RUAPUNA RACING Race won by Fahey, series to Coppins

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32525, 8 February 1971, Page 15

RUAPUNA RACING Race won by Fahey, series to Coppins

Although the Auckland Ford Mustang driver, P. Fahey, won the 25-lap Mercury championship saloon-car race at the Canterbury Car Club’s Ruapuna Park circuit yesterday, victory :in the four-race series went to the Gisborne Chevrolet Camaro driver, R. Coppins, who finished the race in third place.

Before the race, Coppins led the series with 28 points, and Fahey—who failed to finish at Timaru last week after he was shunted off the track by another com-petitor—-was fifth on the table with 15 points.

Because the points are on a sliding scale, with placings being worth more and more points as the series progresses, Fahey could not win the series yesterday, even I though he won the race, unless Coppins finished lower than fifth. I Fahey led the race all the

way, but he was rarely more than 2sec ahead of another Auckland driver, D. Marwood (Chevrolet Camaro). Yet another Aucklander, J. Riley, held third place for more than half the race until boiling brake fluid led to a total loss of his Mustang’s brakes —and his retirement.

Coppins thus finished third ahead of D. Halliday .(Ford Escort), J. Richards (Ford Escort), and A. K. Prattley (Mini Cooper). Prattley was the first South Island driver to finish. He comes from Christchurch. There were two heats for the Mercury cars before the msln race was held, and on their results Fahey, Coppins, Riley and Marwood made up the front row of the grid for the 25-lap event. In the first eight-lap heat, Riley led for four laps before the start of his brake trouble set In under the pressure being applied by Fahey in his Mustang. Fahey took the lead on the fifth lap to finish 2sec ahead of Riley, and J. Nazer lost his third place to HalUday on the last lap when he pulled his Escort out with overheating. BIST START

In the second heat, Marwood’s Camaro got the best of the start —which It usually did all day —and he led for three laps before Coppins managed to get past him to finish about 2.2 sec ahead. J. Richards kept his Escort a safe third all the way ahead of Prattley’s Mini, and these were the only cars to complete the eight laps. When the flag dropped for the main race Marwood again streaked into the lead, and he led the first time round from Fahey, Riley, Richards, Coppins, Nazer, Halliday, Prattley and the rest of the pack.

By the second lap Fahey had displaced Marwood from the lead, and Coppins had moved his Mustang up to fourth place behind Riley. So great was the speed differential between the fastest and slowest cars, that the leaden were lapping the tailendera by the end of the third lap—after Just three miles.

On the fourth lap, the spectacular Richards—rightly nicknamed “Sideways’’ In the programme—was pressing Coppins, and by the tenth lap these two had moved up on Riley, whose brakes were already playing up. At this stage Riley’s Mustang was 9sec down on Marwood, who waa in turn 2sec down on Fahey’s Mustang.

Further back, D. SUcock in the Jaguar 3.8 had been having a dice with Prattley’s Mini, but he was unable to hold the more nimble car, whilch drew steadily away as the race progressed. Nazer, who had been lying sixth, pulled out on the eleventh

lap with overheating, leaving Halliday the position. By this time, the first six cars were the only ones on the same lap. Marwood was still holding about 2sec behind Fahey’s Mustang; then on the fourteenth tour Riley had a massive spin In the esses—there had just not been enough time for him to pump up his brakes between corners, and another car had put him slightly off line so he required more braking than usual. He caUed It a day. Now Coppins was third, just 2sec ahead of the flying Richards, who was plainly hoping the Camaro driver would make a mistake. He harried Coppins, whose engine was a little off song, but the Camaro man kept ahead. Richards himself did It aU wrong on the twentieth lap, and lost his fourth place to Halliday, who had been lurking handily all the time. Prattley was next behind Richards, with Sllcock’s Jaguar further back. ■ At the end only Fahey, Marwood and Coppins were on the same lap, with Halliday and Richards a lap behind, and Prattley and SUcock a further lap back.

SERIES POINTS Coppins won the series with 46 points, Richards was second with 37, and Fahey and Marwood were third with 35. Fahey expressed some disatisfaction with the Mercury sliding scale of points, but it has undoubtedly assured close racing throughout the series and a title that was never certain until the last flag had faUen.

There was also a 2S-lap race for sports-racers during the day, and it was a benefit for the fast Elfin VS of G. Harvey, who cruised home as he liked. Behind him, G. Deakln (Lotus Heron) and N. Smith (Mirage Ford) had a battle royal for much of the distance until Smith was black-flagged to adjust a loose panel—he dropped back but saved his place.

The main single-seater event was won by G. Mardon In the Begg FM4 V 8 after R. Thompson In the FM2 Begg trailed him closely for the first laps. On the penultimate lap, R. Francevic took the new New Zealand-buUt Katipo VS past Thompson Into second spot, but his rear suspension faUed soon after, and he retired. C. Taylor (Brabham 1600) was third, with I. Blsman (Begg TC) being the only other one to complete the fuU distance.

Marwood won the 10-lap open saloon event after RUey spun out of first place In the hairpin. Fahey was second ahead of A. Dickie (Anglia Corvette). Dickie won a later saloon race, and tbe final "flying fareweU” saloon event went to Marwood, with RUey (braking trouble again) Richards and Halliday coming next. Official results were unavaflable from the dub after the meeting last evening.