3-12-84 Winn ing Wig ram driver SMOUS great pro mise The young session where he Formula Pacifie American driver • rolled his Ralt RT cars yesterday. By LINDSAY KERR Ross Cheever returned from a disastrous practice 4 to win the Skyline Garages Lady Wigram trophy for Cheever's was a brave effort and for a person of such youth and who has been driving racing cars foronlytwoyears, heshowed all the signs of a great future. His roil during an untimed practice session was unfortunate but by his own admission it should never have happened. After extensive repairs by his Ralt Australia pit crew and much soul-searching from the young driver, Cheever took his place for the first race on the rear of the 12 car grid. When the race was over. Cheever, while pleased with his effort, considered that be could have been a little lucky - "I had my bad luck yesterday today it was Davy'S (Jones) and Kenny Smith's turn." Finishing fourth in the first heat, a race won by his John Brandon teammate Jones, Cheever recorded the quickest lap time and earned the right to start the second and deciding 24 lap heat from the pole position. Untroubled Cheever led out but on lap 2 Jones who won the trophy last season, slipped by as the field streamed around the hangar bend. This was short lived for before the lap had finished Jones was forced out with a mysterious electrical problem. From that point Cheever was untroubled and he steadily drew away from another American, Jeff MacPherson, to win by 6.18sec. Timaru's Robin Laing ahead of Mark Ruthe Escort, in the Osca (No. 3) pilots h rford (No. 98), Supercars race is Datsun 1600 on a bend , of Christchurch, in his at Wigram yesterday. Jones won the first heat after an early struggie with the veteran New lealand driver Smith. Jones led out but Smith tracked him down and passed him on the first lap. Four laps later Smith struck a tyre marker and spun. Jones retook the lead but as the race progressed Smith staged a brilliant comeback to work his way pressure pia ones pet pressure on Jones. four laps to run the_gap between the pair was 5sec. With three laps left Smith had whittled the gap down to 2.6sec but when the chequered flag came out Jones was still in front and beat Smith by 1.2sec. Tussle Steve Cameron, a New Zealander now living in the United States, was third after an early tussle with MacPherson and a former Lady Wigram winner, Dave McMillan from Auckland. MacPherson and MeMilian drifted back in the field during the middle stages after both had damaged the front wings on their Ralt RT4's. MacPherson had clipped the end of Smith's car and McMillan had struck a cone marker. Cameron returned to finish third behind Mac- Pherson in the second heat Peter Haskett in his ageing Chevron coming fourth after a splendid drive in which he and Australian Charlie O'Brien in modern Ralt RT4 had a race-long battle. Smith again looked a potential winner but on lap 3 he struck a tyre marker which caused a puncture and a bent front wing. After repairs, Smith fought back to finish fifth. McMillan's luck too was to desert him and he retired on lap 10 with an ailing motor. With strong winds down the long back straight, the lap times were down on some previous Smith's Pacific lap record of 70.0isec was never threatened. Second overall was Mac- Pherson with Cameron third. The highlight of the support races was the OSCA championship races where the current leader and defending champion Trevor Crowe (Toyota Starlet V8) and Avon Hyde (Commodore V8) hurled their powerful cars around ine 3.44km circuit in thrilling fashion • In both races Hyde made the early pace but Crowe in the nimble Starlet was able to outbrake the Commodore driver at the end of the long back straight and eventually gained the lead to take maximum points. However, Hyde returned to win the flying farewell with John Osborne in his Capri V8 second and Crowe third. Don Grindley with a new turbo-charged rotary motor fitted to his Mazda RX7 finished a fine third place in the first race after showing many of the V8's a clean pair of heels. Osborne, who did not have a happy first encounter, was third in the second race. Saloons John Crawford of Christchurch was a comfortable winner of the first heat of the Motocraft National Formula Ford championship but on the second race lad to call on all his skills to beat a former cham- Kevin Ingram of Pendine The two rounds of the National Shellsport chardpionship for saloon cars under 2 litres saw Palmerston North driver Warren Steel in his Nissan Bluebird and Mark Rutherford of Christchurch (MKII Escort 1600) record a win apiece. Both races were keenly contested with the leading bunch always challenging the leader. Rutherford did everything he could to pass Steel in the first race but had to settle for second place. In the next encounter Rutherford, after working just as hard to gain the lead, then saw his rival spin off the circuit when his car's differential seized. Bruce Anderson (Auckland) in his XE Ford Falcon continued on his winning way in a round of the ANZ Bank Touring: Car Championship, heading off Nelson's Rod Collingwood (Nissan 300CZX). Anderson's chief rival in the previous rounds, Leo Leonard in an XD Falcon was in contact until lap 5 when his car began to suffer fuel surges and he drifted back, finishing 5th. Murray Starnes and Warren Hislop recorded wins in two exciting races towards the AGC National Ford Laser Sport Championship and Collingwood returned to win a round of the South Island Production Saloon series. Collingwood's win came after a race-long battle! with. Dunedin driver Graham Jenkins (Commodore SS): Results: FORMULA PACIFIC SERIES Heat 1, 24 laps — D. Jones (US). Ralt RT4, 1; K. Smith (rV), Rait RT4, 2; S. Cameron (NZ), Ralt RT4, 3: R. Cheever (US), Ral RT4, 4; J. 1 MacPherson (US), Ralt RT4, S. Time - 28min 46.77sec. Heat 2, 24 laps - Cheever, 1; MacPherson. 2; Cameron, 3; P. Haskett (NZ), Chevron B49, $; C. O'Brien (Australia), Ralt RT4, 5. Time - 28min 52.20sec. ARBUCKLES OSCA Race 1, 5 laps - T. Crowe, 1; A. Hyde, 2; D. Grindley, 3. Time - 6.40.51. Race 2, 5 laps - Crowe, 1; Hyde, 2: J. Osborne, 3. Time - 6:44.33 SHELLSPORT SALOON CHAMPIONSHIP • Race 1, a laps →. W. Steel, I; le. Rutherford, 2; W. Burt, 3. Time - 9:13.14: Race 2 - Rutherford, 1; P. Henley, 2: M. Webb, 3. Time - 9:10.3. ANZ Bank Touring Cars, 15 Laps - B. Anderson, 1; R. Collingwood, 2; M. Small, 3. Time - 23:03.71. Motocraft National Formula Race" 1, 8 Laps: 11. Crawford, 1; K. Ingram, 2. L Schollum, 3. Time - 11:13.42- Race 2; 8 laps — Crawford, I; Ingram, 2: C. Abbott, 3. Time - 11:12.5. AGC FORD LASERS Race 1, i5 laps - M. Starnes, 1; W. Hislop. 2; E. Lamont, 3. Time - 8:37.95. Race 2, 5 laps - Hislop, 1; Lamont, 2: Starnes, 3. Time 8:36.67. South Island Production Saloons, 6 laps R. Collingwood, 1; G. Jenkins, 2; M. Small, 3. Time - 9:40.92.