22-1-72 Thrills, spill Is for big CI owd at W igram circuit By PETER GREENSLADE Early arrivals for the international trophy race meeting had plenty to entertain them in the way of thrills and spills in the preliminary events on the 2.13-mile airfield circuit. tice session two riders came Le the first marcease pane wite the de to be pond! got the decision to FIFTH 2 riders to grief. Shortly aiterwards and winner of the C class sec-l In a final qualifying trial this two roung men on a motor-tion. Nielson in the same class! cycle were wiped off it by a finished overall third. morning Frank Matich, hurt wire rope,, apparently in the; By midday the crowd Sydney driver, finally returned (course of official duties at the appeared rather larger than a time of 66.8sec to be fifth on = -→ ;circuit. it has for a number of years the grid with the Matich A50. St John Ambulance officers at Wigram. The sky was Next with 67.6sec was Evan at Wigram reported that three motor- cloudy but the conditions good Noyes the American who is cyclists, two of them competi- with a light, cooling easterly. driving a McLaren M18. Christchurch motor-tors, had been sent to It was Auckland sports Two following cyclists were taken to hospital Christchurch Hospital casualty crashes early in department. CONCERNED way to the Fornia: 1h, 4 ing way in the Formula Libre and Formula Ford cars events practice at the Wigram circuit WRECKED Qualifying trials for the! Peterson's big Gemco Olds today. trophy race were held jester streaked to the front of the Dennis Raymond complained Levin big field and was never shaded. of a sore back following his. Then, in the opening event of winner last Saturday, Greham Afler four of the six laps be accident. the programme, a six-lap race, McRae, the fastest was threading his way through smash at Ruapuna His back was injured in a for Formula Libre and Form- qualifier in the 16 car trophy the tal-enders. several ula 4 cars, sports car driver, race field months ago. Stewart walked away with a time of. Second, some distance back, ¡Imin 5.9sec. Wellington sports Mike Sinclair was knocked from his wrecked Robat Man- That was an average speed driver Glen Mcintyre, who unconscious in a separate ac- cident and is suffering from tig drove a creditable race, but in the second event the first of 116.358mph. But after the concussion. round of the open saloon car! session was over, McRae was had just passed concerned about the engine in could not macth the power of championship, there were cars a dip when his Suzuki leaned Owen Galbraith when he hitispinning in all directions right nis Leda GMi and overnight Peterson's car. he changed it. from the drop of the flag. But when he fired up the re-! ALL WAY over for a corner. Four cars ended up against Galbraith said the Suzusi a course barrier in the loop, placement in a city garage this seemed to leap sideways be and others spun off the track morning there was something Third home was the Forsuddenly gripping and ¡amiss with it and he was still mula Libre car of Don Evans | subsequently, but everyone fin- working on the car early this (Motueka), and he was foltossing Sinclair off. fishel in the best of health. "I passed him while he was It was Alec Dickie all the! afternoon to ready it for the lowed by Phil Harris of Hastsliding down the track on his way in the open saloon race. jrace which was timed to start ings in his Brabham Formula the Harwarden driver surged! Shortly after 2pm. 'Ford car. "The plastic visor he was to the front in his Anglia! The Englishman David Hobbs The Hororata driver, ‹McLaren M22) was second Stewart, came unstuck when him from getting badly cut," wearing seemed to have saved Corvette right from the start fastest qualifier with 66.3sec his Robat Mantis went into a and never looked like being and then came the Australian spin as said Galbraith. beaten. so finished overall he was approaching Sinclair's chin was cut. *McLaren the hairpin his car Raymond travelling and also class winner. if10B) with 66.5sec and the crashed backwards through fast when he entered the corn- Englishman Mike Hailwood