17-1-75 18-1-75 Grand prix men swap steeds BELOW: Peter N Zealand powerboat champi wheel of Warwick Brow Brown (left) won last weeken Grand Prit and / will race Sunday. night. the dew on, behind the his Lola T3:2. I's Jew Zealand at Wigram on -and vote their own best "We'll stick to our own!" That was the riew of two New Zealand grand prix titleholders-land and water--after they compared their machines in Christehurch today. It was probably the first hat-trick in his boat, Road such meeting in the 50-year Runner. history of both events. "It's almost like lying down," Australia's Warwick Brown, growled Knight as he squeezed winner of the New Zealand into the Lola. The boat is a Grand Prix at Pukekohe last bit tight, but not as tight as Sunday in his Lola T332 and this." leader in the Peter Stuyvesant He said he soon got used championship, compared notes to it, but was not tempted to with Christchurch's Peter start burning around a track Knight. who next month will instead of on water. *I had a run in a formula be aiming for a Hasport Cup three car once and enjoved it. but you cant put the time and thinking into both." "These are a bit dangerous, I think." said Brown - who nearly died in a race crash at Surfers Paradise in 1973 as he tried the boat. "You sit so high out of the cockpit-I couldn't handle that. BP I'll stick to what I.do." Brown predicted he would win at Wigram on Sunday. "It's my favourite circuit. And the car is set up well for a fast circuit, so I feel there is a basis for being rather confident." PA° BURKE RACING Brown favoured to take Wigram (By RUSSE The twenty-first Lady Wigram Tro to be one of the best for some time, and th take the eight-race Peter Stuyvesant seri Drivers were hopeful the rain would pass by - all ercept Warwick Brown, the 21-year-old Australian who is leading the series after a brilliant win at Pukekohe on a wet track. Brown says he has mastered the technique of driving fast in the wet, but he would prefer it to be dry because then he can go faster still. Many of the drivers are picking Brown to win at Wigram and take the $112,000 Stuyvesant series- Brown not the least of them -and the determined young former boxer will be a hard man to stop. When it was suggested to Brown that he could now afford to take things a bit easier and aim for a certain third or fourth, he said: "] can't afford to start losing races yet. I mean to win as many as I can." But Chris Amon. a New | Zealander who has driven in Formula One for the last few years but has now turned to F5000, disagrees. • Vital points "Brown has the early points, and they are always the hardest ones to overtake. The Wigram race will be crucial for me, because if I don't start scoring points 500D I will be in real trouble." Amon set the fastest lap in the race at Pukekohe but did not have the correct rain tyres. "Cornering was no problem, but I could not get any traction out of the corners. The car just sat there with the wheels spinning." The Talon MRI he is driving had cracked cylinder liners, which have been replaced, and Amon is happy with the way the Talon is performing. He will be one of the fastest men at Wigram. Graham McRas is relaxed and confident, although he is wet or fine ELL JONES phy race at Wigram tomorrow promises è driver who wins it might well go on to les. aj still bristling about what hejand he thinks he can win considers to be the poor Wigram. treatment he has received The car which has most from certain race promoters. impressed McRe? is the Begg He says he was not crying 018 which Jimmy Murdoch "wolf" when he pulled out of drove into celebrated the series - he had simply second place at Pukekone. run out of money. But now The car - and Murdoch's he has a guarantee and is driving - will be one of the } determined to win as many main attractions at Wigram, races as he can. and there is every reason to believe that the combination Everything was wrong for will be a winner. him at Pukekohe. The wheel Graeme Lawrence is not as offsets were incorrect, and to confident about Wigram compensate for the tendency as isome of the other drivers. He of all the weight transferring has never won there - noi to the outside front wheel ¡even in 1970 when he took when comering, the suspen- the championship — and has sion has to be set up very finished only once. nard. This proved fatal in But his Lola is going very wet, especially with no very well - he won at Levir proper rain tyres. ¡and was third at Pukekohe, But as ne nas proved in which gives him only tro practice, at both Pukekohe poi ts less than Brown and Levin, the Gik Is,jand he has fitted new cylinpotentially, the tastest car,der heads to replace the cracked pair which he used last week-end. Fuel problems Fuel capacity has been a problem for Lawrence. He tan dry at Pukekohe, and almost did so at Levin, but he attributes this to the engine overheating, because of the cracked heads and is confident he has cured the problem. Warwick Brown, who also drives a Lola T332, thinks the fuel problems at Puke- Kohe were caused by surge in the tanks under repeated heavy braking, and is not. concerned about this at Wigтат. But if it is a very hot day, fuel consumption will rise and the 1332 has only; a gallon or two in reserve for! the 100-mile race, which is not much at four miles a! gallon.