Brabham Handicapped For Grand Prix Race

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31261, 6 January 1967, Page 10

Brabham Handicapped For Grand Prix Race

(New Zealand Preet Association) AUCKLAND. The world champion racing driver, J. Brabham, and his mechanics worked all day yesterday installing a 2.5-litre Repco V 8 motor in his Brabham car and battling corrosion in the vehicle, in preparation for the New Zealand Grand Prix tomorrow.

The c orr os ion, which occured because of a leaky hatch cover on the ship bringing the car to New Zealand, affected the electrical system and starter.

Because of the delay, Brabham will have to start from the back of the grid In. the 12-lap Grand Prix preliminary race.

Grid positions for the Grand Prix will be decided on the outcome of the preliminary race and Brabham will have to drive hard tb get a good position. Champagne for Stewart Yesterday the Tasman Cup holder, J. Stewart, of Scotland, raced round the Pukekohe circuit in his B.R.M. to set the first 100 miles an hour lap on the track. He was almost a second faster than anyone else taking part in the official practice. Stewart, after trying his car for a few laps, was soon down to Imin 4sec for the 1.75-mile circuit and close to 100 miles an hour for the lap. A loudspeaker announcement that 25 bottles of champagne would go to the first driver to better a 100 miles an hour lap came as Stewart was at the pits. “How many bottles did he say?” asked Stewart. He went out again quickly, cracked the barrier, and won the champagne. Later he lapped even faster, returning a time of Imin 2.6 sec, an average of 100.7 miles an hour.

Australian Surprises The Australian driver, F. Gardner, provided the surprise of the practice by sharing second fastest time of Imin 3.ssec with the second B.R.M. driver, R. Attwood, of England. Gardner's Brabham, entered by A. Mildren, is fitted with a four-cylinder Coventry Climax motor, an ageing de-

sign which is down on power compared with the B.R.M. engines.

Attwood, after taking things steadily on a circuit new to him, later returned consistently fast lap times. The B.R.M. team manager, Mr T. Parnell, was sufficiently satisfied with the day's performance to decide that no further practice today is necessary. Clark Fourth Fastest

But the former world champion, J. Clark, of Scotland, will be out again in his twolitre Coventry Climax VB- - Lotus.

Clark returned the fourth fastest lap yesterday in Imin

4.4 sec, before a rear damper collapsed.

The New Zealand champion, J. Palmer, who returned Imin 6sec in his late-model 2.5litre Brabham-Climax, was the fastest New Zealander yesterday, but not far behind him was the Wanganui driver, G. Lawrence.

Lawrence, giving away a litre in his 1.5 Brabham, recorded a startling Imin 7.2 sec toward the end of the second practice session. The time was more than lsec faster than that recorded by the Gold Star leader, D. Marwood, in a 2.5-litre Cooper, and more than 3sec clear of tbe next 1.5-litre driver, L. Brownlie. The sports car practice promised a battle royal, with A. Buchanan, of Masterton (Ferrari 250 L.M.) lapping at Imin 9sec, only half a second faster than the Christchurch driver, G. Mardon, in the Stanton Corvette. The fastest saloon car in the practice counting for grid position was P. Fahey’s Ford Mustang, recording Imin 19.6 sec. The car was later dented when Fahey left the track at Railway Corner, but it is expected to race.