Motor Racing P. Hoare Outstays Field In 50-lap Renwick Road Race

Press, Volume C, Issue 29669, 13 November 1961, Page 10

Motor Racing P. Hoare Outstays Field In 50-lap Renwick Road Race

(From Our Own Reporter) RENWICK, November 11. Heading a 13-car field for most of 50 laps, P. Hoare (Christchurch), driving a 2953 c.c. Ferrari, won the “Renwick 50” South Island championship road race, conducted by the Marlborough Car Club at its Renwick circuit today. Eight cars finished.

Fighting an all-the-way battle with J. Mansel (Auckland), who finished second, Hoare gave an immaculate display to win £65 prizemoney and the President’s Challenge Trophy. His experience told against his younger rivals, many of whom found themselves lapped early. Mansel. who lead briefly in his Copper Climax from the seventeeth lap, clocked fastest time for the race, recording Imin 2 3-ssec for the 1.24-<mile circuit on the thirty-fourth lap. Hoare was 2 l-ssec behind with Imin 4 4-ssec on the fourth. His time for the 62 miles was 55min 16 2-ssec. A determined effort by Mansel from the thirty-third to catch Hoare was unsuccessful. T. Shelley (Wellington), driving a 1960 c.c. Cooper, held third for almost all the distance and easily headed the Auckland -driver, W. R. Eade. in a Maserati 250 F, for that jplace. Ml Stanton, In the Stanton Corvette, was fifth. After a practice lap 13 starters faced the flag and were bunched early on release. Shelley led from Hoare going into the second lap with Mansel third. Hoare took the Jead on the third and led to the seventeenth where Mansel headed him for about five laps, before dropping back to second. Hoare came again with a swift passing movement 250 yards from the eastern corner of the back straight and maintained his lead to the end. By the thirty-seventh, Hoare and Mansel were three laps ahead of Stanton, who was fourth. Five cars retired during the race. D. Lawrence suffered early with gear-selector trouble after a poor start. R. J. Coppins experienced cooling trouble and went soon afterwards. B. Campion’s Lotus retired during the twenty-second lap with similar trouble. A faulty connecting-rod caused the retirement of B. Prescott’s Maserati 250 F, before B. Blackburn ran out of petrol. Practice Laps Practice began with a roar at 10 a.m. As usual, several small faults occurred as the drivers circulated, and more than one car suffered from overheating. Of all the cars in the first practice heat. B. Cottle’s newly imported Lola sounded and looked one of the best. An increased attendance watched the racing in a light morning drizzle but the weather improved later. The saloon car practice heats attracted considerable interest, and it was in one Of these that the only real mishap of the day took place. I. Petting's Wolseley 1500 lost a front wheel just before entering the chicane. About midday Mansel arrived by air from Auckland with his car and started practice. He had originally been expected to arrive early in the morning. but his aircraft was delayed at Wellington by bad weather. Behind Schedule The first race, for " sports cars, ran nearly three-quarters of an hour behind schedule. The event comprised two classes, tor cars from 1201 c.c. to 2000 ex. and tor those over 2000 c.c. There were no entries in a further class for ears up to 1200 c.c. The race was over 10 laps (12J miles), and there were five competitors. In the first lap the first three places were held by B. J. Cottle (Lola), W. R. Gardiner (Tojiero-Jaguar). and R. J. Copplns (Tec Mee), but by the second lap Cattle and Gardiner had changed places. The positions were unchanged until the sixth lap when Cottle retired with an oil leak from a disconnected line. Coppins moved into second place and D. Lawrence (Cooper Climax) took third. _ - During the eighth. B. Campion (Lotus), who had been fifth, retired on the Circuit with overheating. For two laps his. engine had been streaming smoke. After Campion’s, retirement the pace dropped and the places remained unchanged. Gardiner coming first. Coppins second and Lawrence third. Led Throughout D Lawrence (Wanganui) won class A up'to 1500 ex„ of the second event tor New Zealand special and racing ears. Racing over 184 miles (15 laps) he fought off challenges, first from B. Campion in a Lotus and after the fourth tap from R A. Levis in a Cooper FJ. J L. Kingston, driving a JBS Special, retired with engine trouble after two laps and Campion retired during the eleventh with brake failure R. Rutherford’s Zephyr RA 1 over-

heated during the fifth and retired. In Class B. 1501 e.c. and oyer. B. Prescott's Maserati 250 took the lead after three laps, lost it to M. Stanton after tour and recaptured it during the eleventh to win. W. R. Eade’s Maserati 250 F held third until the eighth, took second tor the ninth but dropped again to finish third. A battle further back between C. A. Amon’s Maserati and R. J. Coppins's Tec Mec fluctuated until the Maserati took fourth two from home and held it to the finish. J. H. Reid's B.C.M. Special had no chance at any stage and was lapped by Prescott during the thirteenth. Saloon Cars Leading a 10-car field tor a good part of 10 laps, M. B. Mills, driving a Singer Gazelle, won the saloon car race (up to 2000 c.c.) over 121 miles. I. Petting, in a Wolseley 1500, did well to finish second from J. Mullins, driving a Simca. Mills had lapped several of the tail-enders by the finish. Only four cars started in the saloon car race (over 2000 c.c.). On the first lap F. I. Dow (Jaguar 3.8) led from R. MacDonald (Zephyr), R. Silvester (Chevrolet coupe) and P. G. Milligan (Chevrolet coupe). On the-back -Straight during the second MP -Dow took the escape road and dropped to last. By the fourth the order was Macdonald. Dow, Silvester and Milligan. The order remained unchanged until the eighth when Milligan retired. The Jaguar failed to catch the Zephyr, which won convincingly. Results Details were: Sports Car Race (10 Laps).— W. R. Gardiner (Christchurch) Tojlero-Jaguar, 1; R. J. Coppins (Auckland) Tec Mec. 2; D. Lawrence (Wanganui) Cooper Climax. 3. New Zealand Specials and Racing Cars (15 laps).—Class A: D. Lawrence. It R. A. Levis (Putaruru) Cooper FJ, 2; W. J. Willmot (Tftnaru) Cooper. 3. Class B: B. Prescott (Auckland) Maserati 250 F, 1: M. Stanton (Christchurch) Stanton Corvette, 2: W. R. Eade (Auckland) Maserati 250 F, 3. Saloon Car Race (10 Laps).— M. B. Mills (Blenheim) Singer Gazelle, 1: I. Petting (Hororata) Wolseley 1500, 3: J. Mullins (Leeston) Simca. 3. “Renwick 50” (50 Laps).—P Hoare (Christchurch) Ferrari. 1: J. Mansel (Auckland) Cooper Climax, 2: T. Shelley (Wellington) Cooper, 3. Saloon Car Race (10 Laps).— R. MacDonald (Cheviot) Zephyr, 1; F. I. Dow (Geraldine) Jaguar 3.8. 2; R. Silvester (Christchurch) Chevrolet coupe. 3.