1f+14.; rhe Australian dri Prix inl the mach susen anp sores ahis iram yehre dor the Nev caland firanl G.P. to McCormack after Eight cars excluded Saloon races exciting Close and exciting racing was a feature of the main saloon-car events at Wipram yesterday, honours in the top three events being shared (i. Baker, of Christchurch, in the P.D.I. Mustang, A. Moflat, Australia, in his Brut Mustang, and W. Murdoch ol Timaru, in a Falcon GT. The open satoon race was broken into two events hecause of the number of entries, and in the first 1. W •Neilson (Escort TC) had a good win alter lighting olf a determined challenge from R. Paton's similar car. k Cook ‹ Mind kept A. K. Prat. le! (Mind on! of third place The lavourue on the ingeri cars a the class. Mollat, Wi 1/н• l1- Mustang. and Baker led assas Irom . Richards i Mustangi 1. Dawson (Camarol. P. Faher «appo), and R. Cop. pins (firebird), with K. Haig (Mustang) close behind. Dawson moved up to sec. jond a lap later, and Moffal started to move up from the back of the field. Richards slipped behind l'ahey, but regained his place a lap later. tas the four cars behind Baker drove around almost side by The Formula Ford single side. seater race at Wigram yes- ENGINE FAILS McRae forced out Herday provided a close fin- On the fifth of the provided laps, Richards moved back lish, and it also into socond place, and a lap bone post-race drama: after later Dawson's engine gave J. McCormack, of Australia, won the New Zealand Grand Prix foria prest, eight cars were up completely, leaving Fahes: COp. The second successive time when his Elfin Repeo led a depleted Grand Prix cherne resus to any 'The cars were fuund to and Mollar. field home at a record average speed of more than 115 miles an hour atibave had their distributors. On the closing lap. Mollat medified so that the vacuum nearly passed Pahey. and retard mech. Capri. driver was loo good Wigram yesterday: The triple Tasman champion, fi. MeRae, trying hard - and success- Ballery loose was Ine tim one send ental fully — to catch and pass G stewards to ben was put out by minor mechanical when he held a commanding race lead: it was Behind Oxton came Peder- against the regulations. 'The first two, still nose to sen, Moltal had revenge in the the third time that this had happened 1o him tail, starled lapping the tail- Robertson (Lola), Boviny led at the end of the P. Hughes day's last event. in the three Stuyresant series races so far, enders on the ninth lap, and Smith (March 732). tirst lap after N. Smith (Hust loons, i race for the fastest sithe gap between them and Smith had trailed the field ler) had been shunted out of of Australia (Lola Pitelle failed to score d pond 10-11330), and Piletle have nine onds. came loose about half dis- by Delap, and Baker's engine cried Oxton has seven, and Stewart (Ведд) quickly moved up loi Wood (Ray). J. R. Murdoch enough soon afterwards gained pole position on the!a. Southland broken oil lead, and 1wo laps This left Moffat with about record practice! (TM5), has six. later McRae passed Gethin on Dunlop (exhaust and fuel in-) lead 5sec over Richards, Coppins. race started in fine the trom Hughes with one lap loi and Fahey, and these 1hree m.p.h.). He hounded the bog- weather, but a stiff breeze stormed into the lead. lish driver, P. Gethin (Chev-leut speeds on the long back Smith worked his way up Richards sneaked past briefly ron B24). for the first 14 laps straight from the 183 m.p.h Brown retires ¿differential), and K. Laney through the field to inish almost within sight of die then tonk overiot practice day to about 170 Gethin was credited with third, after also displacing flag, bur Moffat managed 10 and opened a 20-second lead ins.p.l1 By the twentieth lap, Mc- the of Hughes. MeRae had a puncture onikae had a good 10 seconds on! 11:03.6120.566 mph, and a covered the first three cars breadth finish. a valve spring in his engine the start bne, but the wheel Gethin, broke, and he was out. was replaced before the roll with a puncture, and Brown new record. The old record,i away had retired with transmission!of 116.89 m.p.h., was set last lone of the first Jour was! The GIX events to Retirements and punctures ing start. Gethin led isplaced by the protests, but/duction cars also producer Behind Getbin, Walker was best lap was racing| Pilette, McCormack, Walker.i Mc- 1:04.6, or 118.69 m.p.h. and the national The event for groups two 1yres are very susceptible- W. Brown, of Australia (Lola putting Pornula Ford champion, and three, run on Saturday. were an important factor in T332), of|Cormack, and Oxton, Dunlop, won by K. McNamara 18 Australia (Lola T330), Oxton and Lawrence were not lar Race practice From sixth. starters retired, and three had leading the rest. some delermined opposition Pilette, working bis way up Sunday race meeting, HISTORIC CARS ¡trom A. J. Fäer in a similar P'ine rarine tremendous deve after hav! dcs. was held on the Salur- The day's programme at icar. R. D. Harrington, also in gina (Chevron B24), and his! The first too soon started ing gone into the pits on the ses-"tor historic cars, but few or a Mal, was thire. Wigram began with an event| team-mate, Gethin, had punc- In the first practice There were three changes they managed to to open a gap on the others. fourteenth lap with a pune- sion, urprised the public would have recog or the lead in yesterday's and the battle between them ture. hind McCormack, and ahead was racing at its best. Behind! After 22 laps, Gethin also 1:04, just short of 120 m.p.h. the vehicles, and only one or (Monaro) had it to hinsel Pilette. McCormack was bav- went into the pits 10 have a He was followed by Brown, two carried numbers which until mechanical failure in- Oxton, of Auckland ing repiaced. Cethin. Walker, him. Brown, and Stewart leaving McCormack second. McCormick, and Mckae. to their tervened, giving the lead to four cars about 17 seconds behind Mc- R. Rutherford (Falcon GT). R. J. N. Archibald won the Series loler were nose to tail lap afterikac. and ahead of Oxton and, although Walker lowered his race in his lype Jaguar, place for only one lay be. time to 1:03.2, ith B. Middlemiss (Cooper for Behind the New Zealand Walker had retired two W. Murdoch in a simi- Dunlop (McRae laps earlier with differential (121.714 m.p.h.) to lake 1:03sec Bristol) second. points, and McCormack, with GMI); tenth, G. failure. over to lead the field 15, is hard on his J. Lawrence (Lola T330) was seemed that McRae's Position. luck had changed, and that proved their times to Itake , own on the grid. He man to win at Wigram four had in be content with his times in succession-but it With 29 laps morning's effort. first five drivers had run, he pulled off the track laps laster than 120 m.p.h. noise, so I just switched it • Lead of 50gec tired from the fray, and McCormack was left with a 50-second lead over Oxion, Pilette, Gethin, and R. Cook (Lola T300). Dunlop, Pedersen, Lawrence, McCully, The excitement centred on Pilette's efforts to wrest second place from Oxton, and Gethin's drive back to the front. Although Oxton held on grimly, Pilette passed him after 36 laps, while Gethin continued to make up ground. The English driver passed Oxton in the. forty. fifth lap, two from the end, taking a third place he fully deserved.