CHAMPION DRIVER

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31678, 14 May 1968, Page 19

CHAMPION DRIVER

Hill Leads 1968 Series

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) MADRID.

Graham Hill, the 39-year-old British driver, in a Lotus-Ford, on Sunday won the Spanish Grand Prix, to take the lead in this year’s world championship series. Hill, watched by a festival crowd of more than 40,000 on a hot, sunny day, sped round the 90 laps of the twisty, 2.11mile Jarama circuit in 2hrs 15mih 20.1 sec.

Eight of the 13 starters—one of the smallest world championship fields for years —retired before the end of the 191-mile race. Hill, who averaged 84.80 m.p.h., drove with superb judgment to finish 16.1 sec ahead of Dennis Hulme, of New Zealand, the present world champion, in a McLaren-Ford. For Hill, the 1964 champion, it Was his first world championship win since the United States Grand Prix in October, 1965. He finished second behind his Lotus teammate, the late Jim Clark, in the South African Grand Prix last January. After two of the 12 races in the 1968 world championship, Hill has 15 points, and Hulme eight Third and fourth places on Sunday went to Cooper-B.R.M. cars, driven by Brian Redman (Britain), making his world championship debut, and the Italian, Ludovico Scarfiotti. They were both one lap behind when the race finished. Jean-Pierre Beltoise, driving the No. 1 Matra-Ford in place of the Injured Briton, Jackie Stewart, was the only other driver placed. He was fifth, nine laps behind. There were no injuries In the race and only one accident, when the Mexican, Pedro Rodriguez (8.R.M.), bit a patch of oil when cornering during the twentyseventh lap. Rodriguez, who had led from the start, skidded against a metal safety barrier, severely damaging the car.