Close Contest For Drivers' Title

Press, Volume C, Issue 29523, 26 May 1961, Page 11

Close Contest For Drivers' Title

yyiTH the first two rounds of this year’s world drivers’ championship completed, the reigning titleholder, Jack Brabham, as well as his New Zealand team-mate, Bruce McLaren, are meeting formidable opposition. In the lead at present are Stirling Moss and the West German, Wolfgang von Trips, but the contest is still very open with six more rounds to be decided. Only Eight This year there are only eight races counting towards the championship instead of the 10 last year, and there is still time for Brabham to make up the lost ground. Last year Brabham failed to score in the first two European races counting for the title and then leapt to the front with a remarkable succession of wins at Zandvoort, Spa, Rheims. Silverstone, and Oporto.

Ferrari is already showing the benefit of preparing its new IJ-litre car early last year, and this important lead

which it gained over British manufacturers could take it to championship honours this year. V-6 Engine The rear-engined Ferrari has a V-6 engine which the company claims to deliver 190 brake horsepower at 9500 revs per minute. Ginther and Hill showed at Monaco just how potent the new cars are, and it took a driver of Moss’s calibre to head off the Ferrari team. It is significant that Ginther equalled Moss's lap record, and Ginther is not yet considered in the same class as Moss. At the faster Zandvoort circuit last week, Ferraris were really in their element, and von Trips and Hill led the field across the line and Ginther filled fifth place behind Moss. Brabham could do no better than sixth to give him his first point towards the championship, and McLaren was twelfth. Disappointing Porsche has been rather disappointing so far this season, and is pressing ahead at full speed in an endeavour to get the new flat-8 working properly. Coventry Climax and B.R.M. are also striving to get new engines into their cars this season, but in the meantime Ferrari is piling on the points. The Lotuses have shown themselves to be potential championship winners. but are yet too inclined to failure—a result of their extremely light construction. Moss and Jimmy Clark have so far met the greatest success with them.

The remaining races for the championship will be the Belgian Grand Prix on June 18, the French on July 2, the British on July 15,' the German on August 6, the Italian on September 10, and the United States on November 26.