High Speeds At Teretonga Park

Press, Volume C, Issue 29435, 10 February 1961, Page 11

High Speeds At Teretonga Park

TVHEN the first race meeting ’’ was conducted by the Southland Sports Car Club at its new permanent circuit, Teretonga Park, late in 1957, many shook their heads and considered that the 1.5 mile course was a slow one and there would never be any really high speed race averages there.

At the first meeting, a national fixture, the winner of the major 75 mile race was the Aucklander, Merv Neil, with a 1500 c.c. sports Cooper. He made fastest lap at 68 miles an hour.

Since then a new lap record has been established at each meeting. Last Saturday Joachim Bonnier with a Formula I Cooper went round the circuit in his morning qualifying heat in 1 min. 8.4 sec. averaging fractionally more than 79 miles an hour. In a matter of three years and a few months the lap speed has increased by about 11 miles an hour. Training Session

Moreover, in the training sessions Bonnier and his Yeoman Credit racing stable teammate Roy Salvador!, recorded lap times of 1 min. 7.3 sec. and 1 min. 7.4 sec. respectively. These were times giving lap speeds better than 80 miles an hour. However, they do not count officially. Lap records must be set in the preliminary qualifying heats or the trophy race itself.

Teretonga is certainly not a slow circuit. It is true that its only straight is an extremely short one of four-tenths of a mile and the twists and turns that constitute the balance of the course put a premium on driving skill rather than car performance. At the same time, speed is a real necessity.

Bonnier and Salvador! were hitting 140 miles an hour on the straight and, although they certainly did not waste any time in the corners and curves, they undoubtedly gained most of their ground on the dash past the pits and grandstands. Lap Records

With international representation in 1962 and some drivers probably using 2 to 3 litre Intercontinental Formula cars, a lap record approaching 85 miles an hour would not be beyond the realms of possibility.

An interesting aspect of the race last Saturday was that Bonnier and Salvador! put in their fastest laps in the early stages. Bonnier made his fastest lap at 1 min. 10.6 sec. in the fourth. The sixth lap at 1 min. 10 sec. was Salvadori’s fastest.

For purposes of comparison here are the fastest lap times recorded by the other placegetters given in the order in which they finished the race:— D. Hulme (Formula I CooperClimax), 1 min. 10.2 sec; P. Hoare (Ferrari), Imin. 113 sec; A. Shelly (IMO c.c. CooperClimax), 1 min. 12.2 sec; J. Palmer (Formula Junior Lotus), 1 min. 12.8 sec; L. Gilbert (250 F Maserati), 1 min. 13.4 sec; M. Gill (Lycoming Special), 1 min. 12.8 sec.