Season 1961
Results · 1961
Lady Wigram Trophy 1961: Jack Brabham (Cooper T53-Climax), International Formula Libre.
Wigram · Lady Wigram Trophy meeting · 21 January 1961
Motor Racing Club Championship · 20 laps
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doug Lawrence (Wanganui) | Cooper | 35:33.6 1100cc Cooper; under 1500cc class winner | 20 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
| 2 | Angus Hyslop (Hastings) | D-type Jaguar | 3001cc and over class winner | 20 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
| 3 | Ron Rutherford (Christchurch) | R.A. Zephyr | 37:12.9 1501-3000cc class winner; 0.9sec ahead of Young | 20 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
| 4 | David Young (Timaru) | C-type Jaguar | 37:13.8 | 20 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
| 5 | W. R. Gardiner (Christchurch) | Tojeiro Jaguar | 19 laps | 20 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
Lady Wigram Trophy Race (99.45 miles) · 47 laps
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Brabham (Australia) | Cooper | 77:18.5 led all the way | 21 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +8 |
| 2 | Stirling Moss | Lotus | 52 seconds behind Rob Walker Lotus; 47 laps (per later results) | 21 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
| 3 | Angus Hyslop (Hastings) | Cooper | 47 laps | 21 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
| 4 | Bruce McLaren | Cooper | 1:22.3 behind 46 laps; works Cooper | 21 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
| 5 | Denny Hulme | Cooper | 46 laps | 21 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
| 6 | Len Gilbert | 2.5 Maserati | 44 laps | 21 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
| 7 | Hec Green (Christchurch) | R.A. Special | 43 laps | 21 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 +1 |
| 8 | Malcolm Gill (Auckland) | Lycoming Special | 41 laps | 21 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 |
| 8 | W. N. Gill (Auckland) | Lycoming Special | 41 laps | 23 Jan 1961 |
| 9 | Roly Levis | Cooper | 23 Jan 1961 | |
| DNF | Jo Bonnier (Sweden) | Yeoman Credit Cooper | dropped out after 18 laps after a stop to clean his goggles | 21 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 |
| DNF | Jim Clark (Scotland) | Lotus | spun off on a patch of water on the back straight after 20 laps | 21 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 |
| DNF | Roy Salvadori (England) | Lotus | transmission failure | 23 Jan 1961 |
| DNF | John Surtees (England) | Lotus | engine went rough after about 25 laps | 23 Jan 1961 |
Sports car race (20 laps outright) · 20 laps
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malcolm Gill (Auckland) | 35:52.7 over 1500cc class winner | 23 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 | |
| 2 | Angus Hyslop (Hastings) | Jaguar | 36:38.6 | 23 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 |
| 3 | Doug Lawrence | Cooper | 36:48.8 under 1500cc class winner | 23 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 |
| 4 | David Young (Timaru) | Jaguar | 37:26.9 | 23 Jan 1961, 23 Jan 1961 |
| 5 | W. R. Gardiner (Christchurch) | Tojeiro | 19 laps | 23 Jan 1961 |
Saloon cars (fastest times) · 10 laps
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Heasley (Rangiora) | Humber 80 | 18:34.7 1300-2000cc class winner | 23 Jan 1961 |
| 2 | Ross Jensen (Auckland) | Jaguar | 18:39.5 over 2000cc class winner | 23 Jan 1961 |
| 3 | F. E. Sprague (Timaru) | Zephyr | 18:53.3 | 23 Jan 1961 |
Reports: Works Coopers real threat in N.Z. races · These men won in past years · Fastest Wigram lap goes to Clark · Rain stops Wigram practice after fast laps · Morning session at Wigram in appalling conditions · Moss to compete at Wigram next year · World drivers to compete in Lady Wigram Trophy · Leading drivers sought for Australia-N.Z. circuit · Grand Prix, Lady Wigram for Moss · When Stirling Moss comes... a 100 m.p.h. lap in Wigram race · Famous amateur driver will compete at Wigram · Star line-up should mean fast Wigram Trophy race
Unknown venue · Race meeting
Race for New Zealand specials and racing cars, Waimate (21 miles)
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doug Lawrence | Cooper | 24 Feb 1961 | |
| 2 | David Young | C-type Jaguar | 24 Feb 1961 | |
| 3 | Ron Rutherford (Christchurch) | R.A. Zephyr | just over 21 minutes very greasy track | 24 Feb 1961 |
Reports: Rutherford's R.A. Zephyr
The 1961 clippings
Best Wigram field and G.P. no guidePeter Greenslade says the poor state of the Ardmore circuit in the 1961 NZ Grand Prix (won by Brabham) makes…
International racing drivers in ChristchurchGraham Hill, Innes Ireland and Jim Clark photographed in Christchurch.
