Str ong local fie SOI for big races Motorsport by Lindsay Kerr After many years when American drivers usually outnumbered the locals, the field for next month's annual international Peter Jackson Formala Pacific series had drawn enly one overseas driver when entries closed. While the promoter, Global Sport, expects late entries from the United States and possibly Japan, the sole foreigner who will face an impressive battery of Kiwi drivers is a 24-year-old Filipino, Jovy Marcelo. How Marcelo will shape against the best of the local is unsure. He competed recently in a one-off Formula Pacific race at the Wellington street circuit but had to retire with a mechanical problem in his Ralt RT4. With the leading contenders driving Swift DB4 chassis it was difficult to assess his competiveness. For the January meetings however he will be at the whee! of a Graeme Lawrence entered Swift. Like so many other single seater drivers Marcelo other single seat fe aushall started his racing career in karts. He comes to New Zealand after competing in the Vauxhall Lotus championship. The Lawrence-Marcelo teaming turns the clock back to 1974 when Lawrence helped Marcelo's father on his Asian programme at the wheel of a Surtees Formula 5000. For the first time in many years the series is shaping up to be a three-way contest between three New Zealand drivers. the veteran Kenny Smith, who says that he is too old to retire, the internationally successful Paul Radisich and 18-year-old Craig Baird. Smith has discarded his Ralt in favour of a Swift chassis. Radisich, in a Swift, may give a degree of sharpness away in the opening rounds as he makes the adjustment back from a saloon car campaign with the Brock Sierra team. Baird is one of the most exciting prospects to emerge in New Zealand racing circles for a long time. fiang to his is eat in the After a national Formula Ford title in 1987 he drove brilliantly in his first year in the Pacific category coming home a creditable sixth in his Caltex backed Ralt R14. Close racing Supporting the Formula Pacifics at the five meetings will be the Motorcraft Formula Ford championship, Hansells Sun Valley sedan series. Italian Ceramics Group A saloons, the national production car championship. Mini 7s and pre-65 Saloons. As always the Formula rords will provide close racing, Christchurch driver Paul Larsen will be hoping for a little more luck than he received last season when he came in third overall. This season Larsen will drive the latest Swift design. His Van Dieman from last year's championship quest will be driven by another local competitor, Grant Milligan. Milligan showed considerable promise with an ageing car two seasons ago and tock last year off to accumulate capital to campaign a modern car. Joining Larsen and Milligan will be Blair Smith who will drive another of Larsens' discarded Van Diemans. Smith is a relative newcomer but has displayed much promise in only a short time. Inis season's championships Will aiso nave an international flavour with the contirmation a leading. Austrian driver, Martin Carpenter will be in the lineup. Like Larsen he will be driving a Swift. Only the two South Island rounds of the Hansells Thundersaloon series will constitute rounds of the national series. The class, a clear favourite with the spectators 100kS iikely to be the showpiece. Ine eariy rounds of the national series have produced three winners — Auckland's Rodger Freeth in a rover powered stariet, Wayne Huxford from Wellington (Chev Capri) and local driver John Osborne (Chev powered Mazda RX7). Other potential winners include local driver Don Grindley (Buick V6 Mazda RX7), Brett Willis (Chev Mazda MX6), Kayne Scott (Nissan 300Z» V6) Kieran Wills (Mazda RX7) and Englishman Rod Birley. Grindley had an excellent start picking up two second places at Ruapuna but at Wellington was strangely off the pace and had to be content with a couple of fifths. Potential winner Scott who has driven a BMW M3 in touring car races and a Mini 7 that, is still only 21 and enters the fray with a car that should also be a potential winner. Birley is the first Englishman to compete in this class and comes to New Zealand armed with a Cosworth RS500 powered Mitsubishi Starion. An experienced and successful campaigner of highly modified saloon cars in Britain, Birley won the Supreme Hot Rod championship in 1988 and finished runner up in the Thunder saloon championship in 1986, 87 and 88. His Mitsubishi Starion has only just been built and should arrive this month. Group A saloon cars are unfortunately a dying breed in New Zealand, their long-term future being confined to the Nissan Mobil series where without Australian and European participation the fields would be thin. This year's national championship includes the two recently completed Nissan Mobil events and the three North Island meetings of the Peter Jackson series. The overall contenders are likely to be defending champion Robbie Francevic, (Ford Sierra Cosworth), Brett Riley (BMWI3) and perhaps a former champion Glen Mcintyre with his police sponsored Holden Commodore VL. The first round of the Peter Jackson series will be at Baypark (Tauranga) on January 6/7 followed by the New Zealand Grand Prix meeting at Pukehohe on January 13/14, Manfield (feilding) January 20/21, Ruapuna for the Lady Wigram Trophy meeting January 27,28 and the final round at Timaru on February 3/4. 20-12-89 The sound of thunder 1213 mompelentend -NAA GAY SERRA 1 Christchurch drivers who hove performed well so far in the Thunder saloon series include TOP Mazda RX7) and Don Grindley (Buick V& Mazda RX7). hn Osborne (Chev 24 DON CRARLEY