Driver fined after car rammed

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34026, 15 December 1975, Page 23

Driver fined after car rammed

A prominent competitor in the supermodified car class. Joe Annan, was immediately suspended I rom driving and fined $lO by the track stewards for deliberately ramming a rival after

the finish of an early handicap race at the Templeton Pal) Mall Speedway on Saturday night. The suspension will re-i main in force for two weeks. The incident was sparked off when Annan was leading the race. Roger Gleeson attempted to drive round the outside of him down the pit straight on the last lap and ontact occurred between the two cars. Annan spun off into the < entre and Gleeson, after a few anxious moments, retained control and went on io win the race. Annan, clearly upset by what had happened, rocketed across the infield in his car and

started to chase Gleesor, tround the track. Gleesor 1 ; did an extra lap to keep oui Jof the angry Annan s way but then elected to slow I 1 down. Annan caught up with him at the start of the, Prison Bend and drove hit I car straight into Gleeson’s; machine.

NO-ONE HURT ! The front of Annan’s’ | Holden-powered car reared • up and for a moment itj looked as if the front wheels! would smash into the cock-i Pit of Gleeson’s sprinter. I However, the two carsI pulled apart and nobodv was; , hurt. J There was a particularly . angry reaction from the, { crowd. Annan was booed I and jeered as his damaged- ) car was pushed away from the scene. Gleeson did not allow this] i incident to upset his driving in later events. He gained a j splendid win in the following 10-lap scratch race ini j 3min 21.2 sec and was hold-! ; ing a close second place’ 1 behind Selwyn Everett in; the final 12-lap feature when; his engine momentarily al- i tered and he spun out on’ the south bend. With the car; broadside on across the; ; track, the race was stopped! 'and victory awarded to' I Everett. Afterwards. Gleeson said I that it was just as well he - had spun out when he did. An examination later ; showed that all but one of f; the bolts connecting the steering with the front wheels had sheared off — a ’ sequel to the earlier t difference of opinoin with; . Annan “Somebody up there; . must be looking after me,”; r said Gleeson. 5 Fresh from his success in; . the South Island final of the world solo championship,;

Larry Ross was in out- , standing form in the mdtorcycle events. He won his opening handicap race from ! the 40yd mark and followed * it with a tremendous win in his qualifying scratch race. His time in this was 78sec, 1 equalling the fastest time of > ,the season set by the Eng--■lishman, Keith Anderson. Both times Anderson was n forced to accept second place, i Ross seemed headed for cer- . tain victory in the super six feature race and an even faster ■ time when the motor of his r Jawa failed just 50yds from the > finish. At the time, he was a ' good 20yds clear of another > Englishman, lan Hindle, who - went on to win in 78.9 sec. Nigel . Wasley, the third Englishman in the six-man field, came through from a poor early position to > finish second. Anderson also suffered mechanical bothers, retiring on the ? second lap. Ross borrowed a machine for . the flying four invitation, hut could not match Hindle on the 'strange bike. Hindle won in I 79sec with Ross second and Paul Fewings third Wasley the fourth rider retired with engine : trouble. ; THREE WINS The New .Zealand side-car champions Les Dwight, jun. ) rider', and Steve Unwin (passenger!, were in peak form, win-

Ining all three races they started [in Allan Palmer again claimed a najor sharp of the prize money n the midget car events with wo wins But he could count himself a little lucky to gain, one of them. In the first scratch ace Laurie Millar weaved through the traffic in superb c ashion. finally cutting through , »n the inside of Palmer to take (he lead. He held the lead until the seventh lap Then, with just a lap and a quarter to go. .’nis engine faltered and he ilocked up on the south bend. Palmer dodged past and went on for a comfortable win. Earlier in the night, the ■ former South Island midget car champion, Trevor Hall, showed a return to form, gaining his i first win of the season with, some sound pole-line driving. Results were:— MOTOR-CYCLES Novice solo events <4 laps).— i First qualifying race: J. Moore I, D Maxwell 2. A. Sintes 3. Time: 88.4. Second qualifying race: T. Jemmett I, P. Harring-1 ton 2, J. Hanning 3. Time: 88.0.; Final. Moore 1. Harrington 2. Maxwell 3. Time: 86.4

Second division solo events *4 laps).—First qualifying race; C. i Blackett 1. K Robinson 2. W. I Skilling 3. Time: 81.4. Second; qualifying race: B. McMillan 1,•J. Haiming 2. G. Taylor 3. Time: 80.0. Consolation scratch <3’ lapse. A. Crosby 1. L. Chatterton 2, D Maxwell 3. Time: 65.4. Final: McMillan 1. Blackett 2.' Taylor 3 Time: 80.8. First division events <4 laps*. —Opening handicap: I. Hindle (40yds) 1. K. Burt 110 yd) 2. T. l Black (30yd) 3. Time: 81.9. Sec-i ond handicap: L. Ross (40ydi l.j K. Anderson (50yd). G. Stewart (20yd) 3. Time: 80.0. First qualifying race: Hindle 1, P. Ewings ■ 2. M. Salt 3. Time: 78.8. Sec-' ond qualifying race: Ross 1. An-, derson 2. N. Wasley 3. Time:; i 78.0 Pall Mall scratch: T. Black 1, B. McMillan 2. G Stewart 3. Time: 82.0. Tommy's Suzuki Centre super six: Hindle I, Was-' ley 2. Fewings 3. Time: 79.8. J Go Cola flying four: Hindle J i Ross 2, Fewings 3. Time: 79.0. Side-car events (4 laps).—Quail-i fying race: I. Begbie and H. Henrey 1. G. Pullan and D. .Molyneux 2. W. Benson and W. Turner 3. Time: 86.8. Opening! scratch: L. Dwight, jun.. and S.. Unwin 1. Punnan and Molyneux

i 2- Benson and turner 3. Time j 83.6. Rex Russell scratch: 'Dwight jun. and Unwin 1. I: Pullan and Molyneux 2. Begbie • and Henrey 3. Time: 83.3. Edox handicap: Dwight, jun.. and Un- > win I. B. Beadle and A. Boyle • 2. Begbie and Henrey 3. Time 66.7 (3 laps). MIDGET CARS Three-quarter midget c.ars.Hornby Auto Services handicap (4 laps): C. Hobbs (50} d) I, D. I Cawley (70yd) 2, G. Parr (70yd ■3. Hobbs Bros scratch '6 laps': . ;C. Hobbs 1. W Denovan 2. G. Parr 3. Time: 2:7.5. Geoff Stone Motors scratch *8 laps): ; Parr 1. D. Jones 2. Time: 2:46.9 Opening handicap i 6 laps): T •iHall (10yd) I. L. Millar (60yd 2. J. McKitterick (20yd > 3. Pah . Mall feature <8 laps): A. Palmer . 1. McKitterick 2, K. Proctor 3. i Firestone $lOOO scratch (8 laps'. Palmer 1. McKitterick 2. Hall 3. , ;Time: 2:36. i Super modified cars.—Edox . handicap: R. Gleeson I. P. Annan ■ 12, B. Todd 3. Time: 2:42.8. Ferry Road Rubadub scratch <lO laps): ' Gleeson 1, A. Coles 2 A Me- . Donald 3. Time: 3:21.2. Cham- ; pion $lOOO feature <l2 laps): S Everett 1. W. Pierson 2, T. : Lynch 3.