12-1-71 More NZ racI ng as NTERNAT firms us: publicity ing me motor dium Although Americ comparatively recent come to New Zealanc can big business has long times that advertising on For many years the sport in Europe and, to a lesser extent, in New Zealand and Australia, has relied largely upon the oil companies, tyre manufacturers, motor accessory firms and other manufacturers of automotive products for financial support. Although all of these still remain, firms that have no associations with motoring, let alone motor racing, have started to use the sport as a publicity medium, either by supporting the promotion of meetings, as do the cigarette manufacturers, such as W.D. and H. O. Wills, with the Benson and Hedges 500 at Pukekobe, and Rothmans. wino put up prize money for individual events. One of the latest on the scene is the Bank of New South Wales which is sponsoring the national saloon car championship series this year. recognised motor racing as a valuable advertising medium, it is only in racing cars has been permitted in Europe and even more recently has it OIL TREATMENT: • There can be Amon will be dri on Saturday. Here "Mr Big." confers no doubt about tl ving in the interna Vince Granatelli. sol with his driver, who on his spaceman le origins of the car Chris fional Lady Wigram Trophy n of American motor racings also advertises his nationality helmet. GRAM Direct support Other firms give direct support to entrants and drivers. Crown Lynn Potteries, Ltd. the Auckland-based ceramics manufacturer, backs Graham McRae, one of the tro phy race favourites, and in doing so has brought its name before hundreds of thousands of people who saw McRae race in Europe last year. Crown Lynn is, of course, headed by Mr Tom Clark, a former racing motorist and owner-skipper of the Sydney- Hobart yacht race line honours cutter Buccaneer. In Christchurch, Mr R. H. Stewart, a city councillor, leading industrialist and man who has headed a number of New Zealand overseas trade missions, maintains PDL Racing, the initials being the name of his group, to make known his undertaking and also support the sport, which is his hobby. The PDL Falcon, whica will be driven in the Mercury $1000 round on Saturday by Clyde Collins, is one of the fastest racing saloons in tae country. The biggest But the biggest publicity project of this motor racing season is being undertaken by the American STP Corporation, a manufacturer of petrol, oil, and water im- (ROPH provement products for motor vehicles. STP, which is headed by American motor racing's "Mr Big," Andy Granatelli, has just bought a Lotus 70 Boss Ford for international star Chris Amon to drive. Granatelli has entered cars in the Indianapolis 500 for many years and was finally rewarded with a victory when Mario Andretti drove one of his cars to "victory lane" in 1969. Probably because Andretti became interested in European-style road racing and had some drives in the Lotus team Granatelli decided to spread his wings and backed the newiy formed March Engineering organisation, whien ran & Grand Prix team headed by Amon last year. Second car STP's second car, the March 701, originally driven by Amon to third at Levin, is now now in the hands of the promising young Aucklander David Oxton. This is a no-expense-spared venture, as will be readily apparent to Wigram patrons on Saturay. What does Mr Granatelli get out of motor racing? He RACE was asked the question when it was announced that he was supporting March His answer was: "I expect to get at least as much out as I put in." He probably gets a great deal more. In Britain Much to the horror of trueblue motor racing purists, much the same sort of thing is going on in Britain. Colin Chapman, the man behind the very successful Lotus team, tied up some years ago witn John Player, the British cigarette manfacturer, to run Gold Leaf Team Lotus. Wealthy English patron Rob Walker negotiated a similar deal with the internationally known food manufacturer Brooke Bond Oxo last year, and BRM did a similar deal with Yardley, the famous British soap manufacturer that has branched out into men's toilet products.