22-5-69 MOTORVIEV With Murray Taylor RECORD BID S LIKELY IN NEXT FEW DAYS THE attempt on the New Zealand car speed record will be made next few days by the 3-litre Ferrari formerly owned by the champion driver, Pat Hoare. The car will be driven by the McDonald, and will make the New Zealand's car speed Matamata racing driver, Don attempt in Canterbury because record falls to a car in the ot the sace oi sutable sites 1n ¡the North Island. It is owned 5000c.c. to 8000c.c class. on. Mr Logan Fow, of Hamil There bas been no record set by a car in the over McDonald will be trying to 8000c.c. class. break the 173,8 miles an hour The difficulty in obtaining a set by the stanton brothers- sealed stretch of road suitable This is the car speed record for a record attempt and which is officially called the being granted the necessary national fiying-start kilometre road-closure has possibly sprint record. accounted for the fact that the He will also attempt his record has stood unoppossed for such a long period. own class record. This is for The attempt is being organcars with engine capacities ised by the Motor Racing between 2000c.c. and Club, which is usually only 3000c.c. The record for this, responsible for the annual Lady Wigram Irophy race, the D class, is 157.40 miles and will be under the rules an hour as set it 1959 by of the Motorsport Association Frank Shuter in an 8CLT of New Zealand. The electrically-timed kilo- Maserati. metre is measured out by a 16-5-69 DRIVER TO MAKE BID FOR RECORD A Matamata racing driver will attempt to break the New Zealand саг land-speed record of 173.8 miles рег hour in Canterbury within the next few weeks. The driver. D. McDonald, will make his record attempt in the special 3-litre Ferrari previousis owned by P. Hoare. The car speed record—officially Known as the national fiying-start Sprint record-is heid by M. F. Stanton. sianton averaged 173.8 miles an hour in the Gypsy-aero-engined "cropduster" special in November. 1958. This record is officially in the class for cars between 5000 c.c. and 8000 c.c.. although there has reen no record set for cars of more than 8000 c.c. The record attempt will be organised by the Motor Racing Club and the runs timed by certihed watches tripped by a photoelectric rell in Canterbury in the 1961-62 single seater ‚registered surveyor. Nothing is left to chance as the old record must be beaten by at least 1 per cent. At these speeds even fractions of a second are important. I'ne timing watches are tripped by a photoelectric Icell. Depending on the Ferrari's performance on the day a standing kilometre may also be attempted. But primarily the car will be after the open and D class (up to 3000c.c. records. Permission has been obtained for two cars to make record attempt runs, and the record may yet be contested by another car as well as the Ferrari. • Picture on left shows the Ferrari. SPECI The present holder of the New Zealand car land speed record is Maurice Stanton, of Christchurch, who established a speed of 173.8 miles an hour in his Stanton Special (pictured above) on November 8, 1958. On that cold November day. in a run hindered by a tricky cross-wind on the long Tram Road, Stanton smashed his own record set a year before by 5.2 miles an hour. It was the fifth time he had broken his own record. The Stanton Special, buit by Maurice and his brother, was powered by a four-cylinder Gypsy Major aeroplane engine. AL' IS SPEEDY It took both the open and B class (5000 c.c. to 8000 c.c.) Iecords. Stanton actually broke the record twice that day. In the first run he was timed at 13.- 085 sec. and on the return run 13.115 sec giving a speed of 170.75 miles an hour. return run could be made within the hour as required. The • course was inspected and it was decided to chance the run. The streamlined special clocked 12.99 sec on the "down I run" which gave Stanton ian average of 173.8 miles an Although they had broken their previous record the brothers were not satistied, they knew the car could go faster. The supercharger pressure had been increased and they had expected a better run. Stanton made another run but the timing gear failed. On his next run he clocked 12.80 sec which was equivalent to 175 miles an hour. However by now the wind was margiinal and there were some I doubt whether the necessary hour. The Stanton Special has almost become a legend in its lown time to motor racing supporters in the province. It competed in the first New Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore in 1953 and was used in hill climbs and races in Canterbury right up to 1961. It is understood that the car is now owned by a Christchurch man, Mr W. Mauger who has restored the car and uses it in vintage races.