25-1-79 LADY WIGRAM TROP THIS WEEK-END SAT 27. Sunday marks 30 years of racing Three w exciting saloon Wigram 1979 to remember. orld champions, a na action and a rich mo -possibly the last meet Motor-racing at Wigram has been a Christchurch tradition for the last 30 years. Unfortunately the world Formula One championship no longer allows the world's top drivers to appear here, but this does not mean that the drivers in this year's international Formula Pacific series are not world-class material. Teo Fabi, of Italy, who is leading the series natrowly from the New Zealand export, Brett Riley, is talented enough to be Formula One within two years, and Riley himselt is making his way to top, to take over where Bruce McLaren, Dennis Hulme and Chris Amon left off. Both Huime (Formula One McLaren) and Amon (F2 McLaren) will drive at Wigram this week-end, along with Mike Hailwood - who will drive both a Formula One car and an AJS racing motor-cycle — in an exhibition designed LARRY PERKINS to bring the crowds back to Wigram, for if this week-end's meeting loses money there will probably never • be another race at Wigram. Apart from the Formula One display, the highlight of the meeting on Sunday will be the final two heats of the 1979 Pacific series, in which Fabi resumes his battle with the veteran Australian, Larry Perkins. at Wigram il-biting Formula Pacific series finale, tor-cycle race will combine to make ing on the airfield circuit-an occasion Last year Perkins overshadowed Keke Rosberg's series win by winning the Lady Wigram Trophy, and this year he could complete the double. Perkins likes the standing starts which are in force this year, and has only once been beaten into the first corner by Fabi, which puts strain on the Italian as he has to pass the Australian during the race if he is to win. At Manfeild and Puke- Kohe the advanced "ground-effect" design of his Winfield March 78/79 gave him the top-speed edge over Perkins and he was able to win comfortably, but the Italian's act came unstuck at Teretonga last week-end when his motor went off-song in the first heat and then he collided with Perkins while trying to pass in the second. Fabi dropped two laps while fitting a new nose-cone and the series was thrown wide open — he has 128 points, the consistent Riley 124 and Perkins has 116, after showing that he is faster than Riley but suffering from his retirement. from one Bay Park heat after a start-line melee. Perkins has standing starts down to a fine art, and should be first around Hangar Bend on Sunday, Which will set the scene for some fine racing as Fabi tries to pass safely - if he strikes trouble in just one of the two heats could easily lose • the series, to either Riley JI Perkins. Fabi's Ford BDA motor was slightly down on power at leretonga, which brought his car's performance down to that of Perkins', and it was fascinating to watch the different driving styles of the two men - Fabi is smooth, having an amazing feel for his car, always in the right gear and with the right revs, a "driving machine"; Perkins is more spectacular, more in the Rosberg mould, probably out of necessity. Perkins has been impressive for a driver who has had only two races since he was last in New Zealand. a vear ago. The affable Australian is driving the same March 77B he campaigned here last year, and it is definitely disadvantaged by the new "ground-effect" March. Fabi's car has movable side-skirts which trap air under the car, and special side-pods create a low-pressure area under the motor at the which sucks the back down on to the track. Fabi therefore has better stability througla highspeed corners. and can also use a shailower rearwing setting, giving him a higher top speed. HY - RACING - SUN 28 JAN Fabi Teo Fabi is young man on his way to the top in a big hurry, and a win in the New Zealand series - which by rights he should complete this week-end — will be another important step for him. The diminutive 23-yearold frota Milan, Italy, is a natural sportsman. and could quite easily be skiing the World Cup circuit today for Italy if he had not decided that motorracing had more to offer. Fabi is the 1970 Italian junior champion and skied slalom for Italy up until four years ago, when he switched his attention to karting. He rocketed up European karting ranks racing and reached the peak by winning the European championship in 1976. He then leapfrogged into Formula Ford 200V. a much faster version New Zealand's Formula Ford 1600. and dominated the 1977 Italian championship, winning six races. Last year saw Fabi installed in a March 783 contesting the tough European Formula Three championship, and he amazed the veteran F3 drivers br putting his car on pale more times than any outer drivers. Fabi won three rounds - at Zoider (Belgium) Dijon (France) and Vallelunga (italy) — and firished fourth in the cham- Widel Teo Fabi with his chief mechanic, Wayne Eckersley. to top behing tart: drivers wE were 2o BEi. comers to F3. This spectacular brought him to the atter. tico of the British Marc tactors - Which produces the most successit tormula Two and Three cars in Europe - and he was ashed to iest a F° Marci ai Silverstone, England Fhen he тоскете : and is circui: 0.2sec ci the lap recr-c b: Bruno Giacomel la:: F= champion the team decided to tr: him our in the Argentimar Temporada, where be as. tounded the FZ regulars b: being ascond fastesi ir both practice and races to his mate. Marc Surer. This fine showng earned a March Formula Iwo drive for the coming narthern SEzsOn. and he will be a top contencer, with a For. mula One drive a Poss!bilty next year if be lives up io his promise. Fabi is fell aware that a motor-racing career does not last forever, art has made provision for later years by morking towards an aeronautical design degree, fitting in study between races. Much of his spare time in New Zealaud has been spent studying for his final exaras. Fabi's limited English helps him escape from the demands made on successful drivers by the press and public, but also makes communication with his pit-crew a little difficult. However, Murray Taylor, the team manager, says that they low have no treuble undersianding from mixture broken English, hand-signais and facial expressions what he wants done to the car.