16-11-70 Big overseas entry for Tasman series By PETER GREENSLADE Racing drivers from Britain, France, the United States and Australia, as well as New Zealand, will contest the seren-round Tasman next January and February. championship in New Zealand and Australia revised -itre roductio - on the dren-Wamott, and Bartlett one lof the most interesting For- Tasman Formula last season, mula 5000 cars entered in the promoters decided to attempt series, the Franklen, which to attract more truly inter-was , designed and built by national race fields rather than Frank Gardner and the noted the case in previous years. a few star drivers, as had been English racing car designer Len Bailey. The result was a much more Frank. Matich, who was runopen series of races and, for ner-up to Lawrence in the 1970 the first time, a New Zealand series, will be returning with a rence, became the champion. resident driver, Graeme Law- McLaren MOB and so will the Sydney real estate millionaire Niel Allen. SAME POLICY Although he is not listed Promoters have adopted the among the signed-up drivers, same policy for 1971. Of the that the current there is a strong possibility twelve overseas drivers who Gold Australian have signed up for the series. Geoghegan, will contest Star champion, Leo five are American, two Brit- series with a Lotus-Waggott. the ish, one french and four Aus- Details of the overseas line! tralian. up were announced yesterday Americans to have headed ofi John Cannon, one of the few by the president of the Motor the late Bruce McLaren and i Racing Club (Air J. A. Brewer) ¡Denny Hulme in the last four for a most competitive Lady who said the field held promise years of Can-Am sports car Wigram Trophy race at Christ- racing, will spearhead . the church on January 16. United States attack in g McLaren M10B. The intentions of New Zea- Driving the latest Surtees! land drivers will not be known TS& Nike Everley, twice Amer- until entries for each of the ican races close, but Lawrence will : should prove most competitive 2.4-litre Ferrari V6 he used last Formula B champion. be defending his title with the of the remainder of the United . States contingent — Ritchie probably the fastest local driv- year; and Graham Alchae, • Galloway, Bob Brown Mike Brockman. - all of from a European season to! er in the business, is returning whom will drive Lola T190s. Ex-patriate Australian Frank: race a cLaren M10B. Gardner, who is well known to Tasman race followers, has-i teamed with millionaire Englishman Malcolm Guthrie • for the series. They will be driving the lat-! est. long-wheelbase, works • backed Lola T1925, and Garni ner will be one of the favourites for the title. Frenchman Teddy Pilette, is a well-known sports car and: Formula A-5000 driver in Europe and he will be running a McLaren M10B INTERESTING Mildren Svanes racing patron Alec is again fielding his regular drivers, Max Stewart and former Australian champion Kevin Bartlett. Trophy race 24 entry of 23 a record By PETER GREENSLADE The seventeenth international Lady Wigram Trophy race, which will be held at Christchurch on January 16, has attracted a record field of 23, of whom 15 are overseas entries. This will be the most inter-! New Zealander Graeme Lawnational feld to face a trophy rence, the defending Tasman race starter. champion and winner of this There will be seven Austra year's Selangore and Singapore lians, five Americans, an Eng Grand Prix, will again race his lishman, a Belgian and nine- i2.4 Ferrari Dino V6. teen New Zealanders. Gardner, a regular Tasmar One Australian, Frank Gardner, has been entered by Brit- campaigner, is a British saloon car champion and one of the ish-based Guthrie Racing and leading European Formula Zealander Chris Amon has been entered by the Ameri- 5000 drivers. can STP Corporation. Amon, who won the Tasman Gardner and Amon are pro- title in 1969 after being runnerfessional drivers based in Eng-up to the late Jim Clark in 1968, will be driving an STP The 101.2-mile race, which March 701 fitted with a 2.5-litre will be the third round in the Cosworth-Ford V8 engine and Zealand-Australia may find himself at a disseven-race Tasman champion- advantage, as the 5-litre Forship, will be telecast mula A-5000 cars are in their from start to finish by CHTV3's element on the wigram circuit. outside broadcast unit. A notable feature of the entry list is that three of the cars LATER START have been designed and built by the Southland racing car mal transmission hours, the To keep within CHTV3's nor-)constructor, George Begg. Begg has entered Geoff Mar- 20 minutes later than origin- race will start at 2.5 p.m., don in a Begg FM4, his latest model, which will be making ally scheduled. its deout at Wigram, and Rus Formerly leader of the Ital- sell Thomson in one of the earlian Ferrari and British March ier FM2s. Grand Prix teams, Amon-who Ashburton's Neil Doyle will has taken up a similar role also race a Begg EM2 with the French Matra- Simca The Motor Racing Club Inc is team for 1971 - is the only stil receiving late entries for graded international driver in the national saloon car chami the field, but a number of the pionship races and also the others are champions in their Mercury $1000 South Island! own countries. saloon car event, and it is ex- John Cannon, an expatriate pected that all New Zealand's Englishman, is a leading For-top saloon drivers will be com- mula A and