R. Coppins Wins Saloon Race

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32305, 25 May 1970, Page 12

R. Coppins Wins Saloon Race

The Gisborne driver, R. Coppins virtually assured himself of victory In the Mercury $lOOO saloon-race series when he won the South Canterbury Car Club’s event—the second to last of the seven-race series —at the Timaru motor raceway yesterday.

Coppins brought in his Chevrolet Camaro 4.Bsec ahead of the V 8 Ford Falcon of C. Collins, at the end of the 30 laps, his main opposition and leader of the race for 14 laps, P. Fahey, having retired his FVA Escort on the eighteenth lap with fuelinjection trouble. The same trouble robbed Fahey of a win in other Mercury races, and his retirement yesterday moved him from second to third place on the points table, and out of contention for the title. Fahey will not now contest the final event at Teretaunga next week-end. Coppins now has 91 points in the series to 67 gained by Collins. 46 by Fahey, and 33 by the Invercargill driver, B. Crosby (Escort T.C.). Collins can win the series only if he wins next week’s race, with Coppins finishing out of a place. Yesterday s race had one of the smallest fields yet to appear in the series, only nine taking part. Fahey was on the pole position, having set the fastest time in the preliminary heats. Collins was beside him. Both had set faster times than Coppins, who completed the front row. Fahey took an immediate lead and at the end of the first lap was about 100 ft ahead of Collins, who had started off third behind Coppins. Crosby then led L. Neilson (Lightweight Mini S), A. Dickie (Anglia Con vette), P. Kocis (Anglia 1650), R. Slade (Anglia), and M. Cockburn (Mini). The opening laps were saloon

racing at its best. On the second lap, Fahey was narrowly ahead of Coppins, and cornering in beautifully-controlled slides to stay ahead of the more powerful car. Collins was being challenged by Crosby, who was driving his Escort in a very forceful manner. Kocis pulled off with a loose hightension lead in the third lap, and rejoined one lap down. By the fourth, there was only a second between Fahey and Coppins, Collins and Crosby were wheel-to-wheel, and Dickie was pushing past Neilson, whose engine was misfiring. Although a lap behind on the charts, Kocis was having a tremendous duel with Cockburn. Fahey started moving slowly away from the Camaro, and Collins started falling slowly behind the battle for the lead. Neilson retired his Mini on the fifth lap with suspected fuelpump trouble By the eleventh lap, Fahey had a three-second lead, Collins was 3.ssec back on Coppins, and Crosby retired with a broken cam follower.

Then the engine of Fahey’s Escort started missing. By the fourteenth lap. Coppins was only Isec behind. He moved ahead on the fifteenth and rapidly moved away. Collins also moved up on the Escort, and Fahey retired on the eighteenth lap, leaving Dickie third ahead of Slade.

A safe 7sec ahead of Collins. Coppins eased off on the twentysecond lap and cruised home. He lapped Kocis, at the rear, at the twenty-first and Kocis later lost another lap when another high-tension lead fell off. Only the first four of the six finishers were on the same lap and Slade placed fourth after a very tidy drive, was within 2sec of being lapped when the flag fell. Fahey .had revenge in the last race of the day, a 10-lap event for the fastest saloons. In the main race, he and Coppins had shared the fastest lap of 48.6 sec, but in the last race, which he won, Fahey set a new lap record for saloons of 48.4 sec.

It was an exciting race. Fahey shot away ahead of Coppins, and for the first two laps the leading cars—Fahey. Coppins. Neilson, Kocis. A. Prettley (Mini), and Cockburn—screamed around in a tightlypacked bunch.

Coppins briefly took the lead on the straight on the first lap, but quickly lost it again on the curves. On the third, both Copoins and Neilson slipped past Fahey but the Escort driver

worked his way back to the front by the fifth lap.

The three leaders pulled away from the rest, and although Coppins held grimly on to Fahey, he could not catch him. Further back, a furious tussle between Cockburn and Prattley was won by Cockburn.

In the supporting races, T. Turtill (Continental Special) proved the best of the sports cars, and A. Rhodes (Brabham), the best of the single-seaters. The major incident of the day occurred when Rhodes and N. Doyle (Begg FM2), in close company, were passing either side of the Holden Special of B. MeElhinney. Rhodes shot past on the grass and McElhinney appeared to shy infield, where he came in contact with the overtaking Begg. The Begg reared into the aif as it rode over the Special’s Wheels, and came to rest off: the track with damaged rear suspension and a detached aerofoil. Results:

Mercury saloon race (30 laps): R. Coppins (Chevrolet Camaro). 24:52.8, 1; C. Collins (Ford Falcon), 24:57.6, 2; A. Dickie (Anglia Corvette). 25:11.4, 3. First Mercury • heat! (10): R. Coppins. 1; B. Crosby (Escort T.C.), 2; L. Neilson (Mini S), 3. Second Mercury! heat (10): P. Fahey (Escort FVA), 1; C. Collins, 2; A. Dickie, 3. Sports cars (5): T. J. Armstrong (Lotus) 2; A. Turtle (Continental Special), 1: Kyle (Mirage). 3. Saloons (5): G. Simmers (Mini), 1: T. Crowe (A4O), 2: K. Pickford (Anglia), 3. Single-seaters (5): A. Rhodes !® r » bh am), 1; I. Bisman (Begg 1600) 2; V. Williams, 3. Fastest saloons (10): P. Fahev. 1: L Coppins, 2; L. Neilson, 3.