PRAISE BY MOSS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29722, 16 January 1962, Page 4

PRAISE BY MOSS

McLaren “Man To Watch”

The New Zealand racing driver, B. McLaren, was described by Stirling Moss in Christchurch last evening as a competent, intelligent driver and a man to watch. Moss. who arrived in Chiistchurch to prepare for the Lady Wigram Trophy race on Saturday said he hoped to race in his Lotus This has a 2.5-litre engine and is the one he used at Ardmore two weeks ago. Most of the other international drivers such as Brabham, Surtees, and Salvador!. would use alcohol in their 27-litre Coopers, but he would use pump petrol, he said The Lotus was a new car, and he was not sure whether the transmission would stand the extra power of alcohol. He would have used the Lotus at Levin, he said, but the conditions were so bad he felt the car might fall to bits. Moss is most enthusiastic about the machine, and said he hoped to be able to drive a Lotus at the 1962 international races, he will attend, but said that nothing definite had been arranged yet. Asked what he thought of the formula one. Moss said he did not like it, and neither did other drivers, as most enjoyed driving larger cars He said that formula one was. however, very good for racing. as more drivers were competent to drive under the formula one rules than under some other formulas. If the day was wet, the Wigram circuit could be bad "Because it is not cambered, the water just lies in puddles around the track, but if the day is fine, then it is a good track and should produce a good race.” After leaving New Zealand later in the month, after the international race at Invercargill, Moss will go to Australia and then to the United States for the world sports car championships at Daytona Beach, where he will compete in a grand touring Ferrari.

He said he did not expect to arrive back in Britain until March He had spent only two days there since October.