"A tough series” says McRae

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33423, 3 January 1974, Page 14

"A tough series” says McRae

C.V.Z. Press Association)

WELLINGTON.

The triple Tasman motor racing champion, G. Mcßae faces his toughest test on home territory when the Peter Stuyvesant series opens at Levin on Sunday.

Eight overseas contenders are due to practise on Saturday for the first of the Tasman championship’s eight races. One of them, P. Gethin, has beaten Mcßae in 15 starts, and he and his fellow Chevron driver, T. Pilette (Belgium), present the most formidable obstacle to a fourth Mcßae win.

Increased prize-money this season has pushed the value; of the series into six figures,l

land this, with additional sponsorship in the national Gold Star series, has been reflected in the quality of local drivers’ machines too.

Mcßae’s new self-designed car, in spite of its win in the Australian Grand Prix, remains something of a dark horse. Delays in getting equipment to New Zealand frustrated the Wellington driver’s scheme to get plenty of track time before Levin during the final races of the Black and Decker Gold Star Championship. The GM2. when it practises on Saturday, will have been off the circuits for six weeks. The Levin events will be spread over two days. Saturday’s practice will begin at 8.30 a.m.. with the 21 Stuyvesant cars timed for sessions at 9.50 a.m. and 1.10 p.m. i

The Black and Decker championship, with D. Oxton’s Begg FMS unbeatable, will wind up in two 15-lap races on Saturday, with supporting events spread over the two days. The highlight of the 10-lap “6000” saloon race is likely to be a clash between G. Baker’s P.D.L. Mustang, which dominated racing at Bay Park on Sunday, and the fiery works-prepared Ford Capri R 52600 in which P. Fahev has made a come-back. The 330 horsepower Capri should have a useful edge on the big Mustangs and Camaras at Levin.

In the 84-lap Stuyvesant International, to start at 2.50 p.m. on Sunday, the Lola T 192 of C. Raybom, the American motor-cycle star i who died at Pukekohe last

week-end, could appear with a local driver at the wheel. It is understood that the Aucklander, K. Smith, who is down to drive the only twolitre car in the Stuyvesant field of Formula 5000 cars, has been negotiating to lease the Lola.

Lolas will be driven by K. Bartlett, M. Stewart, J. Walker and W. Brown, from Australia, and by three of the 13 New Zealand entrants.

The Australian, J. McCormack, winner of the 1973 New Zealand Grand Prix and runner-up to Mcßae in the Tasman series, will drive his very competitive Repcoengined Elfin MRS. S. Thompson (England), fourth in last year’s Tasman, is back with a fuel-injected Chevron 824, the same model that will be driven by Gethin; and Pilette. i

i The only other Mcßae car , in the field will be D. Duni lop’s GMI. ; The other New Zealand ■ drivers are D. Oxton, A. Mc- : Cully and R. Booth in Beggs; , G. Lawrence, R. Cook and B. i Robertson in Lolas; N. Doyle, Surtees; G. Pedersen and K.

Laney in McLarens; and F. Radisich in a Repco-March. Mcßae is not eager this year to predict the outcome of the series, which goes on

to Pukekohe, Wigram and Teretonga after Levin then to Oran Park for the first of the four Australian rounds. But he expects the stiffest competition from Gethin and Pilette ‘‘and the Australians —they’ll all be good.” “It’s going to be tough this iyear” he said yesterday,