Australian teams "formidable" By JOHN HAWKINS "For years everybody has been telling us to saloons back to Wigram and this ye fear we have taken thee, plunge Tand done just that Now s up to the people of Christ chureh to come along to support the concept and prove we have done s the right thing? rese sare i counte member ot the organising Motor Raeing Chib, meruber of Bie Exhaust: Systems New Zealand: * Sports: Sedan team, and the driving force- behind me: in- augural Handy Hire Australia-New Zealand Sports Sedan clash to be raced at Wigram airbase this Sunday. international saloon car sati made paste y esses whose desire it was here are a series ot something new at or sey meetings in recent years. Tatimer Motor Lodge, Oyde Collins commercats Versatile e Garages, Rob Kennard engines, Smith Regrinds, and Exhaust systems, all origin- ally agreed to underwrite the costs of staging the match races. All had the common wish to see topline Sports Sedans racing on the fast Wigram circuit, where the battles of old between the likes of Paul Fahey, Alan Moffat and the late Red Dawson and Rod Coppins will likely be relived this Sunday. Sunday's test match is believed to be the first time that an international teams race nas been staged on a sealed circuit in this country and the Australian drivers will be exclusive to the Wigram meeting. The Handy Hire Austra• lian team presents a formidable line up. Of the six Australian drivers, Bob Tindai is probably best known to New Zealand motor-sport followers. Tindal brings with him his Torana A9X which is powered by a 600 h.p. Chevrolet engine. Among hIs successes Tindal counts wins in the 1986 New South Wales Sports Sedan series and the Able Tasman series at Sym- Des Wall from Sydney drives another Holden this car is a space frame constructed Torana powered by a 5 litre Repco engine. The car is an ex MHDT vehicle and wall was the 1984 New South Wales Sports Sedan champion. Laurie Attard's Capri is unusual in that it utilises a 3 litre V6 turbo charged engine. As with the other Australian cars it is of space frame construction. Attard placed second in the 1986 New South Wales sports sedan series. The remaining three Australian team members all drive variations of the Mazda RX7 theme all being of lightweight construction and using highly tuned versions of Mazda's peripheral ported 13B rotary engine. Bill Attard's RX7 has fabricated suspension, uses a five speed gearbox, has a full floating rear end and utilises 12 inch front discs and 10½ inch rear. As with the other Australian cars extensive use of fibreglass is incorporated in the body panels making these RX7s lightweight flyers. Keith Carling is a building contractor from Dubbo and he estimates that his car is worth around $40,000 and costs around $20,000 to run a season. For his investment he won the 1986 New South Wales residential Sports Sedan championship at Oran Park and placed second in the competitive Comaico Winderlich series at Amaroo. The final team member Is a Tasmanian. Greg Crick, aged 32. Another RX7 racer. Crick was the 1985 Tasmanian sports sedan champion. Against the might of the Australian team it seems likely that six Christchurch OSCA drivers will lead the New Zealand challenge. Although several North Islanders were invited to try to qualify for the New Zealand side, few responded after their druboing at the hands of the South Island tingent at the recent Pukekohe Grand Prix meeting- Although the New Zealand team will be decided by the fastest six qualifiers during Saturday's timed practice sessions, 14-1-87 line up the likely team would ap pear to be Trevor Crowe Starlet V8, Ian Munt and John Fisher Capri Chevs, John Osborne Mazda Chev, Rob Kennard Ford Cortina V8 and Steve Vigurs Commodore Chev. In spite of the differences in regulations that govern the cars in the two countries, prospects appear excellent for some of the fastest and closest saloon racing at Wigram many years. After studying the specifications of all the cars involved, Mr Munt is convinced that both teams should be very even and that an interesting confrontation should result. And if the New Zealand team should by some chance want for motivation they need only look at the sporting deeds of their countrymen on the other side of the Tasman aboard KZT for inspiration. Succes By FOEN HAWKINS For the first time since is inception the Lady Wigram Trophy Race entrants may find themselves taking second billing on the Wigram race programme this Sunday. This should not be taken to mean that the competitors in the two Mita Copiers Grand Prix series heats (which include the tropby race) are i in any way of inferior ability to the saloon drivers. Indeed, at least two of the field are among the very best drivers in the world currently racing outside the ranks of Formuia One regulars. The expatriate New Zealander, Mike Thackwell, aged 25, is currently New Zealand's s for y top world ranked driver and has an impressive record of success in Formula's Two and Three, Formula 3000 and Group C endurance cars as well as having made appear. ances in Formula One cars. 1backwei, along witn the past winner, American, Davy Jones, must rank as favourites to take the honours in both Mita Copiers heats. Having driver of Thackwell's high ranking in the field has given credence to this season's international single-seater racing in New Zealand and interest in the series overseas is running higher than usual. The effect of this interest is that the attention of some of the team managers for the world's top racing teams focus their attention on the New Zealand race results at a time when there is not much racing activity in the northern hemisphere. Il any young driver should beat Thackwell in a straight fight it would greatly boost his motorsport career. Two drivers who surely fall into this category are Davy Jones and Paul Radisich. With Jones' career prospects having levelled out after a sharp incline he will be eager to get his name back into the limelight, while Radisich Is quickly becoming the second internationally ranked Kiwi after a useful season in British Formula 3. While these two youngsters can be seen as Thackwell's greatest threat at Wigram, at the other end of the age scale is Ken Smith, the diminutive Aucklander, who at 45 has no such high aspirations. Smith is a highly talented driver who has shown on many occasions that had he decided to pursue an overseas motor racing career he may oung drivers? have reached the very top. Of the other drivers in the field the American, Dave Kudrave, looks the most useful. Kudrave made his debut in the Formula Pacific class at Bay Park and appears a genuine prospect who has been improving with every turn of the wheel. Chris Kneifel is also new to the Pacific class, but the American's big gest problem will be cramming 1.95m frame into the limited confines of the Ralt RT4's cockpit. Kneifel should have no problem, however, adapting the 1600cc BDA engine's hor-: sepower, as his racing background is on the American CART scene where the racing machines are considerably more powerful. Kneifel, as well as his compatriots, Kudrave and Tony • George, should be more at home on the wide open spaces of the Wigram circuit where their countrymen, Jones, Cheever and MacPherson have been successful in recent seasons. Iwo Australians, David Brabham and Bob Creasy, will also take part in the Mita Copiers races. David Brabham, of the famous Brabbam racing tamily, 1s still beginning his learning curve in the class after a successful year in Australian Formula Ford racing. Creasy will be hoping for better luck at this years meeting after non-starting last year with a major engine failure at the saturday practice sessions. Exciting action on Sunday's programme wil not be confined to the Sports Sedan and Formula Pacific races. Some of the closest racing is likely to be seen in the BMC Transmission Services Mini 7 heats, where 21 of these buzzing little machines will hotly contest the placings. The Champion: Steve Jones, will be eager to show he has honed his driving skils even more finely after his foray to the North Island. . More 48s feature in the total cover OSCA race which opens the programme, walte te latest in Formuiz Ford technology will be on dis play in the Avon City Ford Formula Ford races. where me top northern drivers take: on there" South Island counterparts. Last year's ... popular Quinns. Eastion Trophy for lady drivers will be repeated while events for South Island Production Saloons and A.G.C. Laser TXas Will round out the packed programme.