previewFabi keen to clinch series with 2 wins
Teo Fabi planned to win both heats of the 1979 Lady Wigram Trophy to clinch the Formula Pacific series, but was far from certain of the title after his Teretonga troubles left Larry Perkins and Brett Riley close on points. His team manager Murray Taylor said the team believed it had solved the problems after testing at Ruapuna. Fabi and Perkins were expected to reach 250 km/h on the Wigram straight.
Lap times
- Teo Fabi (March): 250 km/h top speed
Facts
- Fabi had won six of the eight heats of the 1979 series before Wigram; Fabi 128 points, Riley 124, Perkins 116, Elgh 90, Jeff Wood 82, John Smith 82.
- Up to 20 traffic officers handled traffic at the 1979 Wigram meeting; the Wigram straight is probably the fastest in NZ racing.
- Perkins won the 1978 Lady Wigram Trophy; his March is the car Rosberg used to top the 1978 series.
- Shellsport points before Wigram 1979: Reg Cook 109, Bryce Platt 73, Rex Findlay 30; Formula Ford: Mike Finch 101, Jeff Pascoe 87.
newsNo fuss parking plans at Wigram
Traffic arrangements for the 1979 Lady Wigram meeting: up to 20 traffic officers on duty, car park options by area of approach (Sockburn Overbridge and Vickerys Road, Annex Road back entrance, an Awatea Street car park near Hangar Bend).
Read the OCR text
27-1-79
Praaniay
MASCAINIM
Winfield 25
Italian Ieo Fabi, the
favourite to take out
top prize in the international motor racing series which ends
with the Lady Wig- No fuss parking
ram Trophy race on
Sunday, spent today
at Ruapuna sorting out plans at Wigram
his works March. Earlier , this week a new
engine was installed Lady Wigram traffic has Ranghin car and the three choices of car park church. Belfast and ora to use Wigram's main
the
team is hoping Sun- for tomorrow. entrance.
Traffic from the north-west
day will not see a repe- Up to 20 traffic officers of the city should cross the
tition of last weekend's will be on duty in the area Sockburn Overbridge and
problems which endea of the airbase to handle the use the Vickerys Rd en-
Rabi's winning streak. traffic from the annual trance.
motor race meeting. Senior Cars from New Brighton.
Traffic Sergeant R. S. Lenz Cashmere. Sumner and
said. Halswell should approach the
"If peopie obey the direc- base along Annex Rd, and
tions of the traffic officers use a back entrance. or join
they'll get everyone into the the queue for Vickerys Ra.
rounds, and away again as ; Another smaller car park
ast as possible he said. oil Awatea Si, can be used
The ministry expects trai for those who want to get
Sc from south of Christ- close to the Hangar Bend.
Fabi
kee
to
clil
nch
SeI
cies
with
2 wi
ns
Italian Teo Fabi plans an emphatic victor
racing series by winning both heats of the Lady
The vagaries of the local
points scoring system for the
championship mean that in
spite of winning six of the
eight heats so far, Fabi is
far from certain of the title.
His misfortunes in the
Teretonga races leave Larry
Perkins (Australia) and
English-based Aucklander
Brett Riley right up with
him on points.
With any of the three in a
position to win, it guarantees
local motorsport fans some
thrilling action at Wigram
tomorrow in the last round
But as far as Fabi's
March works team is concerned the outeome is cut
and dried.
"We need to win both
races." said team manager
Murray Taylor today. "And
we are going to win both
'Teo's quite confident.
He's in a buoyant mood.
"After testing the car at
Ruapuna on Wednesday and
yesterday we are quite confident we've solved the
problems we had at Tere
tonga. And we've added a
few tweaks since then which
should give us a bit more
power and speed."
However, Perkins — who
won the Lady Wigram Tro
phy last year - and Riley.
second on points in spite of
the fact that the other two
have had a distinet edge on
him, have given their own
cars careful attention for the
crucial heats on the fast
Wigram circuit.
FASTEST
Perkins may have a slight
advantage in that he is
familiar with the course,
whereas Fabi has not raced
on it before and Riley has
not raced Formula Pacific
there.
Howerer, the fact the circuit is fast should suit
y in the international Formula Pacific motor
y Wigram Trophy tomorrow.
Fabi's exciting driving style.
The very long Wigram
straight is probably the fastest in New Zealand racing
and Fabi and Perkins. if not
others, should reach speeds
of 250 kmh on it.
Wigram will also suit
Fabi's March. Aerodynamically very clean. it
needs to run very little
wing.
Perkins is also using a
March - the car in which
Keke Rosberg topped last
year's series.
The top three have been in
a class of their own in the
stone gre beind toes,
they could be out front even
further tomorrow - after
the lessons learned and
modifications made as the
series has unwound.
Auckland's Dave McMillan
in his Ralt is one who could
spring a surprise tomorrow.
He has got steadily better
resuits during the series,
and made drastic changes to
the car this week.
John Smith 'Australia) is
also going well in a Ralt,
while Eje Elgh (Sweden: in
a March and Jeff Food
USA› in a March will be
keen to wrap up the series
with good results.
The thirtieth Wigram
meeting, this one features
an interesting programme
including saloon and motor•
cycle races.
RARE
And some of the sport's
great names - Denis
Hulme, Chris Amon, Jim
Murdoch, and Mike Hailwood - will parade their
rare Formula One and Formula A flyers in a demon-
Stration run.
Hailwood, winner of many
morid motor-cycling championships, will also be racing
bike for the first and
probably last time in Carsichurch when he takes out an
AJSTR in a race for the
champions of yesteryear.
Points in the motor racing
series are:
International Series - Teo
Fabi (Italy) 128 Brett
Riley (UK) 124, Larry Lory periens
(Aust) • 116, Eje Eigh (Sweden)
90, Jeff Woods (USA) 82, John
Smith (Aust) 82.
Sheilsport Saloon Car Series
Reg Cook 109, Bryce Plait
3. Rex Findiay 30. Men sage.
25. Grant Aitken 25, Roy Hairington 21.
Motorcraft Formula Ford
(Provisionai) → Mike Finch 10!,
Jeft Pascoe 87, Kim Crocker
Mike King 58, Mike Austin 35,
Bruce Airey 20.
Ford Escort 1600 Sports -
Graeme Bo1-
Rent Ken cremara keit 87, Kevin
Jobn Armstrong Elvie Williams 35, Steve Emson 26.
Summaries and tables are machine-read from the scan and may contain errors: the scan is the record.