Miller Wins S.I. Scramble Title

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31660, 22 April 1968, Page 12

Miller Wins S.I. Scramble Title

T reacherous muddy conditions brought the downfall of many riders in the South Island 350 c.c. scramble championship, held over three eight-lap heats at the Moody’s Farm circuit at Kaiapoi yesterday afternoon.

The young Blenheim rider, I. Miller, won the title by another delightful exuberant display on his 250 c.c. C.Z., with two firsts and a third in the three eight-lap heats. G. Holland, of Christchurch, stole much of Miller’s thunder. Riding a 360 c.c. C.Z., Holland was in the best form of his career and for the first time this season appeared to have a very definite edge over Miller. He began the final heat with a one-point lead over Miller and left the field standing. About 50 yards from the startfinish. Holland struck a rut hidden by a pool of slush and fell. He kept his motor running but A. Sabiston (Christchurch), K.

, Kilgour (Christchurch), Miller, and D. Boyce * (Blenheim) flashed past. On the second lap he passed , everyone except Miller, who by this time was in the lead. Holland’s challenge ended when his motor cut out in a bog at the end of the home straight. ; Water and mud in the motor forced him to retire. Miller went on to win the heat comfortably from Boyce, and claim the championship. Boyce also finished second in over-all on points and Holland was third. For Miller it was a fitting end to an outstanding season. He leaves shortly for Australia en route to England where he hopes to break into top grade competition. Although the mud provided a great test for both riders and machines, the racing was of a particularly . high standard. Without the usual dust, conditions were ideal for spectators. First Heat Miller won the first heat in a manner which suggested the remainder of the racing was merely a formality. Sabiston, who rode with great verve all day, led first time, round and then Holland took over for almost two laps. Miller raced past to a substantial lead and left Holland battling with Boyce for second. In the next heat, Holland threw caution to the winds and with easily the best display of his career led from start to 'finish even though he was under extreme pressure from Miller. For six laps they raced with barely inches between them and then Miller lost control in a tricky mud patch, stalled, dropped back and finished third. There were some outstanding performances in the supporting races. J. Cotter showed ability in winning the six-lap Tom Powell Trophy race. H. Anderson and K. Miles were also prominent. Results were:— South Island 500 c.c. Championship.—First heat (eight laps): I. Miller (Blenheim), 250 c.c. C.Z., 1; G. Holland (Christchurch), 360 c.c. C.Z., 2; D. Boyce (Blenheim), 250 c.c. C.Z., 3: A Sabiston (Christchurch), 360 c.c. Greeves, 4: I. Frew (Timaru), 500 c.c. Metisse. 5. Second heat (eight laps): Holland 1, Boyce 2, Miller 3, Sabiston 4, K. Kilgour (Christchurch), 360 c.c. Greeves, 5. Third heat (eight laps): Miller 1, Boyce 2, Sabiston 3, Frew 4, L. Owen (Blenheim), 250 c.c. C. 5. Final points: Miller 16, Boyce 14, Holland 11, Sabiston 10, Frew 7, Owen 4, Kilgour 2, R. Austin (Ashburton) 1. Class Racing.—2so c.c, (six laps): I. Miller (Blenheim) 1, D. Boyce (Blenheim) 2, J. Cotter (Christchurch), 250 c.c. Greeves, 3. 350 c.c.-500 p.c. (six laps): G. Holland (Christchurch) 1, A. Sabiston (Christchurch) 2, R. Meyer (Christchurch) 3. Open Valve-motor Race (four laps).—P. Kennedy (Christchurch) 1, T. Russell (Blenheim) 2. I. Frew (Timaru) 3. Open Two-stroke Race (four laps).—l. Miller (IBenheim) 1, A. Sabiston (Christchurch) 2, L. Owen (Blenheim) 3. Non-trophy Winners’ Race (six laps).—A. Sabiston (Christchurch) 1, L. Owen (Blenheim) 2, K. Miles (Rangiora) 3. Moody Trophy: L. Owen. Events for Non-champlonship Riders.—First race for Tom Powell Trophy (six laps): J. Cotter 1, H. Anderson 2, K. Miles 3. Second race: Miles 1, Cotter 2, P. Kennedy 3. Third race (six laps): Miles 1, Anderson 2, Cotter 3.