Lady Wigram race holds vital points By PETER GREENSLADE With the points position the way it is now, the international Lady Wigram Trophy, which will be rün at Wigram on saturday, looks like being the race that could make or break the ¡front runners in the eight-race New Zealand- Australia Tasman motor racing championship ; this year. i New te a sed Grand Pri ALL-NZ COMBINATION a hird in the Winfield "72 Tas- e. Pukerohe en January 8 an f: This is an all-New Zealand combination, for the Oxton n. in international at Levin on car, a Chevrolet engined Begg Saturday, Englishman Mike F'M4, was designed and built Hailwood (Surtees TSA) is at py Southland racing car confir top of the ladder with 10 structor George Begg. Begg has been entering his Grand Prix winner cars in Tasman races tor been that his Leda, though the Frank Gardner (Lola T300) first occasion some time now, but this is thelengine is fitted with carburet- now. but winner Graham on which one tors and does not deliver as N. Rae (Leda GM1) have 9 has got on the Tasman points much power as some of the points each, to be 3 ahead of ladder. petrol-injectea cars, puts more Australian Grand Prix : Oxton, incidentally, has al- power on the ground. winner, Frank Match Kepco ready won the 1971-12 Motor- The others have been suffer- Matich A50). sport Association Gold Star for However Gardner is now a road racing with the FM4 and ing from wheelspin under acdoubtful starter for the two re has a firm grip on the national. celeration out of the slower maining New Zealand rounds Formula Ford championship COrdErS. i the Tasman series. The revised Wigram circuit His Lola T300 was damaged Elfin. fin which he is driving an does not have so many slow early in Saturday's Levin: the trophy race, which will corners as the North • Island ab and a new monocoque de the eisteerth to be run, courses, so it seems likely that is needed. A replace shows promise of being the drivers such as Hailwood, inent will have to be flown out fastest in the series, though manen, Hobbs, Bartlett, Stewfrom England or Australia. ¡nuch Fill depend upon the alt ano, perhaps, Plette will Next in line are the Austra- Weather. not be at such a disadvantage. Stewart I fact, it is probable that Hepco with sons, the E 190 MILES AN HOUR? into a very close battle be the trophy race will develop lishman David nobbs Mae, who set race (McLaren tween five or six of the front Austraten Sevin Bariet in fastest Grand fis qualities, runners. the Belgian Teddy Pilette serious Tasman con- (McLaren M10Bs). reckons the fastest cars, his tenders will be flat out for The Aucklander David among them, reach high placings Gxton, who finished sixth at speeds around 190 miles an / wider gaps on the points ladder Levin, has a single point. nour on the main Wigram before the New Zealand sec- E! ight. tion ends at Teretonga Part, ucRae's advantage at Levin Invercargill, on January 30. in particular appears to have point is, with eight races each only a weet apart, the race cars are bound to be getting tired by the time they reach Australia - and when this happens the reliability margin narrows. That is why wins and high placings assume major importance at Wigram and, depènding upon the outcome here, also Invercargill. 15-9-72 57 83 City hit hard By PETER GREENSLADE LEVIN. Christchurch series Is covid dip out on an ¿annual injection of " "foreign" money if the Prix accident, in which These measures could be ฿ more costly than some race ¡ gloomy predictions of Bryan Fatoon was promoters could afford. i some Ausiralian racing fatally injured and. If that proved to be the drivers and motoring Graeme Lawrence badly case, then thousands of writers involved in the huri, they are now motor-racing fans in New current Tasman. cham- speaking with more con- Zealand would be denied pionship series are cor- viction. the chance of seeing the world's top Formula A-5000 rect. They maintain that the drivers in action, and a lot Some of the Aus International Automobile of money that is spent each Federation and the Grand year by the overseas and tralians have been say- Prix Drivers' Association local racing teams would ing for years that the will demand improvements not come into circulation. Tasman • series is in safety measures on New Motor-racing is big busi doomed, but after the Zealand racing circuits, as ness, and motor-racing New they are already doing people are generally big Zealand Grand Australia. spenders. Раде де. ВАББОВЕДОМЕДЕДБаЛВДДЯДАВДОМУДЕДЕВДІ It lasman dum ped? The oveseas racing teams, and some of the local entrants for that matter, are tight-lipped when it comes to discussing money, but there is little doubt that while some are on shoestring budgets most spend considerable sums in the course of their New Zealand campaigns. For example, one overseas team at the last Lady Wigram Trophy meeting paid a hotel bill of more than $2200 and that, from all accounts, was only one of a number of substantial accounts paid into Christchurch coffers within the space of a week by just one team. Muitiply it half a dozen times and it represents big money. Moreover, these pay-outs are made each year in Auckland, Levin, Wellington and Invercargill where the last New Zealand Tasman round is run at Teretonga. Ine . Motor Racing Club will pay out $12,000 in tro phy race stake, money next Saturday, and it is on the c GRAHAM MCRAE pul in continnune the trophy & race brings to ably ged in by other major vested their winnings in New Zealand. Jack for exagent to look after his affairs, Moss is interests. ¿ measures spell the is consafest e by the of the Yesterday, the drivers could not to Wigram @ quickly not only & because they enjoyed rac- 1 ing there. also for Christchurch hospitality • the social of the The on spectacular and in the - series. Last Tasman told me that he his Leda LI be hope that pre- Tasman are not. will Christpower race. but the city will be annua!