Saloon title to Australian

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32801, 29 December 1971, Page 20

Saloon title to Australian

(New Zealand Press Association)

TAURANGA.

A. Moffat (Australia) became unofficial saloon-car champion of Australia and New Zealand at the Bay Park racing course at Mount Maunganui yesterday, taking the title when he swept to easy wins in the first two heats of the American Airlines’ threeheat unlimited capacity saloon-car event and was second in the third.

Another Australian, P. Geoghegan, was runnerup with a first and two seconds.

The New Zealand drivers could not match the speed of the Australians’ Mustangs and never offered a real challenge. The best New Zealand challenge came from R. Dawson (Auckland), who gained a second and a third in his Kensington Camaro.

The New Zealand champion, P. Fahey (Auckland), never threatened the visitors and fared poorly with only a third and two fourths. He had trouble with the differential in his P.D.L. Mustang during practice, and never seemed to get going properly after that. MECHANICAL TROUBLES

R. Coppin (Gisborne) also had troubles which were shared by D. Marwobd (Auckland), who had mechanical difficulties throughout the race day and was usually found limping home in the last lap. But even had the New Zealanders’ cars been going properly, it is doubtful if they could have caught the Australians. A. Moffat broke R. Dawson’s long-standing course

record in the second heat and! set a net time of 61.8 sec for the 1.33-mile circuit. The American, R. Grable was in the middle of the field for most of the events, and never did well with his TransAm Pontiac. On Monday he broke a gear linkage, and his efforts to get his car going properly were hampered in that spare parts did not! arrive in New Zealand in time for the meeting. B. Foley (Australia) did not live up to expectations after a practice-day performance in his Alfa Romeo in which he returned a time only .3sec outside the course record. On race day he could do no ; better than a fourth and was ■ at least 3sec a lap slower.