McLaren Here For Wigram Race

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30339, 15 January 1964, Page 15

McLaren Here For Wigram Race

The New Zealand Grand Prix at Pukekohe this year was not preceded by the usual amount of publicity, although the day itself was very well organised, said Bruce McLaren, New Zealand’s leading racing driver, in Christchurch last evening. McLaren arrived yesterday for the Lady Wigram Trophy race meeting at Wigram on Saturday. His car, and that of his team-mate, Tim Mayer, will arrive on the inter-island steamer today. McLaren said the Grand Prix organisation had been unlucky that a wet day preceded the race, and this caused many to stay away.

If overseas drivers were to be tempted to come to New Zealand in numbers they would have to be sure of getting their expenses back, he said. Motor racing was very expensive, and to bring a full racing team to New Zealand from Europe would cost many thousands of pounds. McLaren said he thought the Lady Wigram Trophy race was likely to be a close contest this year, but the changes to the circuit would eliminate the possibility of a' 100 m.p.h. lap. Tyres would no longer be a problem, for not only were the races shorter but a new tyre, the R. 6, was now in use. This tyre eliminated the need to choose between rain tyres and dryweather covers, and wore well.

Brabham’s Cars

The main development on European circuits during the year had been the remarkable performance of Jack Brabham’s cars, the Repco-Brab-ham-Climaxes, said McLaren. Next to the Lotus they were the fastest Grand Prix cars, and this was an excellent achievement in only two years.

He thought . that in this coming Grand Prix season Jim Clark, the present world champion, would again be very hard to beat. However, the new Formula One Cooper, at present being built in England, was going to cause a surprise. It was very advanced indeed in design, he said, but at present he was unable to give any details. Last season the Coopers had been plagued by unreliability, and had finished in only four grand epreuves, which was not good enough. However, when the cars had finished they had finished well. Much of the trouble had been with the transistor ignition, although there had also been two engine blowups.

Next season the Cooper team would comprise himself, as number one driver, and Mayer as second man. The new Grand Prix formula which will come into force in 1966 is for cars of three litres capacity unsupercharged or 1.5 litres supercharged. The present formula is for cars of 1.5 litres unsupercharged. He thought the new formula would be much more intc -esting for drivers. The cars would be very fast, probably exceeding 200 miles an hour, but he felt this was necessary. At present there were sports racing cars as fast as the Grand Prix machines, and this was not right. In the last two years there had been much development, and the new formula would herald another era of research. He felt suspensions as they were now known, with coil springs and so on, were almost at the peak of their development, and with the faster cars. development' might well extend into thei

field of stability and aerodynamics, possibly with benefit to the motor industry. He thought New Zealand could adopt the new formula when it came into force, but he did not consider it should do so for the next two years. It would not tempt overseas drivers to come to this country.

By 1966 racing cars would have to be flown from race to race, because there would be no time to ship them and still prepare them for the race. This, of course, would add to the expense. The international calendar was becoming very heavy, and before long there might not be time for a New Zealand Grand Prix, but he hoped it would not come 1 to this. McLaren said he found the driving of local competitors in the Levin meeting and the Grand Prix had been very good. However, he commented, a lot had been said about his and Mayer’s team tactics in the races.

‘Believe me, there isn’t time for team tactics as far as we are concerned. We are just after Brabham all the time,” he said with a smile.