27-1-89 Wigram circuit has provided unique set of highl While controversy rages in certain quarters as to precisely what anniversary this Sunday's meeting at Wigram represents, one fact that seems fairly clear is that it is now 40 years since Morrie Proctor zoomed past the chequered flag at the end of the main race at the first meeting on the circuit. I witnessed my first race at Wigrara in 1958, when the one-armed British driver, Archie Scott-Brown won, oniy to perish later that year at Spa I managed somehow to persuade my father to take me along every year until was old enough to obtain my driver's licence, and have not missed a year since, either. With the world's top drivers having been seen at their best on the sweeping old airfield circuit it is difficult to pick out a particular highlight, although the amazing battle between the Scot, Ron Flockhart, in his purposeful BRM, and Jack Brabham (Cooper), in 1959, is prominent in my mind. A man well placed to remember some of the highlights is Harold Bandy, the first president of the organising club. The Motor Racing Club, and a chairman of the John Hawkins OD RACING organising committee for many years. Mr Bandy remembers the 1962 meeting, won by Stirling Moss with the side panels of his Lotus removed for cooling in the heat, as a highlight of his involvement. "That year we had seven top international drivers present, including Moss, Brabham, Bandini and Salvadori," he says. For Christchurch motor-racing writer, Lindsay Kerr, another to have attended since 1958, the 1961 race, run in pouring rain, was particularly memorable. Although the race was won by Brabham, the comeback drive by Moss into second place aiter a Shunt at the start was most impressive. "I was standing at the hairpin and the race was full of top drivers, but Moss's skill in the wet put him in a class of his own," says Kerr. The present-day course Dave commentast attended Cook, first a Wigram meeting in 1960, but for him the highlight was provided not by the main race but the saloon car race in 1975 when Paul Fahey charged back up the field with bodywork flapping after an early shunt. I remember this race well also because over enthusiastic spectators pushed past the rope barriers and "edged" foolishly closer to the track, For a competitor race day usually means a hard day's slog in the pits with little chance to watch other races. Ron Stivester has no fond memories of Wigram as a competitor, as the circuit blessed him with little luck, but one incident stands in his memory. "It was in the early days and Frank Cantwell had the Tojeiro Jaguar, which was one of the first really fast sports cars we had seen. He was way out in front, but on the last lap he was forced to stop with a puncture and i thought, ights Well, that is what they mean by the saying, that's motor racing'" In recent years Irevor Crowe has been the king of the Wigram circuit in saloon-car racing. This year, for the first time in many seasons, Crowe will be relaxing in the spectator enclosure rather than fighting it out on the circuit His memories of Wigram are perhaps surprising. "I guess what I re member mest about Wigram is that what seemed like every year when we had the Starlet we would end up having to rebuild the motor overnight, between practice and race day. we would inevitably be burning the midnight oil," he says. "As far as the track goes 1 would point out that Wigram really isn't the big horsepower track that everybody says it is. If you look at the results achieved by say, Pau Fahey, in his little Escort, and then our Stariet, you will realise that there really is a place for a good-handling car there." Love it or hate it, you have to admit that Wigram is unique. I for one, hope that they are still running meetings there in another 40 years. Looking a winner PEN JACK The look of a winner — American driver, Dean Hall, the winner of the Lady Wigram Trophy race last year and the leader in the Peter Jackson Formula Pacific championship, takes out one of his American team's Swift cars for practise at Ruapuna today before weekend's motor-racing at Wigram. Hall followed up his Wigram success last year by winning the American West Formula Atlantic championship, and he leads the Formula Pacific series with 46 points. Paul Radisich (New Zealand) is second on 25 points after wins at Manfeild last weekend, while Mark Smith (U.S.) is third with 24 and Ken Smith (New Zealand) fourth with 1 23