N.Z. GRAND PRIX

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27858, 5 January 1956, Page 10

N.Z. GRAND PRIX

QUALIFYING TRIALS AT ARDMORE

STIRLING MOSS SETS L£P RECORD

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, January 4. Stirling Moss, the British racing driver, set a new lap record today while qualifying for the New Zealand Grand Prix, to be held at the Ardmore track on Saturday. He broke by one second the record of lmin 30sec established two years ago by Ken Wharton in the British B.R.M.

To -do it, he had to average 84.94 miles an hour round a circuit which has four corners of right angles or better, and three other tricky curves. Along the straights his 2£-litre Maserati was travelling faster than 140 miles an hour.

Reg Parnell, in a Grand Prix Aston Martin, was only a little slower when he established his qualifying time. Peter Whitehead, in a Ferrari, was a little more than a second slower.

George Smith, a veteran Auckland driver, has withdrawn his car from the Grand Prix because of a badly strained chassis and damage to his drive shaft.

Smith was following the Northland Special, driven by Lionel Bulcraig. of Kawakawa, when Bulcraig’s car spun on College corner, and crashed through the hay bales. Smith missed 'the corner, too, hit one of the Northland Special’s back wheels, and travelled at great speed through the bales. The Northland Special, which is supported by farmers in Northland, will be repaired tomorrow with spares brought from Kawakawa tonight.

The final field for the Grand Prix will not be known until Friday.