Midget car champion shows his paces

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33096, 11 December 1972, Page 14

Midget car champion shows his paces

The ability which carried the talented Auckland driver, T. Morris (Chevy II), to victory in the New Zealand midget car championship last season was very much in evidence when he made his first appearance of the season at the Templeton Speedway on Saturday night. Demonstrating his great ability to rapidly negotiate a path through heavy traffic, he started the night with a superb win in the Bifora eight-lap handicap race from the back mark of 100 yards. Later in the night he added victory in the Wynns

challenge feature scratch race I of eight laps, recording the exjcellent time of 2min 39.45ec after ; starting from behind the field But it was New Zealande's most successful international driver. B. L. Butterworth, also of Auckland, who had the final say with his Ofienhauser midget. Aftei being involved in all sorts of strife earlier in the meeting, be came back in the final midget car race of the evening—the eight lap Pail Mall scratch event—to win with easily the finest performance seen at Templeton this season. Starting with Morris .from be-; hind the field, he had burst ’hrough to the front before a lap and a quarter had been completed and was never again j challenged. His winning time was 2min 34.65ec. the fastest of the night and only six-tenths of a | second outside the track record ’ ho set during a visit to Templei ton last season. The outstanding local driver was again E. Murray. Te finished 1 runner-up in this event, forcing Morris to accept third place. Earlier in the night, he drove | the race of his life to win the Canterbury Auto Wreckers 12lap scratch race. He took the lead from the start and was never headed. R. Mead, his car at last realising the promise it showed earlier, settled into second place and it took Morris five laps to work his wav past into a challenging position for the lead. On the sixth lap G. Roxburgh collided with Butterworth and the Auckland driver spun off the track into the centre and out of the race. Roxburgh was black-; flagged but ignored this instruc-l i tion to withdraw and continued ; until the end. For the last six laps. Morris sat on Murray’s tail but the l • Christchurch driver never made a mistake. At the finish he was ; still inches ahead. Mead finished (well up in third. Tulett leads B. Tulett took over the lead in the South Island super- i modified rod championship series; with a grand win in the 12-lap points race—his third in succession. At one stage the race had to be stopped after four cars had. crashed together in the Prison Bend. The drivers escaped without injury but a member of the crew of a crash tender injured a leg when one of the cars was pulled free of the tangle. He was taken to the pits by ambulance but later re- 1 covered. Earlier in the night, a motor- j cycle rider, W. Irvine, was taken to hospital by ambulance but wasj. not admitted. He received minor;' injuries when he dropped his ma-! 1 chine in an endeavour to avoid; another fallen rider, M. Brown. The outstanding rider of the 1 night was undoubtedly G. J. : Stapleton. He won the super six scratch race after a great battle 1 with S. Foster and T. Black and a short time later won the ( Coca Cola invitation scratch race in 79.65ec, one of the fastest times recorded this season. K. Stephens and A. Palmer continued their rivalry in the three-quarter midget racing car events. Palmer won the South Island championship points race with Stephens a close second and: the positions were reversed in the John Morris Trophy event. The unluckiest driver of the night was M. Williams, who led the South Island points race for five laps and had a huge lead when he smashed through the safety fence on the Prison Bend He was not hurt but his car was

• damaged b\wid immediate repair. The meeting was held up • for some time while repairs were made to the terne. Results were:— MOTORCYCLES Novice solo scratch events <4 • lapsi.—First race: P Chanev 1. , J. Commons 2. G. Smith 3 Tim*. . 93.6. Second race: G. Ormsbx 1. G. Humphries 2, G. Smith 3. t Time. 92 6. Solo B grade handicap events i 4 laps).—First race: R. Austin (50yd i 1. E. Lewis .go) 2. W .Irvine <6oyd> 3 Time. 88.7 Sec - lend race: () Lane (4Oxd» 1. F , Bryan (40\d» 2. M. Brow i <6o\<h .3. Third race: Austin )50vd) L , Irvine <6oyd) 2, S. Woods i4o\di . 3 Time. 89 3. Solo B grade scratch events 4 t laps) —First race: O. Lane I. F Lewis 2. G. Reid 3. Time. 87 0 Second race: R Austin I. s Woods 2. Time. 86.2 Solo A grade handicap events <4 laps).—First race: D. Sincock 130 yd) I. G Stapleton <6oydt 2. S. Foster <4oydi 3 Time. 84 8 Second race: Stapleton (60yd) 1, K. Burt i2Uydi 2. M Salt (go' :: Time. 84.6. Third race: Stapleton <6oyd) 1, Foster <4oyd) 2. R Austin (goi 3 Time. 81.6 Fourth race: R. McKiniax MOyd) 1. K Burt (20yd) 2. D Sincock (30vd) 3. Time. 82.4. Solo A grade scratch events <4 laps*.—First race: D. Sincock 1, K. Burt 2, M. Salt 3. Time. 82.0 Super six: G Stapleton I, S. Fosther 2. T. Black 3. Time. 81.0. Coca Cola invitation: Stapleton 1, Foster 2, R. McKinlay 3. Time, 79.6. Sidecar events (4 laps'—Opening handicap: L Dwight jun. and G. Cox (110 yd 1. B. Turner and |W. Turner (go) 2. S. Unwin and [W. Benson <7oyd) 3. Time. 94.2 Second handicap: 1. Begbie and [W. Lee (40yd) 1. Turner and Turner (go) 2, Dwight jun. and (Cox 1110 yd) 3. Time. 88 4 Rex :Russell scratch: Dwight iun. and [Cox 1. Begbie and Lee 2. Unwin and Benson 3. Time, 89.0. CARS Midget cars.—Bifora handicap (8 laps): T. Morris (Auckland) 1. R. Mead 2. R. Butterworth (Auckland) 3. Time, 2:47 Can terbury Auto Wreckers feature 112 lapsi: E Murra\ 1. Morris 2. Mead 3. Wynns Oils feature <8 laps): Morris I. Bu’terworth 2. J. McKitterick 3 Time. 2:39 4. Pall Mall feature (8 lans): But terworth 1. Murray 2. Morris T Time, 2:34.6. Three-quarter midget cr • events. — Opening handicap f laps): N. Chandler (40yd) 1. H P ’per (10vd> 2, A. Davis (7<H’d' S Time. 2:9.8 Crow’s Gat At*** scratch (8 laps): A P mer 1. )■. Stephens 2. Chandler 3 .TnF i Morris Trophy scratch <8 lans): Stephens 1. Palmer 2 D Jones 3. Time, 2*46.8. Supermod’fied rods.—Racewnv Spares handicap (8 laps)- H r.in-.. son (170vd> 1. P Awn (12 A '*a) 2. B. T'dett (130vd) 3. 2-40. f’erry Road Se**”‘*»e Staten Mature HO tans): Tdlel* 1. H. <*’«-- snn 2. Annan 3. T’m.< T’»l 7. South Island rhamninncMn p<vn*s ’’are (12 laps': B Tul“tt 1 I. Frisson 2, M. Allan 3. Time, 4:2.8.