Hot Race At Warwick Farm

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30063, 22 February 1963, Page 15

Hot Race At Warwick Farm

By

BRUCE McLAREN

SYDNEY. /"kN a hot, hot, hot day at Warwick Farm on February 10, Jack Brabham thrilled bis fellow Sydney, aiders by turning on one of has world championship class drives to win the Australian Grand Prix in the car bearing his own name. tHis performance was just

tremendous. Three out of the 1 first five cars were Brabhams, but Jack himself nearly did not make the race. His car, a brand new one, had been Shipped from England, but it was delayed en route as the Ship went to the assistance of the Canberra. Jack had hoped to arrange for the oar to be unloaded at Perth and have it flown across to ’ Sydney, but apparently the Brabham was buried in a hold somewhere along with Donald Campbell’s Bluebird and his tons of equipment. The ship finally berthed in Melbourne two days before the race, and after flying the car up, Jack just managed to get the wheels turning for the final practice session. He then had all the bathers you generally get with a new car, and he recorded only a* few slowish laps which left him at the back of the grid. Practice He was out practising and adjusting eeriy on the morning of the race on the back leg of the circuit, but because he was starting from the back of the grid, I think most of us weren’t worrying about him too much.

Surtees made fastest practice lap, and I was second fastest so that it looked as though it was going to be a

The Mexican Grand Prix is expected to be elevated to World Championship status this year. ¥ * * The Canterbury Volkswagen! Owners’ Club took first •place at the interclub gymkhana between the Volkswagen clubs of Canterbury, Otago and Otemaitata recently. The Otematata club was second and the Otago club third. The Canterbury team comprised M. Maze, R. Hawkins, J. Caukwell, R. Barker and C. Spencer.

dace between the paar of us. David McKay in his Brabham was third fastest, and then to everyone’s surprise, sharing a lap at Imin 40sec (81 m.p.h.) with a couple of 2.7 engined cars was Frank Matich's 1500 ex. Elfin-Ford. An Elfin is a neat little formula junior car built in Adelaide. There is no need

to say it was excellent and that Matich drives it welljust look at the lap time. Surtees and I were not much more than a second faster. Race day was one of the hottest I can remember for a long time, and a huge crowd turned out to watch the impeccably organised day’s racing. I would say the general standard of driving and the preparation of the racing machinery would not be bet-

tered anywhere else in the world. David McKay’s Scuderia Veloce, comprising a Brabham, a 2.5 Cooper, an Elfin FJ car, and a little Elfin sports car, was a fine example of painstaking preparation. Ice And Water Five minutes before the start of the big race, we were all busily filling our pockets with ice, soaking our overalls, and filling our seats with water. Most people now are on to the trick of pre-cooling the fuel with ice and dry ice, bringing it right down to zero degrees centigrade before putting it into the tanks, but as it turned out, under the relentless heat, nothing helped very much.

Surtees leapt into an immediate lead closely followed by McKay and myself. I passed McKay going into the hairpin on the second lap, and then promptly spun. About 10 ears flashed by before I could find a gap to shoot back into the race. Later, after Jack had worked his way up through the field to second place and we were all beginning to suffer the effects of tte heat, it was Surtees who spun, and suddenly Jack found hteself within striking distance. On lap, 31 of tte 46-Ja.p race, he took over ite . lead.

A couple of drivers made pit stops to have a bucket of water thrown over their heads. Whait a luxury that must have been! You get so hot in the car, even to the extent ot blisters on feet and legs on a day like this. Your mouth gets dry and you’d give anything for some sort of drink.

So, with the crowd delighted beyond all measure, Jack took the chequered flag, followed home by Surtees, myself, David McKay. Bib Stillwell (also in a Brabham), then Graham Hilt Graham remarked after Pukekohe thait driving the Ferguson on a hot day was like conducting a stove, and I’m sure he would have endorsed those remarks sit Warwick Farm!

Personally. I was glad it was only 100 miles.