N.Z. Again Favoured In Can-Am Racing

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32036, 10 July 1969, Page 19

N.Z. Again Favoured In Can-Am Racing

(By JOHNS. RADOSTA. of the New York Times News Service, through N.Z.P.A.)

NEW YORK. The third race of the McLaren-Hulme benefit parade, a SUSIm series of 11 events otherwise known as the CanadianAmerican Challenge Cup, will be run on Sunday, over the 23mile Watkins Glen circuit at Lake Senaca, in New York State.

They are making brave noises at the glen and in the pits about some real competition to confront the New Zealanders, who have won 11 of the 14 Can-Am races run since September, 1967, including the first two this season. Maybe so. But whatever the outcome, this could be an interesting week-end of racing at Watkins Glen because it will be a double-header. The Saturday portion will be a six-hour endurance race, ninth of the 10-race series for the world championship of makes.

Seven of the cars racing in the manufacturers’ championship will also, if able, run in the Can-Am on Sunday. Bigger Cars The world championship cars, with engines limited to three and five litres for, respectively, the prototypes and sports cars, have little chance of beating the sevenlitre McLaren - Chevrolets driven by B. McLaren and D. Hulme. But they could well defeat the lesser group-seven cars in the Can-Am race, which has a purse of $50,000.

Porsche has already won the manufacturers’ championship, but four 908 s will appear, partly in response to incentives offered by the track management, and for an attempt at the Can-Am money. The same motives apply to three other entries, a pair of Matra group-six prototypes from France, and a LolaChevrolet group-four sports car. The drivers competing on both days will probably be Porsche, J. Siffert and M. Gregory, of Switzerland and B. Redman and V. Elford (England); Matra, J. Guichet and J. Servoz-Gavin (France); Lola, J. Bonnier (Switzerland). Also there will be a mixed

bag of prototypes, sports cars and touring cars in the Saturday race. For Sunday’s Can-Am, the strongest competition is expected from a new Ferrari 612 with a 6.2 litre engine, to be driven by C. Amon, of New Zealand. A new Lola T612-Chevrolet has been entered by the RobbinsJefferies racing team, of Indianapolis. Its driver will be R. Bucknum (California), provided he recovers from injuries suffered last week in a road accident R. Penske is out The Chevrolet engine of his Lola, which was to have been driven by M. Donohue, arrived too late for adequate preparation. Former Champion

J. Surtees, the 1966 Can-Am champion, will race the McLaren Mk 12-Chevrolet in which he was reasonably competitive in the first two races at Bowmanville, Ontario, and Mont Tremblant, Quebec. C. Parsons, the top American driver in the 1969 standings, will contest his twentyfirst successive Can-Am since 1966. He will drive a onfrplusone Lola powered by a Chap-arral-prepared Chevrolet