21-1 - 83 No clear favourite for final round of series Sunday will see the 34th trata • By Lindsay running of the Lady Wigram trophy race. First Kerr run in 1949, it has a longer bistory than any other similar meeting in New Zealand. Only in 1955 was the Team manager Graeme Lawrence (left) with Canadian Allen Berg in his Ralt meeting not held due to the resealing of the perimeter prospects Heading the list strip of the airfield. is American Norman A Tiga hard charger and if the car The handsome trophy Hunter who will drive one is on the pace his driving was first won by Morrie Two heats The fourth American is of the many new Ralt RT4s. Will be spectacular Proctor of Wellington, driv- This year's New Zealand Hunter, at 28. was "rookie Hubert Phipps, who will watch. ing a Riley 9 Brooklands. of the rear" race a relatively uncom- The second Other winners international series under in the I981 mon Pacific car, a Tiga. Australian have American the sponsorship of the Apple North Atlantic entry is New Zealand-born included such household and Pear Board will again series before Phipps's debut in New Graham Watson. who has returning to Zealand was disastrous when names as Jack Brabham. have its final rounds at Bruce McLaren. Stirling take the runner-up spot in he badly damaged the car an advantage of being the Wigram where, as has been the last series Australian Rait agent. Moss, Jim Clark, and, of the order of recent years. Canadian Allan Berg. 21. on the warm up lap before Should Watson be able to recent times, the current two heats of 24 laps (82.5 started the New Zealand the first heat at Bay Park. achieve some consistency world champion Keke Ros- The West German Chriskilometres) will give the series with the perfect he. too, will be among the berg when on his way to the drivers their last chance to : record when he won both tian Danner is the only European entry. Danner top runners. top. gain points towards the Heading the New Zealand Rosberg won the trophy rounds at Bay Park. Berg has just come from a full championship. started competition contingent Aucklander in 1977, the first time The overseas contingent career in karts before he season driving in hotly con- Dave McMillan in a Ralt Formula Pacific cars had is again filled with exciting was 16. After a couple of tested European Formula 2 RT4. McMillan is probably run at Wigram. successful seasons with the championships. at the peak of his career The wisdom of running From Australia comes Formula Pacific cars was karts and a spell in ice former saloon car driver: having just won the Ameriracing, he started road rac- can Formula Atlantic questioned by many author. ing in a Formula Ford when Charlie O'Brien, who. will itative critics in its early also drive another of the: championship. days but the decision of the 17. Last year. Berg made latest Ralt RT4s. O'Brien Past winner the move into Formula has a reputation of being ai Motors Sports Association Atlantics. has been fully justified. He has been a front The Pacific car. with its Mike Rosen, also from runner in the international the United States, will Formula Pacific series return with a new Ralti since it began and is a past mula Atlantic. RT4. Rosen did not have a been accepted on an inter-, winner (twice) of the Lady national scale and this year spectacular series last year Wigram trophy. In 1980 he but he made • sufficient won the series will see the inaugural world ground to make him want! championship run for these Twenty-vear-old Paul to come back. Radisich in his Palt RT4 cars. In between times. Rosen will show the benefit of his Formula Pacific cars. has had a full Northern off season while having engine capaci- racing proties of only 1600cc, are Hemisphere programme gramme in Australia. while racing Supervees. Formula the veteran Ken Smith, 20 capable of speeds of up to Atlantic and British For- 250kmh with the small years Radisich's senior. mula 3. engines producing an amazing 220hp at a howling 9000грm. піс. who has been racing for 20 years, will this year drive a Rait RIs, having driven Marchs since 1977. Smith, a skilful and aggressive driver, won the New Zealand international series in 1976 driving a Formula 5000 Lola 332. Smith went on to finish second in the Australian counterpart series. Grant Campbel, who holds the lap record for Pacific cars at Ruapuna, the don and his drive a and will drive a Rali RT$. Campbell is determined to justify his investment in his new car and the reputation of some of his more colorful rivais means nothing to the Auckland accountant The Pacific series, now in its seventh season, has not previously had a Christchurch driver. This has been rectified and local garage proprietor Tony Batchelor will drive a March 74B. Batchelor's car is not modern compared with the nost of new cars that will be driven and because of this he is not expected to be among , the major placegetters. Sat out Batchelor will be keen to do well at Wigram having had to sit the first two .rounds out after the March dropped a piston in practice at Bay Park. The remainder of the field will include Eric Morgan (Ralt RT1), Steve Cameron (Chevron), Tom Donovan (March 77B), and possibly David Oxton who, after success at Pukekone and Manfeild, might reconsider and make the trip south. As the circus prepares for the final and all important rounds no clear favourite has emerged with the six races to date having been WOn by five different drivers. Berg won both heats at Bay Park, McMillan and Oxton at Pukekohe, and Hunter and O'Brien at Manfeild. Berg (38) leads Oxton by three points with O'Brien third