21-9-83 Nort The days of the glorioussounding 18-powered Formula 5000 single-seaters roaring around Wigram airfield may be gone. but the sound of big V8 motors will reverberate from the hangars again on • Sunday when New Zealand's top bigsaloon drivers battle out the final round of the national sports sedan series. Sunday's Wigram • saloon racing should be the best seen there for many years. as the top six or seven drivers, all in potent. firebreathing V8-powered machines, will be evenly matched. The fastest cars will reach up to 290 km h on the long main straight if the wind is favourable. Trevor Crowe, of Christchurch. is expected to be particularly fired up. as he knows that he will have to drive "right on the limit" to snatch the sports sedan series from Wayne Huxford, of Wellington, as it would be unthinkable to let a North Islander take the titie. Huxford took over the series lead from Crowe last Sunday at Manfeild. for while the northern driver won both races. Crowe failed to finish when his soare motor was "ventilated" by a conrod which smashed its way through the side of the highly modified Oldsmobile 18 motor of his Zap Starlet. Huxford has 37 points and Crowe 33. and with nine points going to the winner of each of the two races on Sunday and six for second. Crowe could take the series by winning both and keeping h-Sout By JOHN Huxford in second place. However, these calculatons are upset by the wildcard entry of last years series winner. Inky Tulloch of Mataura. Last January. Crowe beat Tulloch twice at Wigram which hurt the likeable Southlander, so he could be hard . to peg back on Sunday. Should Tulloch win both races. with Crowe second and Huxford third. Crowe and Huxford would finish equal on points and the Wellington man would probably take the series on a countback. Crowe said this week that if he comes second in the first race he intends to win the second. which will have a reverse-grid start and see cars start at two-second intervals. The Christchurch man is at his best in this sort of racing. in which he car slot his tiny Starlet through gaps that the drivers of bigger cars would balk at. In the Pukekohe reverse-grid race he started off the back with Huxford, got a brilliant start "and never saw Huxford again after lap one" Another Christchurch driver. John Osborne, is lying third in the series and could win the title in the unlikely event of both Crowe and Huxford crashing or blowing their motors in the first race Osborne has been at his fiery best in the sports sedan series. putting his Capri Chev into some amazing slides through corners and manag- th bat \ FRIDD ing to finish well-up in spite of looking as though he has lost control of his car at times. Two more Christchurch Capri drivers. Avon Hyde and lan Munt, should also be "on the pace" ai Wigram and could upset the other four top drivers. A cloud hangs over another leading South Islander. Rod MeEtrea, of Ashburton. who has "munched" both his motors and faces an uphil! task getting his Cortina Chev ready for Wigram. Points in the sports sedan series going into the final round at Wigram: Huxford 37. Crowe 33. Osborne 25. Graeme Addis (Auckland. Charger) 14. Munt 13. Steve Vigurs (Christchurch, Cortina Chev) 7. The South Island drivers will be busy on Sunday - in addition to the sports : sedan races they will also contest a round of the Open Saloon Car Association championship. which is being led by Mic- Firea. More exciting saloon artion will be seen in the Sheilsport 2 litre saloon championship double-points race. The battle between the former champion. Reg Cook (Datsun Sunny). and the current champion. Roy Harrington (Escort TC). will continue. and there will also be plenty of South Island interest. Two Timaru drivers. Warren Burt (Starlet 1300) and Wayne Murdoch lAvenger 1600) have performed ttle at Wigr am on Sunday well this season and Mark Rutherford. of Christchurch. is expected to show out in his Escort. Greg Lancaster, of Auckland. is expected to be the dark horse in his Datsun 1200. Shellsport points: Cook 81. Harrington 49. Burt 34. Murdoch 24. Tony Marsh (Auckland. Datsun) 20. Kirk Stoneman (Auckland. Escort TC) 17. The talented Picton driver. Jeff Pascoe. will make a one-off appearance in the national Formula Ford races in a Titan. Pascoe is not contesting this season's championship because he is still fighting a legal battle to win the 1981-82 title. which was awarded to Mike King (Auckland). Kevin Ingram. of Feilding. looks set to take the title this season in his Eutectic special. and he has won the last six races. However, John Crawford. of Christchurch. has been quick in his Valour. Formula Ford points: Ingram 73. Steve Richards (Hamilton) 69. Crawford 45. Mark Brownsey (Tokora) 30 Lou Schollum (Auckland) 28. Rob Lester (Feilding) 18. Laser Sports will make their first appearance at Wigram in a new championship. which is being led br Cive Williams. of Auckland She has 28 points. one more than Warren Hislop and three ahead of Dave Saunders in this standard-production class. South Island production saloon drivers will have a championship round on Sun- day. and pre-65 saloons will race both tomorrow and Sunday. Tomorrow, there will also be a South : Island Formula Ford championship race and a vintage car event. Motor-cvele fans will see Rodger Freeth (Auckland) on his mean Macintosh Suzuki 1300 battling with Brent Jones (Christchurch). Jones is racing a $30,000 Yamaha T2500 this season and should be quick al wigram. as shouid another local rider, Mike Pero (Yamaha TZ250). Sunday will see a display of exotic sports and saloon cars - Bruce Bellis's; Porsche 911T. Peter Read's Lamborghini Espada, the Archibalds Motors BMW CFI. Peter Stewart's Jensen Interceptor. Philip • Mills's Mercedes 280SE. Mike Horrigan's Aston Martin V8. Graham Stevens's Jaguar XJS and Tracy Gough's Ferrari Daytona 365 GT Vintage racing cars will also burn some ageing rubber on Sunday. Thousands of horsepower are row are released at the start of one of the sports (from left) Inky Tulloch, lan Munt, and sedan races at last year's Wigram meeting. On the front the eventual winner, Trevor Crowe.