Thrilling Motor Racing

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32028, 1 July 1969, Page 17

Thrilling Motor Racing

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) RHEIMS. A Frenchman, F. Cevert, snatched victory in the last minutes of one of the most thrilling formula two motor races seen at Rheims. Just one second separated the first six cars which flashed over the finishing line in a wheel-to-wheel drama. With only five laps to go, J. Ickx (Belgium), J. Stewart (Scotland), and P. Courage (England) were battling in the lead. Courage, driving a new Brabham, smashed the lap record to take the lead, only for Cevert in a Tecno and a Briton, R. Widdows, in a Brabham Cosworth, who had been in fourth and fifth places, to pass all the leaders in the last few laps. Widdows finished second, Courage third, Stewart fourth, N. Galli (Italy, Tecno) fifth, and P. Rollinson (Britain, Brabham) sixth.

An American, P. Demeritt, in a Tecno, won an almost equally close formula three rate, finishing only fourtenths of a second ahead of J. Cassegrain (France) in a Brabham. EUROPEAN CUP

G. Birrell (Scotland), in an Irish Crossley 16F, won a formula Ford championship motor race at Anderstorp, Sweden. It was the fourth leg in the European Cup series.

Averaging 80.5 miles an hour, he took the lead on the second-last thirteenth lap and finished the 34-miie course in 25min 59sec. A Belgian, C. Bourgeigne, in a Lotus, was second and an Australian, D. Walker, also driving a Lotus, was third. LOTUS WIN A Japanese driver, T. Ikusawa, in a Lotus, won the Guards international formula three race at Mallory Park, Leicester, after an Australian, T. Shenken, crashed on a hairpin bend. Shenken, driving a Brabham, led for 14 laps until he

spun out on the hairpin and dropped back to fourth. He moved up again to second place behind Ikusawa before crashing on the same bend 15 laps from the finish of the 50-lap race. Shenken escaped unhurt, but had to retire from the race. GIANT LOLA B. Redman (Britain), in a giant 6.2-litre Lola T7O, won an incident-filled Nuremberg 200-mile race for sports cars and prototypes at Nuremberg, in West Germany. Redman was second in the first 100-mile section to a Swede, J. Bonnier, in another Lola, but won the second race in which Bonnier was forced to retire.

Second and third over-all were Porsche 908 Spiders driven by V. Elford (Britain) and R. Stommelen (West Germany). Like Redman, -they completed 82 laps of the 6.1-mile circuit. In the second race, Redman set a lap record of 114.015 miles an hour. His over-all average speed was 110.989 miles an hour.