18-1-93 RED LINE OIL 1 LOGAME CELINEN TOYOTA KAMALPINE tter З8яГE Craig Baird, of New Zealand, setting the pace in his Reynard-Toyota during the Lady Wigram Trophy race at Wigram yesterday. —Photograph by JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON Baird p By JOHN HAWKINS Craig Baird put his previous troubles in the Peter Jackson motor racing series behind him at Wigram yesterday. He won the Lady Wigram Trophy and the preliminary heat, and in so doing moved to the head of the series points table. It was the third time that the Hamiltonian had claimed the trophy and he did so in emphatic fashion. From the green light, he always looked in command and started to move away despite the best efforts of Paul Radisich to stay in touch.. Radisich had to fend off the attentions of Jos Verstappen until uts bothe the filth lap, when the young Dutch driver hit the marker tyres at the toop. "My front wheel locked and I hit the tyres very "9 hard, said a grim-faced Verstappen as he surveyed the damage after the race. The position of Verstappen's Swift on the track caused the pace car to come out on lap 11, bunching the field. Baird gesticulated to the pace car crew to up the pace as the cars trailed round in procession, but he said afterward that he did not consider it a problem. "His car was in a very dangerous position, so it didn't worry me. It was for safety reasons. r behind On Verstappen's demise, Baird said: "With the way our car was going he wasn't going to worry me in the race, but it was a relief as far as the points go." At the green light, Baird again cruised clear, finishing around four seconds ahead, but behind him there was a good fight for the next three placings with Radisich holding out a late charge from Steve Cameron. With three laps to go, Cameron usurped Stuart Crow at the hairpin, but he • narrowly failed to catch Radisich. Cameron said he was initially unhappy with the handling of his Reynard on cold tyres but had picked up pace by im at adjusting the handling of his car during the pace car period. Baird was aiso an easy winner in the preliminary race, in which Verstappen was a non starter with a transmission failure. Crow finished second ahead of Radisich. The damage to Verstappen's Swift may place its participation in the rest of the series in doubt. An American, Scott Lagasse, won three races from as many starts in the Peter Jackson-Auto News TraNZam series. The New Zeaiand champion and pre-series favourite, Kayne Scott, was bothered by a power steering problem with his Merkur and Wigram Lagasse's team mate, Chris Kneifel was troubled by an engine vibration with his Porsche. An Australian international, Russell Ingall, "kept his perfect record intact in the Dunlop Formuia Ford Series, winning both races, while Glen Clark took second in the first race from Ashley Stichbury. Stichbury reversed the placings in the second race. Ed Lamont did well to fight his way through to win the second of the Aztec New Zealand Touring Car races. The gear lever had come loose on Lamont's Commodore in the earlier race. Motor racing WIGRAM Formula Atlantic (Race 1): C Baird (Reynard) i, § Crow (USA, Ralt RT40) 2, P Radisich (Swift) 3, S Cameron (Reynard) 4, C Nearburg (USA, Rait RT40) 5, G Pope (USA, Swift) 6. Lady Wigram Trophy; Baird 1, Radisich 2, Cameron 3, Crow Pope 5, Nearburg 6. Series points. Baird 125, Crow 122, Radisich 113, J Verstappen 112, Nearburg Iil. Mini 7 (Race 1): J Brook 1, R Wilkinson 2, J Neil 3. (Race 2) Wilkinson 1, Brook 2, J Richards 3. (Race 3) Brook 1, Wilkinson 2, Richards 3. Formula Ford (Race I): R Ingall (Australia, Van Diemen) 1, G Clark (Van Diemen) 2, A Stichbury (Van Diemen) 3. (Race 2) Ingall 1, Stichbury 2, Clark 3. TraNZam (Race 1): S Lagasse (USA, Pontiac) 1, Scott (Merkur) 2, C Kneifel (USA, Porsche) 3. (Race 2) Lagasse 1, K Wills (Mazda RX8) 2, Scott 3. (Race 3) Lagasse 1, Scott 2, Wills 3. Mazda RX7 (Race 1): A Cockram I, W Henshaw 2, S Curry 3. (Race 2) R Townshend 1, R MacDonald 2, Henshaw 3. (Race Towashend 1, Cockram 2, Henshaw 3 Pre 65 (Race 1): C Gilbert (Chev Nova) 1, Bone (Anglia) 2, J Litile (Valiant) 3. Touring Cars (Race 1); W Murdoch (Commodore) Ryan (Commodore) 2, B Dryden (Commodore) 3. (Race 2) E Lamont 1, Ryan 2, P Van Breugel (Falcon) 3.