AND KISSES .... MISS NEW TEA 23-1- - 72 IR MC BER DR A FAULTLESS drive to win the Lady yesterday was all the public saw of Graham Leda GM 1. а д В / HE d What they missed was overnight By HOWARD drama behind the HARRIS scenes. " B practice on Friday McRae noticed that the engine was tending to overheat. An inrestigation that night showed a cylinder head was cracked. His mechanic. Joe Wright. and his assistants set about installing a spare engine. a 10b normally taking less than eight hours. But the spare was an older engine and some parts did not fit straight on. When the engine was starter in the garage vester- water leak. so the cal arrived at the circuit only half an hour before the race. Four or five trial laps showed the car Wa% well with a time of Im 6.0s - better than his best time in the race — and he lined up with the other cars. Heanwhile a similar drama was being enacted in a tent at the back of the pits Australian driver Mas Slewarts Austrahan-built Elfin had developed engine fault in practice that TRY Wigrom trophy racc McRae and his STP- engine change was completed just betore the time scheduled for the start. but the new motor took some The car was wheeled to a tanker to refuel but the tanner WAS empty and Stewart had tu 20 the other end of the pit. while the other cars did their warmi-up lap. He started on time. but was torced in drop out of the race when the Fifin ot erheated KiSSES and cham-l pagne popular at Wigram yesterday. ABOVE: Lady Wigram Trophy race winner Graham McRae drinks i champagne with Chery! Hopkins, Miss N.Z. Junior 1971 and Miss Canterbury 1971. David Hobbs. the current United States Formula A champion led in his MeLaren M22 when the flag fell. But McRae took the lead at the first bend and never looked back. He lapped the entire field except for second place man. Mike Hallood. The result put McRae in the lead for the Tasman series, which he won last year. Hobbs ran in second place for 26 of the 47 laps. but was forced into the pits to change a punctured tyre. He eventually came in Ilth after losing three laps. Hobbs' wife arrived in N.Z. from England on Wednesday to watch his race at Wigram! and Teretonga. On the first laps Australians John McCormack and Kevin. Bartlett tangled at the loop, tearing the wing off McCormack's Eifin. WcCormack had to call at the pits but Bartlett continued driving quickly in his two-year-old McLaren MIOB to be rewarded with third place. Top Australian hope Frank Vatich was put out of the running on the 10th lap when he collided with Bartlett. Wigram @ CONTINUED FROM P.IT Belgian driver Teddy Piette, who finished in seventli place had problems with a vibration from the engine that forced him to siow down. In the supporting races Auckland driver Paul Fahey won both heats for the Bank of New South Wales Championship in his Ford- Mustang. He did not finish the free formula saloon event. which was won by Rod Coppins, of Gisborne, in his Chevrolet Camaro: Gary Pedersen of Auckland was untroubled to win the formula libre race in his Gemeo Oldsmobile. Results: Lady Wigran Trophy race: G. McRae, Leder GM.1 53 mins 41.6 secs. 1, M. Hailwood, (UK) Surtees TS$ 54 mins 06.6 secs. 2, K. Bartlett (Aust) MeLaren MOB 46 laps 3, E. Noses (USA › MeLaren M18 (46 laps', 4. D. Oxton (NZ) Begg SM4 i 46 laps: 5 F. Radisich (N.Z.' Repco-McLaren (45 laps, 6. I. Collett (Belgium) McLaren-MIOB (45 laps! 7, B. Robertson (N.Z.) Brabham BT23C (44 laps) 8, G. Cooper (Aust › Elfin MRS (44 laps) 9, R. Francevie (N.Z.' McLaren MIDA (43 laps: 10, D. Hobbs (U.K.) McLaren M22 (42 laps) II, F. Matich (Aust) Repco- Matich A50. (34 laps) 12. BRITISH DRIVER AND U.S. CHAMPION Dorid Hobbs sits en the tyre which let him down in the main race at Wigrom yesterday.