30-1-87 ¡Wigram hints at retur Sports sedan challenge draws the crowas By Lindsay Kerr The 38th Lady Wigram Trophy meeting hinted that the grand old airfield circuit might be returning to its glory days of the 1950s and 60s. The sun which shone on Christchurch on January 18, shone also on the organisers. The biggest crowd for many years waiched some ot the best racing or many years. The sudden influx of patronage arose not because of the prestigious Lady Wigram Trophy race but because of the Australia-New Zealand sports sedan challenge, an almost desperate gamble by the club. Falling patronage, mainly because single-seater racing lacked appeal, forced it to seek an alternative. Group A saloon racing is recapturing the crowds in the North Island tracks and Australia, but is non existent in the South Island. The alternative was to back the one thing that is still strong in the South (stronger than the North Island). That was sports sedan racing. The club therefore decided to ship six Austrian drivers, their cars and crews to Wigram for a one-off test against a local team. Recipe for success The fact the Australians won mattered not. The sight and sound of Trevor Crowe's Toyota Starlet V8 battling Bob Tindall's 6 litre Torana at the front of the field, the positions constantly changing, was the recipe for success. It should ensure transtasman rivalry will be fostered, not only on the North Island tracks from the Group A cars but also from the highly-modified sports sedans at Wigram. There is no reason way the Lady Wigram Trophy for single-seaters should not still hold a place of prominence either. The crowds might prefer saloon cars to single-seaters these days, but there is still room for good single-seater racing Regrettably it is customary to knock single-seater racing in New Zealand these days. Many a good race is still criticised purely because it is fashionable to do so. This affects young drivers who are keen to further their careers beyond Formula Fords. Expatriate New Zealander Alan McCaul, who is now running a racing team in the United States, returns regulariy for the international Formula Pacific series. He believes the Kiwi knocking machine is affecting many young New Zealand drivers who dream of going further. Sponsors turned off "It's fashionable to knock singleseater racing in New Zealand now and that's very sad," he said at Wigram. "There are many good Formula Ford drivers who would like to make the step up to a quicker category, but when they seek backing from the business houses their efforts are for the most part in vain "Because their racing is being kicked with monotonous regularity they find it difficuit to believe in their cause themselves. 'The result is that the would-be sponsors are being turned off too." New Zealand can no longer afford to bring in the big names of world racing but that there are still many overseas drivers who like to come was seen in the Mita Copiers Pacific series. In a field of 12, four were from the U.S., two from Australia and one expatriate now living in the United Kingdom. Twelve drivers are too few to attract long-term interest in single seaters, but they staged many a good race during the series, the Lady Wigram Trophy race being a case in point. If the field had contained another six or so cars it would have been more acceptable and better for the crowds. This can only happen now if the class receives a more sympathetic hearing from those who maintain they are working in the interests of motorsport. Wigram showed this year that more than one category can share top billing and give the crowds the excitement they go to see. 3323 Matter SULUTT DUBBO Leightons Cars in the sports sedan challenge attracted plenty of attention when they were displayed (above). Crowds then went to Wigram to see the cars and drivers turn it on, as shown bel between Trevor Crowe and Bob Tindal. in the Square ow in the duel IVANIL BOE 3 0.0.3 0