Can-Am driver in North America and will drive à peting. McLaren MIOB. The complete entry list for The American Formula Be trophy race is: champion, Mike Eyerley, will Mio; Chris Amon race a Surtees TS&A which is! and), STP March Cosworth-Ford: being backed by the British-tees TSA: Leo Geoghegan VS; Mike Eyerley (U.S.A.), Sur- (Aus-i based racing car manufac-tralia), Lotus 59 Waggott: Kevin Bartleaa turer. (Australia), Mildren Chevrolet: Max Stewart (Austra- TROPHY WINNER lia), Mildren Waggott: Don O'Sul- lican (Australia), McLaren M10A: Frank Matich (Australia), McLaren This rear's trophy race win- M110B Repco Graeme ner, Frank Matich who recent- rence Ferrari Iy mon the Australian Grand: Dino V6; Graham McRae Zealand). McLaren MIOB; Prix. will drive a • McLaren Allen (Australia), McLaren MIOB: M110B. Richard Galloway (U.S.A.), Lola! Geoghegan Lotus 59 Boo Brown (U.S.A.). Lola Waggott is the current Austra Lota : T190: Frank Gardner (Australia), Malcoim Guthrie: champion and former United Kingdom), Australian champions Kevin Teddy Pileite (Belgium). McLaren Bartlett (Mildren Chevrolet) Alos; Dexter Duntop land), McRae Ford S2; Neil Doyle Max Stewart (Mildren: (New Zealand), Begg FM2; Rus- Waggott' are also entered. Thomson Zealand), wardon (New F.V4: Frank Radi- Zealand), Connors (U.S.A.) Brabham BT29 and Bryan Paloon -12-70 12 - 12-70 Mardon withdraws; locals Local motor racing drivers are upset at the treatment they are getting from the organisers of the Tasman series. The top New Zealand driver, Geoff Mardon, has with- angry at drawn all his entries from the series. As one local driver said: and have withdrawn all our •Last year we had a entries and cancelled all our chance to get a few dollars bookings, " he said. out of the series, now we And another driver comhardly have a chance." mented: Last year all the money for Tasman set - up each race was given away as 'NOTHING LEFT' prize money, but this year 14 "We were led to believe overseas drivers are getting that the set-up this $2800 for guaranteeing en- year would be the same as , last tries in the seven race series. with only 14 getting starting This means they get $400 money instead of the 20 that discouraged from entering for every race they enter, al- thought local drivers were seven races be would did last year. and the races were not par- getting things a "little mixed lose money. though the money is called "travelling money" "This was fair enough, for ticularly interesting. up." "You can't expect a club paid on an individual we still thougnt there was a "It seems we got a pretty promoting one race a year to race basis. chance for us, but only two slippery deal. We didn't get he said there were 14 take the incentives weeks ago we learnt the 14 told lies, but we didn't called "seeded drivers" in from the overseas drivers, away get CATCH drivers who got starting told the whole truth either, the series who were guaran- Mr Brewer said money were allocated. a driver said. teed $2800 each if they com- He said he feit the Tasman But there is a catch. Prize peted in all seven races. money will be given to the "By the time the 12 over- Local driver Peter De Lore organisers were doing the first 10 finishers, and there seas drivers and two over- said: "Outside that it is up to in- "best thing" for local are 14 overseas entrants. seas-New Zealand drivers, 'They'; are going to expect dividual drivers to negotiate drivers. The local drivers consider Graham Lawrence and local drivers to fill up the with individual race promo- "You can either throw Graeme McRae were allo places on the grid. but local iers to get a deal for them- money away. ог arrange the task of getting $100 for cated guaranteed stake drivers will hardly get selves. " he said. your prıze list to give the 10th place gives them a very there was nothing left for us thing out of it. "But there is stil every local men a chance to get slight chance of picking up local drivers," he said. "It's not really worth the chance for a local driver to first prize. It gives them in any money in the series. 'We think the Tasman time of local drivers now, es- get in on the big prize centive and that is what they 'The overseas drivers are pecially as so many have money. Apart from want... more or less getting $400 ap- series promoters are cutting their oun throats." spent a lot of money getting travelling money paid over- "We feel this does more for pearance money plus what- cars up to international stan- seas drivers, all other money the sport," Mr Brewer said. ever they pick up in win- HOLIDAY dards. comes in prizes. and the local nings," said the local driver. boys have got a chance," be "This doesn't leave much He meant that a iew years "Some drivers have spent ago overseas drivers in New between $4000 and $5000 on said. for us. Zealand more or less had a their cars," he said. BEST FOR LOCALS Geoff Mardon was reticent holiday over here. about the whole thing. Lead- They were guaranteed a CONFUSED He said the $400 was paid ing the Gold Star series he certain amount of money and But the chairman of the overseas drivers because of has 22 points but: didn't have to drive com Motor Racing Club, which ine costs they faced, and if "We are no longer inter- petitively to get it. This also runs the Lady Wigram Tro- an overseas driver failed to ested in the Tasman series, meant the local drivers were phy Race, Mr Jack Brewer. get a place in any of the