the wall of a hangar. er into the front straight. TUSSLE • Surtees TS8) with 6f.isec. Stewart escaped with He went wide, breaking bruises and strains, but the hard, and ploughed into a row: Christchurch's Ron McPhail car was severely damaged. of water-filled drums on the (Lotus Farina) and Dunedin's The race was otherwise: outside of the tracs. Lyn Nielson (Austin Cooper) • incident free and by the time Both were taken to hospital had a tremendous tussle for! the six laps had been run the for observation. second place running wheel to •slower cars were strung right round the circuit one and two laps behind. Heat 1 of the Bank of Wales saloon championship turned out to be a veritable battle of the giants. TOP FORM The Christchurch sponsored PDL Ford Mustang with Aucklander Paul Fahey at the beim, gave an indication that it could be reaching top form with a resounding victory. Fellow Aucklander Rod Coppins got the jump at the start • Is colo coloured Chev Camaro, and hot on his tail as they swept through the first corner was Red Dawson from Otahuhu, in a similar car. As they came round the second time, Fahey made amends for his rather slow start and had moved up to second slot, displacing Dawson. Nest time round Fahey had clearly asserted supremacy and was starting to draw out! from the two Camaros. But there was to be yet another upset for the minor placings as Aucklander, Denis Marwood brought his fiery red Camaro up into third position during the closing : laps. And this was the way they finished with Fahey thundering along out in front, followed by the Camaro trio of Coppings, Marwood and Dawson. GAME First of the smaller cars was Aucklander Jim Richards, whe fought gamely in his Ford Escort TC to record a creditable fourth. Fellow Aucklander Don Halliday was fifth in a similar car and the Mustang of Dexter Dunlop from Upper Hutt was next. Results of Formula Libre and ¡Formula Ford (Six laps)-G. Pederson (Auckland, Gerco Olds V8), Imin 54.8sec, i; G. Mcintyre (Wellington. Wilmac Fiat). 2; D. O. Evans (Motueka, Lotus 27), 3; 'P. G. Harris (Hastings, Robertson- Brabham). 4: L. Johnson (Christchurch. Begg). McPhail Motor Parts Open Saloon Car Championships, Round One (8 laps): A. J. Dickie (Hawarden, Anglia Corvette), 12:08.6, 1: R. McPhail (Christchurch, • Lotus Farina). 2; L: W. Neilson (Dunedin, Austh Cooper), Ноге (Nelson, ÀSO Farina), 4: B. W. Vryk (Dunedin, Ford Prefect). Bank of New South Wales {Saloon Car Championship (beat 1, 5 laps)— P. B. Fahey (Auckland, PDL Ford Mustang), 6:59.01, I: R. ¡Coppins (Gisborne, Cheviolet Camaro), 2; D. Mangood (Auckland, Chevrolet Camaro), 3; I. W. Dawson (Auckland. Chevrolet Camaro). 4; J. Richards (Ale.s. land. Ford Escort TC). 5. Bank of New South Wales Heat Saloon Car ChampionshiP Fahey (five taps)P. (Auckland, PDL. Ford Mustang). 6:52.0. 1: R. Coppins (Gisborne, Chevrolet Camaro), 2; D. Marwood (Auckland. Chertolet Camaro). 3; D. Halliday (Auckland, Ford Escort_TC), 4: J. Richards (Auckland, Ford Escort TC), 5. WIN TO DALE WYLIE Christchurch motor-cycle international Dale Wylie took a win in the first 500cc motorcycle race at Wigram today, after Huntly's Ginger Molloy had to pull out when he was leading by fsec. Wolloy hit the front from : start on his big three cylindar 500cc Kawasaki racer. Wylie moved to second in the first lap on his 500cc Suzuki. Geoff Perry, of Auckland, riding a 250cc Suzuki with a damaged gearbox, had trouble on the line and got away a lap late. Halfway through the race, when he was chasing Molloy, but still a lap down, tried to go inside the Ka pastri on a tight corner. The machines collided. Neither came down but Molloy hurt his ankle, which was jammed between them, and he pulled out soon afterwards. Wylie, then in the lead, had to contend with Hamilton's Trevor Discombe (350cc Yamaha), who slipped past with three laps to go. The two were racing closley until Wylie out-braked the North Island rider on the final lap. They went to the line with Discombe just half a motorcycle length behind. In third place was Dunedin's Jim Landrebe Dick fourth. tourere Both rode 35dce Yamahas.