21-1-83 Electrifying racing predicted By LIWDSAY KERR With only 17 points separating the top six drivers, the final two rounds at Wigram on Sunday of the 1983 "Just Juice" Formula Pacific International motor racing series promise to be tantalisingly close. The series leader, 21-year-old Canadian Allen Berg, will start three points in front of the experienced New Zealand driver, David Oxton, from Auckland. Both drivers will drive the latest Rait RT4 cars. Berg, on his first trip to New Zealand, is not at all concerned about the experience his close rivals have had on the fast Wigram circuit. He has enjoyed many suecesses on fast tracks in the United States when driving a Formula Ford and proved he can quickly adapt to strange tracks when he won both races of the first round at Bay Park raceway three weeks ago. Oxton, driving the car that Formula One Rendult driver Alain Prost won the Australian Grand Prix in, had originally intended only running in the New Zealand Grand Prix. With a second in the first heat behind Dave McMillan, and a victory in the second leg. Oxton won the Grand Prix and then elected to carry on to the next two rounds at Palmerston North's Manfeild circuit last Sunday. Here be recorded a second and a third and subse quently found himself lying in second place in the championships. Fastest With an excellent chance of taking the series, Oxton comes to Wigram, a circuit that saw him set the fastest lap time during last year's races with a time of 70.4sec for an average speed of 174.29kmh. Regrettably the third-placed driver in the series, Australian Charlie O'Brien, has elected to return home to test his car before the Australian rounds of the F.I.A. qualifying races for the world Formula Mondial championship. O'Brien's withdrawal however does not detract from the extremely talented field that will line up on Sunday. Auckland's Dave McMillan care home to compete in the series after winning his most Important title to date, the North American Formula Atlantic championship (Formula Atlantic being the Northern Hemisphere's equivalent of Formula Pacific). Mcmillan has experienced many problems with his Ralt RT4 since his return but with a win in the first round of the Grand Prix this has helped him into fourth place with 22 points. The talented McMillan has won twice before at Wigram and with O'Brien's withdrawal he will be eager to show his real skill by knocking Berg and Oxton out of the top running Americans Norm Hunter. Mike Rosen and Hubert Phipps together with West German, Christian Danner and New Zealand's other top drivers Ken Smith and Paul Radisch. will ensure that the two beats will be the best single seater racing witnessed at Wigram for many years. Supporting Of the supporting races, the sports sedan series also promises to be the best saloon car racing seen for a long time. Christchurch driver. Trevor Crowe, in his Toyota Starlet V8 appeared to have the series' all but wrapped up as he went to Mant id having won three of the first four races. At Manfeild however, disaster struck when his motor threw a conrod through the side of the engine block and he was forced to retire from the meeting. . This allowed Wellington's Wayne Huxford in his 6-litre Capri to add two wins to the one he had secured during the first round at Bay Park. As they come to Wigram. Huxford holds a three point advantage over Crowe. to make certain of two electrifying races, last year's winner, Inky Tulloch. from Mataura, who has not competed in this year's series, has entered for. Wigram to settle a 12month-old score with Crowe, who beat him in both races. For Crowe, the challenge is immense; his car's engine is considerably smailer than his two arch rivals but he has proven he can beat both of them on the long circuits as well as the i tight ones. The performances of other local drivers, John Osborne, Ian Munt, Rod McElrea, Steve Vigurs and Don Grindley will also be eagerly watched as they have all acquitted themselves well on the North Island tracks. Racing will also feature a round of the National Shellsport series for saloon cars under 2-litres, two rounds of the National Formula Ford championship, a round for the OSCA series, which will also include the sports sedan drivers and a round of the South Island production saloon car championship. 22-1-83 Pressure on at Wigram With less than half a second separating the first five Formula Pacific cars after their first practice session at Wigram today, the Lady • Wigram Trophy and the Just Juice International series is going to be a closely fought affair. American Norm Hunter was the fastest with a lap time of 1min 10.4sec. He was followed by Aucklanders Dave McMillan (1miz 10.56sec) and David Oxton (Imin 10.64sec), with Canadian Allen Berg (imin 10.8sec) and another Auckland driver, Ken Smith (1 min 10.83sec). All these competitors were driving Rait RT$s. On the open and fast Wigram circuit, drivers were aided by a southerty wind along the long back straight. When they came out for their second session the wind had swung round to the east. Because of the large programme tomorrow, two races were run in between practice sessions. The first saw Kevin Pateman, in a Mark 1 Cortina, win a race for pre-1965 saloon cars after a close struggle with Bob Driver and Peter Swaney. John Crawford won by the handsome margin of 20sec in a round of the South Island Formula Ford championship.