20-11-80 Lose W igr am once 6. you SOT it for good' Losing the Lady Wigram Trophy motor race meeting for one year would mean losing it for good, according to a European motor racing team manager, Mr Murray Taylor. Mr Taylor, a former The airport circuit was a The new Pacific series - Christchurch man back this great asset to the sport the second race in it was week for a short visit, is here, and nothing had to be .. held in Macau at the weekdismayed by the Motor contributed to its upkeep end - was "very ambi- Racing Club's decision to during the year. tious." cancel nest January's race. "So. little 1 money iS It would be difficult to needed to keep Wigram bounce back after letting intact," said Mr Taylor. Potential the race go for a year, said He understood the club was 100king for sponsorship 'The potential is there Mr Taylor, who managed for it, but it will take a the works team for March, of about $10,000. Ideally it needed perhaps a three while to get it established the world's largest racing and the difficulty is getting car constructers, in New year sponsorship deal, so the finance to keep it Zealand for the past three the organisers could plan going." seasons. ahead. Losing Wigram after The Wigram meeting was He saw more merit in a Teretonga's demise two to have been one of two New Zealand international years ago would mean the New Zealand_meetings in series being promoted, and end of international motor the Pacific basin interna- the tradition of a series racing in the South Island. tional series for Formula here in January suited "Crowds bave dwindled Pacific cars. Murray Taylor... European teams. at Wigram in recent years • Expressing misgivings NZ series in jeo- The main problem facing and it is difficuit to know about the Pacific series - motor racing here was gettwhy, because the racing has Which Wigram's cancella- pardy ing sponsorship for individbeen excellent and good tion seem to bear out - Mr lor. "The Wigram decisien ual races, he said. * . drivers from overseas have Taylor said he thought puts Purekone out on a come out," said Mr Taylor. there should be a return to limb, and it remains to be "To bring two cars out to the traditional series of four seen whether it can stand New Zealand cost us Superb or five international races the cost of an international $50,000, and we can get that in New Zealand in January. race on its own." from European sponsor- Wigram was a superb Mr Taylor, who now has Sap the leading New venue with a world-wide "I think the whole of the New Zealand series is now his own racing team, said reputation, and to lose it " said Mr Tay- March would not be sending would be a big tragedy, he in jeopardy, said. a team here this summer, "I don't think people in and probably no other Christchurch realise the European team would be coming. reputation it has overseas. It was not financially It's a world famons circuit. viable for teams to come "The famous old names out for just a couple of like Moss, Stewart, and Hill races in New Zealand, all raced at Wigram. A lot said. of people in Europe don't "Personally, Id like to know about Christchurch, see New Zealand return to a but they 35 do know about ! four or five race interna- Wigram. tional series in January. I know the other European entrants feel the same." Zealanders can generate sufficiant sponsorship. "The tragedy is promoters here can't get sponsorship in New Zealand for the individual races." It is a contrast to the situation in the sport that Mir Taylor is used to in Britain. Taylor has his own company, workshops, and mechanics in England, and he obtained sponsorship worth $160,000 for the past season in Europe for his Formula Three car. Crash His driver led for most of the season only to crash in a collision with a Kiwi driver - in the last race and had to accept second in the 20 race series. The Taylor team will be racing in this class again next year, and be is engaging young Brazilian driver. 25-11-80 Warning over Wigram race Motorsport officials see problems for their sport it the Motor Racing Club does not change its mind and reinstate the Lady Wigram Trophy meeting. Members of the club. which organises the annual intenational event, will have a chance at their annual meeting tomorrow night to reconsider last week's decision to scrap the January race this season. The Motorsport Association of New Zealand's president (Mr Morrie Chandler, of Auckland) met club representatives on Sunday night and warned of the "long term repercussions" of abandoning the historic гасе. "We are obviously quite concerned about the gecision, although we appreciate the club's reasoning.' ." he said today. Mr Chandler - like a European racing team manager, Mr Murray Taylor, who expressed dismay last week at the cancellation - feels it would be hard to revive the meeting once it lapsed. "The Motor Racing Club is quite appreciative of the effects the decision could have on motorsport as a whole," said Mr Chandler. "It could mean the end of Wigram for good." Wigram is the only international licensed circuit in the South Island and one of the few airfield venues in the world. The Motorsport Association had made special representations in recent years to the FIA, the sport's international body. to preserve the licence. Mr Chandler said overseas entries for the New Zealand races this season (Wigram and Psiote are Pukekohe are scheduled as races in the new Pacific basin Formula Pacific series) are down. "However, that's some. thing I'm not really up on. It's a promoter exercise. "Quite a few names are being mentioned. and à couple sound very good if they happen. the long term. Mir Chandler has high hopes for the Pacific Basin series, for which races have been held in Japan. Macau and Malaysia. There are few FIA championships in the worla, and it could become a source of up-and-coming drivers for formula one racing. Worry However, it is the short term that is the worry for motorsport officials who feel the Wigram decision could undermine the sport this season. If Wigram is not held, the Timaru meeting will be the only round in the South Island for the Union Travel national championship Formula Pacific series. There is a risk that drivers will not come to the South Island for the one race, making the nationai championship series effectively a North Island one. said Mr Chandler. He hopes the Motor Racing Club will find a way of running Wigram, the oldest international circuit in the country. "There is such a tradition there, I wouldn't like to see it disappear." he said.