Pit Stops

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30603, 20 November 1964, Page 11

Pit Stops

The first Ruapuna Park race meeting of the present season will be held by the Canterbury Car Club this Sunday. Several very fast cars are expected to be performing, including some of those which appeared at Renwick. After practice there will be scratch races for sports, saloons and racing cars, followed by handicap races.

An international moto cross series, with some competitors from overseas taking part, will be held in New Zealand late this year and early next year. There will be nine meetings, sponsored by W. D. and H. O. Wills. The first will be at Woodville on November 29, the second at Christchurch on December 6, then Timaru on December 13, Blenheim on December 20, and several meetings in the North Island. It was pleasant to see some very well-turned-out cars at the Renwick road races last week, but some cars looked scruffy in appearance, and were a disgrace to their entrants. Most of the saloons were well turned out, notably the Molyslip team cars, P. B. Fahey’s Lotus Cortina, and A. F. Moffatt’s Cortina Climax. The main race cars were also beautifully prepared, particularly J. Riley’s Lotus. Most untidy vehicles were sports cars. ★ A Rotorua driver, R. Baker, has been having

some success at meetings in the North Island with a car he built himself, the 1500 c.c. Heron sports car. The car is reported to be very well made, and has a top speed of nearly 140 miles an hour. Many of the parts, for instance in the suspension, are from production cars, but the chassis was entirely home built. The body is aluminium. The Ashburton Car Club’s bulletin reports the club’s record standing-quarter-mile event will be held on the Longbeach road on March 27, and the popular standing and flying quarter will be held at the same venue on May 15. Competition saloon cars will not be allowed to start in the D.R. National fivehour production car race, the organisers have decided. This will eliminate the Lotus Cortina’s and Mini Cooper S models. The only modifications permitted will be the fitting of an oil cooler and competition brake linings. Even the exhaust system must be standard, and tools and a spare wheel must be carried. The event will be held on the Teretonga circuit on April 10 next year, and is promoted by the Southland Sports Car Club. The following are the dates for Canterbury Car Club race meetings at Ruapuna this coming season: November 22; December 20; February 21, 1965; March 21; April 11; May 9. All are Sunday meetings. During the winter the circuit surrounds have been improved, grass has been sown, and spectator banking improved.