111 in 18.8sec In his efforts to catch the world champion. Further back, Amon W'a5 getting the same sort of treat• ment trom Courage. 1'h0 was challenging and challenging agaln at every possible oppor. And behind Gardner. Lawrence was putting the pressure on Levis. At the end, Rindt was only 0.1sec behind and Courage 14:85 directly behind Amon, who was only 1.5sec back covered the Orst four case, win on Rindt. seconds Bell another 1lser back 26.4sec aherd of Gardner. GRID POSITIONS No for the maln event, Ringt. HIll and Courage were first row of the grid, with Amon and Bell on the second row. The third row was Gardner. Geoghegan and Lawrence, the fourth Brownlie and Levis. and fifth MeRae. Smith and Guthrie, the sixth Dawson and Orton, the seventh Nicholson, Hawthorne and Radisich, eighth Mc- Cully and Murdoch, and the back row Anderson, P. Moloney (Cooper 2.5), and D. Marwood (Repco Brabham 2.5). This time Rindt made no mis. take at the start, on the irst lap led from Courage. Hill, Anton, then Lawrence, Brownlie, Bell eyla, Geoghegan, Murdoch, Nicholson, Oxton, Guthrie, Dawson, McCully, Haifthorne, McRae, Radisich, Moloney, and Anderson. Gardner and Smith were ready out. By the second lap the first five had opened a gap back to Lawrence. now the frst New Zealander, and Amon was pressing Hill. By the fifth lap →by which time Geogbegan had dropped out with low of pressure, and Anderson was out with a blown engine-Rindt was six seconds ahead, and another six seconds covered the next three Rindt contmued 1o pull away from Courage, why the eighth was only seconds ahead of Hill. By tenth Rindt bad lapped the entire Held save the overseas drivers Lawrence, and Levis, and Hill was only l.ssec from Courage. Murdoch had retired from eighth place engine trouble, and McRae took over is third New Zealander. drly. ing a magnificent race to be the first of the 1500 c.c. cars. By the twelfth lap Rindt bad lapped all the cars, and was 16 seconds ahead of Courage. Hill then starled to make his challenge being almost alongside Cotirago on corner aller corner until ho at llle harpis unide braleenin lap. had bern sitting And are achind meanwhile dul avait. ing developments. Once Hill was past Courage. he set oli after him 10o, and 017 the twentieth lap really started to apply the pressure, aimost drawing up beside the Brabham on the slower curves. Further back, Hawihorne had been battling with Nicholson, Oxion, and Dawson for the fourth New Zealand position, which he tonk over the eigbleenth lap. By this time Radisich was out with clutch fanure, and Oxion also went out soon after when his fuel pump failed AMON SPINS Then Ihe (wenty-sccond: lap. when Rindl abead and driving magnificentis i-alha clipped kerb once and damaged a wheel. fortunately badym Amon came riphl up on colt agr in the loop, and spun He caught the car before had gone more than 90 and flicked it stralght degrees but he had lost severa) again. seconds, and for the time being Courage was safe in third spot. But. alter spin, really flew. Within six laps he had made up all the time he losl, on the thirtlelb lap blasted past the Brabham. Il was during his efforts make up for his spin that Amon set bis record timie. Courage hung on grimiy a lap or s0, but bis car was handling worse as the tace progressed, and he dropped 'back. bout this line Brownlie went out wilh a petrol-pump belt allure, having already dropped posittons because he had lost third Kear the third lap. Lawrence fell back brake frouble, Marwood was out bearing failure, McCully had cropped and Mo. loney had suspension valve fallure. MeRac was now seventl fra resident driver and 1500 c.c. car, after driving a cool, excellent race. Dawson and Hawthorne à brief battle, but Hawthorno recovered eighth place 011the lant lap. Rindt finished 26 seconds up Hill, who was followed in by Amon. Courage, Bell, Levis, MeRac Hawihornel Dawson. Guthrie, Nicholson, and Lawrener. NO PROBLEMS Rind! said he had to prob. Jems during the race. but Hill said his englne had lost power,! just as his practice engine had, comparatively carly in the race. Amon and Bell's main problem was the handling of the Ferraris on the fast corners, and age also had handling trouble! las the race progressed. Results were:- Lady Wigram Trophy Race (44l laps, 101 mites).—. Rindt (Aus- Lotiis Ford V8. 58min 53.6sec (record). 2.lte): HIll (England, Lotus Ford V8, 2.5-litre), 59:18.8, Amon •New Zealand. Ferrari Dino V6, 2.4 litre), 59:23.5. B: P. Courage Brabham ‹England), co:290 41 laps, f. and first resident driver; G. MoRac (NeRac-Ford 1500), 40 laps, 7 and hirst 1500 c.c. car: B. Hawthorne (Brabbam Ford 1500). 40 laps. 8. Fastest Rindt Amon, 1:18.8 1105.08 m.2.12,), a now re. cord Pirst Heat Trophy Race laps. 45 miles).-G. NeRac 1 Me- Rac-ford) 16mit1 12.4scc, 1; (Brabham 1580) 1:m2.3,2: h. Smith (Lolls Ford: 11500). 18:01.7 McCully sepc Braban). 17: 13. Murdoch iBrabham Ford 1500), 17:24.6, 5. Fastest lap: McRae, Second Heal Trophy Race 111 laps, miles) -G. Fill clotus Ford V8 2.53), 14.41.7, 1: .. Rindt flotus Ford ( Amon ¡Ferrari V8 254, 14:419, vo Ding 2.4). 14:43.3. 3: P. Couragr : Brabham Ford V8 2.3), 14:45.6, 1: D. Bell ¡ F'er. rari Dino V6 2.4), 14:33.6. Fastest lap: Mill. 1.18 record)