Top referee for N.Z.

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33093, 7 December 1972, Page 28

Top referee for N.Z.

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. One of the world’s foremost soccer referees, Mr Stanley Lover, will hold courses for New Zealand referees in February. Mr Lover, an Englishman, is a referees’ instructor for F.1.F.A., the world governing body of soccer. He will hold courses for referees attending the Oceania tournament at Auckland from February 17 to 24. The New Zealand Football Association’s executive was told this week that the Rothmans Sports foundation had offered to pay the travelling expenses for Mr Lover also to visit provincial associations.

The New Brighton power-boat driver, W. L. Stokes, has worked round the clock—from Tuesday evening until the early hours this morning to repair the engine in his hydroplane Miss Aero.

The craft must be shipped to the North Island to be at Lake Karapiro for New Zealand’s premier power-boat race, the Masport Cup, on Sunday. Stokes, who won the Masport Cup on the Otago Harbour in 1971, was assisted by fellow drivers working in relays.

Miss Aero, a big, 18ft 6in hydro, formerly Voodoo IV, has been completely rebuilt underneath this year. As well as restructuring the hull, Stokes installed new racing heads, camshafts and carburettors and with his crewman, W. Walter, from Arizona, worked for six months on the craft.

Quiet, then disaster Last Saturday, Stokes put Miss Aero on the Estuary for a trial spin. He was wanning up the 350 cu. in. Chevrolet engine, getting the feel of the new, better balance of the craft, and the engine was ticking over at 2500 r.p.m.— 7000 r.p.m. gives a top speed of more than 130 m.p.h.— when a valve dropped and the motor blew.

the new racing heads were broken; and Stokes was broken-hearted at the thought of missing the Masport Cup and also the national power boat championships, on Lake Karapiro on January 1 and 2.

But R. Sylvester, a wellknown Christchurch car rac-

ing driver, heard of his plight, and offered Stokes the ioan of the racing heads from his similar Chevrolet car engine. N. Stuart (Avanti) and B. Denson (Cost-A-Lott) helped Stokes lift the motor from the boat, strip it down and be-

gin repairs. Up to five fellow drivers at a time have been helping since. There are 17 entries for the Masport Cup this year, but only three from the South Island. P. R. Knight (Road Runner) of New Brighton, and W. McCaa (Ajay III), of Lake Rotoiti, are the other two. Confident duo Only eight boats may start in the final, so there will be qualifying heats. Miss Air New Zealand (J. and K. McGregor, of Auckland), the Australasian record-holder at 157 m.p.h. and a comfortable winner of the last Masport Cup, raced on the South Brighton Estuary, will be the favourite. But Stokes is confident that he and Knight will challenge Air New Zealand. And powerboat racing is full of surprises, disappointments and breakdowns—as Stokes well knows. The photograph shows Stokes sitting In the cockpit in Miss Aero, while B. Caldwell (centre) and Stuart lower the engine.