Pit crews work hard behind the scenesFeature explaining the work of racing mechanics and pit crews at Wigram.
Records should topple in big Wigram raceWith seven top drivers entered, including Brabham, McLaren and Moss, records are expected to fall at the…
Care taken to preserve all safetyExplains how motor racing is controlled for safety, with the Auckland and Christchurch clubs enforcing…
Seventh International Lady Wigram Trophy Race
World's best drivers will be seen at Wigram this yearProfiles of the overseas drivers for the January 1961 Lady Wigram Trophy, said to be the strongest field of…
New Zealand producing many promising driversProfile of the New Zealand drivers expected at the January 1961 Lady Wigram Trophy: Pat Hoare (Ferrari,…
Flagging cars off the courseExplains that at the Lady Wigram Trophy only the winner is likely to cover the full 150 miles, since once…
Cars they will drive: Cooper and Lotus racersOf the overseas entrants at the 1961 Lady Wigram Trophy, four would drive Lotus cars and three the 2.5-litre…
Proud winner of first Wigram raceProfile of the Brooklands Riley now owned by Christchurch enthusiast Don Ransley, the car that won the first…
Programme of eventsTimetable for the seventh Lady Wigram International Trophy meeting on Saturday, held on the 2.1-mile…
Climax of Motor Racing Club's plansMotor Racing Club president Jack Brewer's welcome message ahead of the January 1961 Lady Wigram Trophy,…
World class cars and driversPreview of the 1961 Wigram motor races: seven overseas entrants, led by reigning world champion Jack Brabham…
BrabhamProfile of reigning world champion Jack Brabham, who won five grandes epreuves in a row last season, a…
Lotus for MossPhoto of English mechanic Tony Cleverley working on the Lotus-Climax to be driven by Stirling Moss in the…
Car racing drivers entertainedThe Motor Racing Club entertained the Lady Wigram Trophy drivers at a city function; pictured are Jim Clark,…
Wet weather hampers Wigram practicePhotos of Bruce McLaren and Stirling Moss taking the hangar bend during unpleasant, wet practice at Wigram…
Fastest Wigram lap goes to ClarkWet qualifying for the seventh Lady Wigram Trophy meeting saw Jim Clark (Team Lotus) set the fastest time,…
Rain stops Wigram practice after fast lapsHeavy rain left several inches of water on the track and forced official practice for the Lady Wigram Trophy…
Brabham does it againWorld champion Jack Brabham led from start to finish in a Cooper to win the Lady Wigram Trophy in appalling…
Morning session at Wigram in appalling conditionsPhotos from the morning time trials in the wet: three cars (Johnny Mansell, Brian Blackburn and Bob Smith)…
Wigram race photographsPhoto captions from the 1961 Wigram meeting: Malcolm Gill and Jim Clark approach the hangar bend, Jim…
Lady Wigram Trophy photographsPhotos of the 1961 Lady Wigram Trophy: a smaller crowd than previous years, the grid start, Brabham nearing…
Lucky escapes from injury at WigramThe 1961 Lady Wigram Trophy meeting had the worst accident record in its history, with four bad crashes on a…
Brabham wins the Lady Wigram Trophy race for the second timePhoto montage: the start of the trophy race with Surtees (Lotus), Brabham (Cooper), Bonnier (Cooper) and…
Big Wigram race: Brabham first, Moss secondJack Brabham won the 1961 Lady Wigram Trophy in a works Cooper in appalling weather, after staving off three…
Brabham wins Lady Wigram TrophyReigning world champion Jack Brabham led from the first lap to win his second successive Lady Wigram Trophy,…
Moss's car damage: fine driving in difficultyMoss's Lotus was heavily shunted at the start of the 1961 Lady Wigram Trophy in a collision with McLaren's…
Congratulations Jack Brabham
Brabham showed the way in the wetEditorial assessment of the 1961 Lady Wigram Trophy: Brabham, twice world champion and twice Wigram winner,…
Rutherford's R.A. ZephyrProfile of Christchurch driver Rutherford's reliable home-built R.A.
Wigram car race draws 17 entriesSeventeen drivers entered the 150-mile 1962 Lady Wigram Trophy: six overseas drivers (Moss, Brabham,…