30-1-89 lan MacDonald, Wigram airbase of Auckland (12), and Bryan Hartley, of Palmerston North, duel at the hairpin bend during the Lady Wigram Trophy Race at yesterday. -Photograph by ANNETTE DEW. Jap By JOHN HAWKINS Hiro Matsushita became the first Japanese to win the Lady Wigram Trophy after an incident packed 30 laps at the airfield circuit yesterday. Matsushita drove a virtually faultless race to benefit from the misfortune of the 1987 winner, Paul Radisich and then break the challenge of the defending title holder, Dean Hall and his teammate, Mark Smith. Hall made a beautiful start from third position on the grid but slid wide on new front tyres allowing Radisich to take a commanding lead by the end of the first lap. AS Radisich streaked clear of the field Hall, coping with oversteer and a car that felt "stiff" after being repaired following an incident in the first race, came under pressure from Matsushita. Matsushita moved past anese Hall on lap three to be second, while Mark Smith led Ken Smith and the young New Zealander, Craig Baird. But Hall was adjusting his cars handling to his liking and fought back to grab second again on lap four, the battle between these two continuing while Radisich outdistanced the field. On lap 10, one third of the distance, Radisich was 7½ seconds ahead of Hall with Matushita once again shaping up for a run at second. But lap 13 was to change the complexion of the race. Radisich felt his engine let go at the end of tne straight and cruised up the escape road with a rod through the engine block. "I was really taking it easy," he said after the race. Meanwhile, there was more action as Matsushita seized the lead from Hall, and Ken Smith who had driver wins been closing on these two spun on oil dropped by Radisich at the hairpin. Matsushita was then ciear for the run to the flag, but on lap 16 Hall lost second place to Mark Smith who could make no impression on the Japanese who was moving away at the front. The only drama still to unfold was to come in the formn of a concerted challenge from Ken Smith on Hall's third place. The wily Aucklander tried to outbrake Hall with five laps to run at the hairpin but missed his opportunity with a missed gear change on the run along the front straight. "I lost a muffler earlier on and that left us a little down on power but I kept trying to get him right till the end," said Smith. Matsushita and his Panasonic team was delighted with its first win in the Peter Jackson series, his margin over Mark Smith being 11.30 seconds. The Peter Jackson preliminary race, over 15 laps, was spoilt by two tangles at the loop, the first involving Mark Smith and Hall and the latter, Radisich and Matsushita. From the start it was Radisich who leapt into the lead from pole position • but the Japanese stuck tenaciously to the of Radisich's Swift while Hall and Mark Smith were out by lap two with bent suspension after Smith tried an over ambitious overtaking move at the loop. As Radisich and Matsushita moved clear of Ken Smith it appeared that Matsushita was able to keep pace with the New Zealander, and on lap nine Matsushita appeared on the back straight ahead of Radisich only to tear into the pit lane in hope of replacing Wigram trophy his car's damaged nose cone which had been knocked off after a touch between the two had spun Radisich at the loop. "He hit me up the back and I spun, by the time I had gathered my thoughts I was back to second, said Radisich later. Matsushita's crew waved him through the pits as there was no hope of replacing the damaged nose section. While Radisich was clear in front Matsushita came under pressure from Ken Smith toward the end of the race as his car's handling deteriorated as it ran without its aerodynamic nose wings. Into fourth place came another Japanese, Kenji Mamota, having one of his best drives in the series. The first Hansells Sun Valley sports sedan race got away to a promising start as Wayne Huxford and Rodger Freeth duelled at the front of the field for three of the eight laps. After French slowed on the back straight with mechanical problems Huxford was well clear of Christchurch's John Osborne until Osborne's car locked up with an engine failure at the hairpin on the last lap allowing Brett Willis to take second in his Mazda MX6 Chev. Steve Dymand's Corvette had started from second on the grid only to spin by the hangers and have to fight back up to take third at the finish. Results.— Motorcraft Formula Ford: Race I: M. Pedersen (Swift), 1; B. Thomlinson (Van Diemen), 2; M. Davidson (Reynard), 3. Time: 10:50.89. Race 2: Davidson, 1; Pedersen, 2; Thomlinson, 3. Time: 10:55.82. Shell Group N saloons: Race 1: D. Slater (Laser turbo), 1; R. Wilson (Laser turbo), 2; L Vandermeer (Laser turbo). Time: 12:29.45. Race 2: Wilson, 1; Slater, 2; Vandermeer, 3. Time: 12:31.27. Group A saloons: Race 1: R. Francevic (Sierra Cosworth), 1; B. Riley (BMW M3), 2; G Croft (Sierra Cosworth), Race 2: Francevic, 1; Croft, 2; Riley, 3. Time: 20:15.17. Agip Oils Mini 7. A. Hyde, I; J. Hamilton, 2; R. Wilkinson, 3. Peter Jackson Formula Pacific, preliminary race: P. Radisich (Swift DB4, NZ), 1; H. Matsushita (Swift, Japan), 2; K. Smith (Ralt RT4, NZ), 3; Mamota (Swift DBA, Japan): 4; S. Gibson (Swift DB4, USA), 5: C. Baird (Ralt RT4, NZ), 6. Time: 17:45.30. Lady Wigram Trophy: Matsushita, 1; M. Smith (Swift DB4, U.S.), 2; D. Hall (Swift DB4, U.S.). 3; K. Smith, 4; Baird, 5; Gibson, 6. Time: 35:35.89. Hansells Sun Valley Sports Sedans: Race 1: W. Huxford (Capri Chev), I;_ B. Willis (Mazda Chev), 2; S. Dymand Corvette), 3. Race 2: Huxford, 1; R. Freeth (Starlet V8), 2; Dymand, 3. Mini 7 Race Hyde, 1; Wilkinson, I; D. Milligan. 3. Peter Jackson series points: Hall. 50; Radisich, 34; K. Smith, 30; M. Smith, 30; Matsushita, 30.