27-1-77 Cotter Ford nastener 3 Ді Undoubtedly one of the quickest men in the Peter Stuyvesant series, Finland's Keke Rosberg in the Fred Opert-entered Chevron B34 is likely to be the firm favourite in the Lady Wigram Trophy race. New Strange new names, among which are sprinkled a few old and familiar ones, and new racing cars are the features that will strike the eves of motorsport followers when they scan their race cards for the twenty-third international Lady Wigram Memorial Trophy race, the fifth and final round in the annual Peter Stuyvesant series, on Sunday. Since the first race meeting was held at Wigram on February 26. 1949. race patrons have had ad. оррогtunity of witnessing at one time another most drivers in international motor racing facing the challenge of this aerodrome circuit which remains today one of the fastest, if not the fastest. in New Zealand "stralia. 1 T names for Wi art. Jack Brabham, Denny Hulme are but some of those now living in retirement, who have raced at Wigram. Sadly, almost equally numerous among the "greats" who came under the Wigram starter's order, were Jim Clark, Bruce McLaren, Ken Wharton and Graham Hill, men who lived and died for the sport they loved so passionately. Much has changed in the world of motor racing during the lifetime of tigram, but never has change been so apparent as it will be on Sunday. The lasman Formula which, for many years regulated Australian and New Zealand motor racing, has been replaced for this season by the Pacific Formula, which is virtually the same as the Atlantic Formula so popular in Britain, the United States, Canada and and gram cars Ians NEW BREED It is a formula that has been adopted by most Pacific Basin countries, including Japan, and it has attracted a new breed of racing driver - young тед with a burning ambition to reach the top in motor racing, but who realise that to achieve that goal. the surest path is to pit their skills against each other in racing cars that are, as closely as men can make them, evenly matched in performance. The engines used in Formula Pacific are poles apart from the lusty fuel-injected 5 litre V8s and pure racing engines which have been the mainstays of the Tasman Formula for many years. They are derived from four-cylinder engines with a capacity not exceeding 1600cc used in specified production cars and aspirated by carburettors rather tran fuel injection or superchargers. The design concept must conform to that of the production engine, although certain components, such as connecting rods, may be of different quality or tensile strength from the original Also cylinder heads and blocks may be modified by the remoral of metal, but not to a degree that renders identification of their origin impossible. SIMILAR Broadly speaking, these engines _conform largely in type and style with those the motoring publie has in its own cars, but the ingenuity of engine building specialists give them power outputs and performance that immediately places them in an entirely different category. The output of the Ford BDA engine, which most of the Wigram , drivers will be using, generally ranges from 200 to 215 brake horsepower and when one of these engines is fitted in the chassis of a Formula Pacific car which is, in effect, a mini- Grand Prix racer weighing a mere 450kg. the maximum speed with gearing suitable for Wigram's long back straight is probably more than 250kmh The men who will drive these cars at Wigram will make up one of the most international fields vet seen on the Christchurch circuit. They have come from Finland. Jamaica, North America, Britam, Hong Kong, Austratia i with two Germanborn drivers in the ranks! and, of course, New Zealand Some are professionals in the truest sense while the better term, part-time professionals. The troph! race will be the decider in this $60.000 Stuyvesant series and the man who wies will have his feet firmly on the path that given a little luck. should take him into the elite ranks of the world championship Grand Prix drivers. In 1975 New Zealander Graeme Nichae lapped tais power driving circuit of 3.54km in 62.65sec and last year the race-winner and current defending Stuyvesant champion, Ken Smith, won in his Lola T332 at an average speed of 180kph and made fastest lap in 68sec (184.44kph). As McRae and Smith were running 5 litre cars it is unlikely that the Formula Pacific drivers will be as quick on Sunday. Nevertheless, drivers such as Californian Tom Gloy in his Tui BH2, a car designed and built by McCall, and Finland's Keke Rosberg and Mikko Kozarowitzky in their British Chevron B34s entered by American Fred Opert, will probably be so little slower that only the Wigram fans who use their stop watches will pick the difference. ER Sh RI 11 Results affer Round 5 ot TERETONGA 1300ce DATSUN 4200cc CAPRI - STEVE EMSON BILL LECKIE 6000cc VICTOR - JACK NAZER See them at the final Peter Stuyvesant International Meeting at SU WIGRAM NDAY, 30Ih JANUARY