Fast airfield Musta By JOHN FRIDD motorracing tans to see the car car scene Mustang. debut at inare in New for the challenge series. oped in P. D. L. last seven months and represents concept in saloon car fact that technical it even raced. Birch),: sald the car appeared .. to spaceattached, is illegal reguafter much given the go-ahead to terations. No phisticated rival is the McLaren of Jack Nazer, but least 10 the first comfortably headed him The driver capable of nard is ex-patriate tang NAZER ng for the last two years and recently won the $100,000 Marlboro sports sedan series, which netted him a Monaro, a caravan and worid trip for first prize. towever at Teretonga Richards, founc out just how tired the Mustang's engine was during the first Shellsport race and it was blowing out a lot of smoke. was getting into the cylinders and also spraying around the engine compartment. Richards does not have another engine with him so is patching up the old one this week. With the Mustang down on power, a hope he probably win t catching Leonard. In the Australia-New Zealand challenge race at Teretonga, Leonard stalled on the grid and gave away several hundreds of metres to the other cars but had no trouble catching them. He is still feeling his way with the car and when the Mustang is fully sorted and Leonard knows it back to iront they should be an unbeatable combination In New Zealand, Australia and South- East Asia. Unfortunately the trans- Tasman challenge series this year is not a truly representative one, as Richards' twr team-mates, Tony Edmondson and Pat Crea, are ranked about fourth and sixth respectively in Australia. Jack Nazer and another very fast New Zealand driver, Don Halliday (Cologne Capri) have had little trouble keeping the Australians at bay and the race at Wigram should see the New Zealanders mopping up the series, which they have already virtually won. Leonard should be able to really extend the Mustang on the open Wisram circuit on Sunday, as the track is idea for the big saloon cars. The stumpy yellow car should make an exciting spectacle as it roars around the fast sweeping corners and reaches up to 270 km/h on the straights. Nazer is sure to be handy to Leonard to take advantage of any mistakes and Richards and Halliday should have & wheel-to-wheel battle for third place. And Edmondson's Charger mignt remember the tremendous race which it ran in the hands of John McCormack at Wigram two years ago and turn on extra. The somethin Tasmanian, young mondson, extracted Edmore power out of the EDMONDSON I track will suit P.D.L. THE FINEST MANET CURE IN SENIOOOS Art Mckee might come back with a vengeance on Sunday. Here, in his striking Monza, he leads Pat Crea (Cortina V8) and Tony Edmondson (Repco Charger) at Manfeild. Repco V8 engine than it produced when McCormack was racing the car and should find the airfield circuit to his liking. Edmondson was recently third in the Australian sedan serles behind Alan Moffat (Monza) and the fabulous Corvair of Frank Gardner. The Crown Motor Court workshop in Christchurch has been the scene of feverish activity this week as Art McKee and his team rebuilt the motor that blew up at Manfeld two weeks ago and put McKee's Monza out in its Peter Stuyvesant series debut. McKee has struck many problems getting the American car ready for the series and is rapidly running out of time to HALLIDAY CREA Prove its potentia, so he is sure to be trying his hardest at Wigram. Another driver who will be trying very, hard is New Zealand's Niki Lauda, Bill Leckie. The Auckland driver was horrifically burned in a Manfeild smash in October last year and is still weak with pain and exhaustion when he finishes each тасе, after a courageous comeback two weeks ago. Leckie has proved very fast this white sleepygen i'' ches Chev and is recovering some of his old form to challenge the leaders in the 0-4200 cu cm class. One of the most interesting saloon battles at Wigram will be in the small 0-1300 cu em class, which had been dominated RICHARDS CROWE by Steve Emson, 'of Auck» land, in a potent little Datsun Coupe until Trevor Crowe, Christchurch, decided he would break into Shellsport racing and built up a similar car almost overnight in his Christchurch garage. Crowe's car lacks the sophistication of Emson's but his daredevil driving slyie certainly makes up for this and at Teretonga the pair had a win apiece. Who will get the better of the Wigram clashes anyone's guess. As well as the Shellsport saloon action, there should be some exciting racing seen in the South Inland production saloon series. Cars which must be factory-standard will battle it out for top honours in the series and the cars have turned on some spectacular action in the races to date, as they slide around the track in the manner of saloon racers of old. LEONARD