OXTON WINS TWICE

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33386, 19 November 1973, Page 3

OXTON WINS TWICE

With G. Mcßae not racing, D. Oxton scored two superb wins in the Black and Decker F5OOO series at Ruapuna yesterday.

I Oxton, in a Begg F.M. 5, had to fight for the first win, [but ran away from the field [in the second. He set a new 1 lap record in the first race, [only to break it again in the [second. His lap record time [was 39.35ec, a full second ! below the previous record, [and the average speed was [slightly below 89 miles an hour. His two wins give him a handy lead in the series, one that Mcßae will have to fight hard to peg back. In race one, Oxton got a bad start and had to follow G. Pederson’s McLaren for four laps until Pederson made the mistake of allowing him too much room in braking at Rothmans.

KEEN STRUGGLE J D. Dunlop, and R. Cook I ( had a keen tussle for third \ l and fourth. Cook, in a Lola; T3OO started from the back , of the grid and would not ; have caught Dunlop if Dun- j lop’s Mcßae G.M.I was not underpowered. He had fuel , injection problems, and the t horsepower rating was down , to 485 from the normal 520. - Oxton crossed the line 2.1 seconds ahead of Pederson, t who was followed by Cook, 1 Dunlop, R. Booth (March 1

722) and B. Robertson (Brabham). In the second heat Pederson was out first, but Oxton passed him when the McLaren gave up coming into the main straight on lap one. Oxton then left the field floundering in his exhaust and, from lap eight on, he picked up a second a lap on the rest of the field to finish 12 seconds ahead of Cook, who was 11 seconds ahead of Dunlop. The first three led the rest by more than a lap by the! end of lap 10, and Oxton! lapped the first straggler on lap nine. Apart from Oxton’s form, the highlight of the day was the driving of R. Archibald ’in both heats of the Coca Cola Bottler’s Southern 800. Driving competitively for the first time since 1966, Archibald handled the big Z2B Camaro in both heats with j an admirable display of | power driving. Another Camaro driver, D. ’ Baker followed him for the: whole of the first race, but! could not get past the veter-! an. L. Leonard (Timaru) could: not find a way past Baker,’ and had to be content with! third. Archibald was timed through the speed traps at the track at 105.3: m.p.h.—really high speed for, a production saloon car. Archibald cleared out in; the second heat, and lapped his first straggler on lap’ five, Leonard’s Charger E49j

chased Archibald closely but the Camaro had better adhesion, and Archibald kept in front ail the way. Leonard was second and Baker third. Results: — O.S.C.A. C: L. Neilson, Escort, 1; B. Baton, Escort, 2; R. McPhail, Escort, 3. Heat one, Southern 800: R. Archibald. Camaro, 1; D. Baker, Camaro. 2; L. Leonard, Charger. 3. O.S.C.A. A and B: C. Collins. CortinaMustang, 1; K. Haig, Mustang, 2; T. Crowe, Corolla-Chev., 3. Heat one. Black and Decker championship: D. Oxton. Begg F7£s. I: G. Pederson. McLaren. 2; R. Cook. Lola T3OO. 3. Production sports cars: H. Holt. E Type Jaguar, 1; R. Terrace. M.G.B. GT VB. 2; A. Markus. M.G. Midget, 3. Heat two, Southern 800: Archibald. 1; Leonard, 2; Baker, 3. Heat two, Black and Decker: Oxton. 1; Cook, 2; D. Dunlop, Mcßae GMI. 3.