Moore keeps unbeaten record at speedway

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33694, 18 November 1974, Page 10

Moore keeps unbeaten record at speedway

The former double world solo motor-cycle champion, R. L. Moore, gained four splendid victories at the Templeton Speedway on Saturday night to maintain his unbeaten record this season. Not once was he in any real danger of defeat. In the flying four invitation, he was led for one lap by the New Zealand test rider, G. J. Stapleton, but quickly gained control and was more than 20yds clear of his younger rival at the finish. In the earlier super six scratch race, Moore became the first rider of the season to break 80sec for the four laps. He flashed across the finish in 79.2 sec as the remainder of the field was still negotiating the final bend some 50yds behind. It was a superlative effort and suggests that he will be leading New Zealand by example in the forthcoming test series aganist Australia. Stapleton unlucky Stapleton did not have a happy time. He finished out of a place In his handicap race after experiencing mechanical problems and was later forced to retire from his qualifying race for the same reason while holding a comfortable second place. This eliminated him from the super six feature but he showed some of his undoubted talent in the later scratch race for non-quali-fiers. He won this in Impressive fashion in the excellent time of 80sec, the fastest of the season until Moore bettered it in the next race. If Moore was the man of the meeting, there was still plenty to admire in the performances of other riders. B. Read, racing his first season in A grade, showed considerable promise and in his qualifying race had the satisfaction of leading Moore for more than two laps, even if' the former world champion was saving himself. Real also finished second to Moore in the super six event. Two others to catch the eye included B. Reid, who started the night in the novice ranks, and R. Abel. Reid won the novice final, the B grade final and was battling for second place behind Moore in the first A grade handicap race when he lost control and crashed. He was not hurt but it is unlikely that he will be asked to begin the night in the novice ranks next Saturday.

Abel, who finished second to Reid in the B grade final, rose to the occasion magnificently in the second A grade handicap race, winning comfortably in an impressive 82sec. Two injured 1 There were two casualties durl ing the night. W. Skilling was r admitted to hospital with sust pected concussion after smashing f into the safety fence on the 3 south bend during the first B r grade qualifying race. His machine hit the fence with such 1 force that it broke in two. t The other competitor Injured • was the midget car driver, K. ; Schumacher. He suffered a I broken bone in a foot when the i drive shaft of his car broke * seconds after he had claimed " third place in the six-lap chal--5 lenge feature. He was also admitted to hospital. In the midget car event, it was h the South Island champion, M. Burt, who had the greatest success. He won the first and last . races in fine style. However, e there was no lack of strong .. competition. L. Millar showed a j return to his best form with a , great win in the second race, an , eight-lap scratch race, G. RoxJ burgh displayed hip usual consiss tency to gain two second places, r Exclusion dispute. 3 The supermodified car class 3 showed great potential in the i- early races before finally. 3 deteriorating into chaos. The 10f lap feature race, which ends ii the meeting, is always a tense s affair but on Saturday night some of the drivers carried their b rivalry a little too far. There 3 was a lot of barging and during £ one interlude, when the cars s were driving on an amber light j while two crashed cars were s being removed, the New Zealand .. champion, P. Annan, stopped his , car broadside on across the track " in front of the pits. He then proceeded to change the front ‘ left wheel. He was excluded from the race . for his actions and when he , attempted to rejoin the race was ; black flagged. He refused to . go and eventually parked on - the track in front of the control “ tower. A tow truck was called 1 to push him off but he ' accelatered into the centre, I pursued by the truck. He finally t stopped, still on the infield, B climbed out of his racer and 3 attempted to protest to officials. But the race was resumed with-

out him and was won by S. Everett. In the two earlier races, ; Everett, P. Annan and his brother, J. Annan, had shared the honours. The Annan brothers led Everett home in > commanding fashion in the first : event but Everett stole a march ' i on both in the. second. The i third was to have been the : i decider. A. Palmer was the top driver in the three-quarter midget car class, taking a third in the open- - ing handicap race and winning 5 both scratch races. But for con- - sistency, nobody could better N. j Chandler. He finished runner-up > in all three races. , Results were:— MOTOR-CYCLES 1 Novice final (4 laps).—G. Reid 1, C. Blackett 2, A. Fauskitt 3. 1 Time: 88.8. B grade scratch events (4 , laps).— First qualifying heat: R. * Abel 1, B. Mitchell 2, W. Irvine “ 3. Time: 81.9. Second heat: D. ? Sincock 1, P. Salt 2, B. Reid 3. * Time: 82.9. Consolation: B. ’ McMillan 1, C. Blackett 2, G. ’ Bennett 3. Time: 84.0. Final: B. Reid 1, R. Abel 2, D. Sincock s 3. Time: 83.4. A grade handicap events (4 > laps).—First race: R. Moore 1, L. t Ross 2, P Fewings 3. Time: 82.9. Second race: R. Abel (go) 1, G. g Stewart (20yd) 2, K. Burt 3. a Time: 82.0. a A grade scratch events (4 i laps!.—First qualifying heat: R. Moore 1, B. Read 2, S. Foster 3 Time: 82.0. Second heat: T. Black 1, G. Rhodes 2, L. Ross 3. ‘ Time: 82.2 Pall Mall scratch: G. Stapleton 1, G. Stewart 2, P. 3 Fewings 3 Time: 80.0. Tommy’s a Suzuki Centre super six: Moore >■ 1, Read 2, Rhodes 3. Time: ,79.2. i- Ballins flying four: Moore 1, s Stapleton 2, Rhodes 3. Time: 3 80.1. t Sidecars (4 laps).—Edox handir cap: H. Jones and B. Beadle » (50yd) 1, L Dwight and S. Unwin z (60yd) 2, B. Turner and W, s Turner 3. Time: 89.8. Rex t Russell scratch: Dwight and s Unwin 1, Turner and Turner 2, i Jones and Beadle 3. Time: 85.2. s Tommy’s Suzuki Centre feature: r Turner and Turner 1, Dwight i and Unwin 2, I. Begbie and A, t Henry 3. Time: 85.3. CARS s Three-quarter midget cars.— B Auto Salvage handicap (6 laps): s G. Parr 1, N. Chandler 2, A. o Palmer 3. Time: 2:35.3. Crowe’s a Garage scratch (points for Can--1 terbury championship): A. i Palmer 1, N. Chandler 2, G. Parr 8 3. Garden City Motors feature i, (8 laps): Palmer 1, Chandler 2, y R. Burt 3. Time: 2:43.4. I, Midget cars.—Wynn’s feature 1 (6 laps): M. Burt 1, G. Roxburgh ). 2, K. Schumacher 3. Time: .2:30. l- Pall Mall feature (8 laps): L.

Millar 1, J. McKitterick 2, K. Proctor 3. Time: 2:43.8. Firestone $lOOO scratch (8 laps): Burt 1, Roxburgh 2, B. Tullett 3. Supermodified cars.’ — Edox scratch (6 laps): P. Annan 1, J. Annan 2. S. Everett 3. Time: 2:7.5. Ferry Road Rubadub scratch <8 laps): Everett t. P. Annan 2, J. Annan 3. Time: 2:50. Feature scratch (10 laps ,’crett 1, T. Lynch 2, G. Sw '.