Rally Row Brewing

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31585, 24 January 1968, Page 14

Rally Row Brewing

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) MONTE CARLO. The Monte Carlo rally entered its competitive stages yesterday with an air of gloom over the powerful British Motor Corporation’s MiniCooper line-up as a new rally row loomed. for a fourth outright victory in five years, came under scrutiny the previous day by rally officials for alleged nonstandard carburation systems. Six hours of talks involving the Monaco Auto Club Sportive Commission and B.M.C. officials ended with the organiser agreeing that the MiniCoopers could continue in the competition. B.M.C. officials, however, feared this was not the last word on the issue. They believed that the smallest protest later in the rally would give rise to the sort of situation two years ago when eight British cars, all of •hem finishing in the top 12, were disqualified in a dispute involving iodine lamps. The four works-entered

Minis involved in the dispute are those of P. Hopkirk and A. Fall (Britain), and the Finns, R. Aaltonen and T. Makinen, Hopkirk, Aaltonen and Makinen are all previous winners of the rally. At the root of the present trouble are the twin singlechoke carburettors. Normally these have double chokes, but Makinen discovered from tests he made in Finland that extra power was possible by converting them. While B.M.C. admits that the carburettors are modified, they claim the rules permit this as long as the actual induction system is standard. A B.M.C. official, who asked to remain anonymous, said:

“It seems all the ingredients are there for the sort of unfortunate situation of two years ago.

“We obviously must not comment now, but I feel if anyone is out to prevent us winning this could be the sort of situation to start from.”

Shortly before dawn yesterday morning the 153 survivors started towards the mountains behind Monte Carlo on a 900-mile grind looping north and west to Vais les Bains before returning to Monte Carlo in the evening. The top-placed 60 cars will qualify for the secondary series of tests tonight, again looping up into the mountains behind Monte Carlo and back.