SPECTACULAR SALOONS Saloon races are the main attraction for many spectators at the Lady Wigram Trophy Race meeting, and on Saturday: the programme of eight races will include four saloon events. The first saloon event wilt be for open class (O.S.C.A.) cars, and will be held al 11.30 a.m., after the formula libre single-seater race which will open the pingramme. There are 33 entries the O.S.C.A. race, including M. Stanley (Hillman V8), A. Dickie (Anglia Corvette), J. A. McComb (Cortina Cobra V8). P. Kocis (Cortina Corvette), P. Willman (Mustang), P. Kirk (Viva Oldsmobile), • P. Hatton (A40 Oldsmobile) and a host of ELECTRICAL The only South Island contender for over-all saloon car honours is the P.D.L. Mustang of champion Paul Fahey, a favourite in the Wigram saloon events. smaller-capacity cars. R. Hore's A40 Farina 1800. The smaller cars include The next race on the prosuch fast machines as R. gramme, at noon, will be MePhail's Lotus Farina, and 101 the Bank New South Wales championship saloons, which include l. Dawson (Chevrolet Camaro), D. Dunlop (Ford Mustang), P. Fahey in the P.D.L. Mustang, and R. Coppins in the Camaro. Some of the country's top Mini drivers, such as R. Collingwood, B. Phillips and R. Cook will also compete. The well-known saloon driver J. Richards will race his Escort T.C. The 500 c.c. motor-cycle race at 12.30 p.m. will be followed by the second heat. of the Bank of New South Wales championship, and the main race will be run at 2.05 p.m. It will be followed by a race for free-formula saloons, and most of the fast cars are expected to turn out again for this event. The last race of the day, at 3.45 p.m., will be another motor-cycle event. Prize money A 50 per cent increase in prize money has provided prize-fund of $12,000 for each of the eight races in the Tasman series this year: a total $96,000 over-all not including 1ne: $30.000 put. up the American S.T.P. Corporaton in conditional anards. Al. Wigram on Saturday: 40020 10307: the winner will receive ffere 82000, the second man $1500, and the third man Coppins at Pukekohe. $1200. All finishers down to eighteenth place will also be in the money: from third man on, the prize- Battle of makes money is $1000 for fourth, then 5900, $800, 5700, $600, $300, $400, tenth, eleventh and twelfth, $300 To racing car manu- ones are appearing on the vember with his new car for thirteenth to sixteenth scene too. To take on the and set a new lap record places, and $200 each for facturers, winning the established giants of Mcseventeenth and eighteenth. Tasman Series can for the Warwick Farm Cir- Laren, Surtees and cuit at Sydney. On a brief mean a lot of money. Lotus, are challenges from visit to the United States Victory can create a fat the English Leda driven by earlier last year, he won COSTLY order book for their last year's Tasman winner two of the American cham- Graham McRae, as well as pionship races over there, cars, and as these cost from the Australian Elfin and he must be hoping for It would cost at least around $15,000 each, it and Matich. success in the Tasman, be- $400,000 to run a two-man is big business. Frank Gardner, engineer- cause he aroused so much two•car tean in world driver and director of the interest in that lucrative championship Formula I Several hundred new cars company leads the Lola country that his cars would events for a full season, the were ordered and built in assault with a Lola T300 of certainly sell well there. Australian former world 1971 alone and 1972 will be revolutionary design. The Surtees factory in champion, Jack Brabham, a boom year. Customers for McLaren's effort is led Britain represented said in Sydney recently. the Tasman-type cars come solely by the former motor- The team would require the United States, by David Hobbs, who has cycle champion Mike Hailfour just won the American $15,000 engines England, Formula wood, in his Surtees TS8cach car, so one could be Europe. Australia and New A Championship the car in which he came in the car, one a spare, anci Zealand. the United after being third last year and second the year before. second in the New Zealand TWO being overhauled at. States alone there are over Grand Prix which was, of Formula Tasman- The latest works McLaren any one time, he said. An M22, which he had tested course, won by Gardner's engine should be over- type cars being raced Lola. hauled after a maximum of in England, was flown out for him complete with And the Australian Elfin two races, and each over- No wonder, therefore, formerly known haul cost about $2500. The that all the major manuac- works mechanics and a ton factoty for its sports-cars, of spares. mainly average Formula flyst lurers are mounting is represented by the firm's prize was $2000, Brabham: serious attempt lo win the Matich won the Alls- tounder, Garry Cooper, by said. Tasman: and some fledging tralian Grand Prix in No- its top driver, John McCormack, and, indirect Max by the fast Australian Stewart. The only opportimity in a racing season afforded the top drivers from America, Curope, New Zealand, Australia and Canada to challenge one another is during the Tasman Series, and that makes truly world championship for Formula A cals. TRACK Twn important changes have been made to the Wiggram circuit for this year's Lady Wigram Trophy Race meeting. They are expected to make the circuit even faster than before, so the main-race cars should lap at considerably more than an average of 100 m.p.h. Ono of the top Australian drivers at Wigram on Saturday will be Max Stewart, The hairpin at the end of seen here at Pukekohe in his Australtan-made Elfin-Repco car, readily identifiable the main straight has now been changed to a fast by Its full-width wing across the nose. CHANGE curve, while the loop has been changed to a shorter and faster hairpin. The loop has long been i favourite vantage - point with spectators, and the change is likely to make it even better viewing spot. Nev lap-times and speeds for the altered circuit will be printed in the race pro. gramme.