Mixed racing at Timaru saloon-car meeting

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32776, 29 November 1971, Page 3

Mixed racing at Timaru saloon-car meeting

L. Neilson (Dunedin), in his light-weight Mini-Cooper S, R. McPhail, of Christchurch (Lotus Farina), and A. Dickie, of Hawarden (Anglia Corvette), proved themselves the fastest among the present crop of “all-comer” style saloon-cars when the first races specifically for members of the new Open Saloon Car Association were held at the Timaru Motor Raceway yesterday.

The racing was rather mixed. Although the feature event was supposed to be for the open saloons, these cars in fact ran in two handicap events, which made things more difficult for spectators to follow.

Although many new cars are being built to the new association’s rules, only two of them appeared at the meeting. P. Kocis brought out his Cortina VB, but it had steering problems and never raced. P. Kirk’s Viva-Olds-mobile appeared in one race, but never went well and eventually retired. There were still nearly 30 entries in the list, but the disparity in performance was very wide—hence the handicaps—and it is clearly still too early to judge the likely success of the new category of saloon-car racing. The meeting started on an unhappy note when the Christchurch driver, A. K. Prattley, apparently suffered brake failure in practice, his car rolling off the front straight into oil drums and hay-bales marking a flagmarshals’ post. The marshals scattered, but Prattley was rendered unconscious in the crash, and was later admitted to the Timaru Hospital with concussion and a suspected broken jaw. His »^HSSSF-~"

Mini-Cooper was badly damaged. The open saloons started the day with two five-lap scratch races. In the event for the smaller cars, McPhail led all the way after Neilson stalled, and H. Hammond (Anglia) was the only one who could offer him a challenge. It did not succeed — but only by o.2sec. A. Meares (Mini S) was a lonely third all the way, and the leaders were lapping the last car at the finish. K. Pickford (Anglia) and N. Robb (Anglia) had a brief battle for fourth place, Robb coming in ahead. In the event for bigger O.S.C.A. cars, R. Hore (A4O Ford) led for most of the first lap, but Dickie’s Anglia Corvette then thundered past him and was never challenged. J. Kennedy (Escort) was third all the way, and Kirk’s V 8 Viva was never higher than sixth before it retired. The handicap for small O.S.C.A. cars went to Neilson by more than ssec, J. Little (Mini Cooper) coming a good second, feet ahead of Hammond. McPhail spun on the second lap and retired. Dickie worked his way steadily to the front when the bigger cars came out, and although Neilson tried valiantly, the extra power of the-Anglia brought Dickie home four lengths ahead. Neilson actually slipped past

the bigger car on the eighth lap, but was quickly passed again on the next straight. A good field came out for a six-lap O.S.C.A. scratch race at the end of the day, and Neilson led in McPhail by less than 2sec. The only other battle was for sixth place between Meares and V. Vuyk (Prefect - Zephyr)— Meares won. As has become almost the rule at recent Ruapuna and Timaru meetings, N. Doyle in the Begg 5-litre led the single-seater scratch race with L Bisman (Begg 1.6litre) close behind, but lacking the power to do much about the situation. R. Johnston (Johnston Ford) and D. Heney (Titan) had a firstclass dice for fourth place behind M. Lamberton’s Valour, but Johnston made no mistakes. D. Waldron’s U2 led the sports-car scratch event all the way, with L. Johnson’s Begg Oldsmobile an equally unchallenged second. M. Baker (Mirage) and D. Elvy (U2) had a tremendous battle for third, which ended when both spun one lap from the flag, giving the place to a surprised M. Rowe (Lotus).

Elvy dropped oil everywhere when he returned to the track, which caused a long delay after the race while cement was spread round.

The day’s best race was the 12-lap scratch event for sports-racing cars and singleseaters.

Johnston’s Formula Ford car headed away from the flag with Heney’s car in echelon—and so they stayed for five exciting laps. Further back, Waldron had a spectacular spin and J. Tschursinov (Lotus) also left the track, while B. Hamilton (Lotus) and A. Owers (Begg) had a fierce tussle for third spot. Hamilton seemed to have lost all chance of the place when he spun at Rothman’s, but his miscalculation really spurred him on, and he drove magnificently, right to the limit, to catch Owers and then pass him on the tenth lap. Meanwhile Heney’s efforts had been repaid. He managed to slip past Johnston on the fifth lap, and then opened a 3.5-sec lead.

Scratch race results were:— O.S.C.R. saloons, under 1500 c.c. —(five laps): R. McPhail (Lotus Farina), 4:32.6, 1; H. Hammond (Anglia), 4:32.8, 2; A. Meares (Mini S), 4:36.8, 3. O.S.C.A. cars, over 1500 c.c. (5): A. Dickie (Anglia Corvette), 4:27.8, 1; R. Hore (A4O Ford), 4:31, 2; J. Kennedy (Escort), 4:36, 3. O.S.C.A. final (5): L. Neilson (Mini S), 5:11,1, 1; R. McPhail (Lotus Farina), 5:11.3, 2; R. Hore, 5:18.9, 3. Single-seaters (5): N. Doyle (Begg Formula 5000), 3:52.8, 1; I. Bisman (Begg T.C.), 3:57.6, 2; M. Lamberton (Valour Ford), 4:10.2, 3. Sports cars (5): D. Waldron (U2), 4:08.7, 1; L. Johnston (Johnston Ford). 4:12, 2; M. Rowe (Lotus), 4:27, 3.

Saloons (5): R. Homewood (Escort), 4:36. 1,1; W. Murdoch (Mini), 4:55,2 : A. Bowman (Mini), 4:56, 3. South Canterbury C.C. saloons (5): W. Murdoch, 5:01.2, 1; A. Farr (Cortina), 5:02.2, 2; G. Vaughan (Cortina), 5:06.2, 3.