Midget-car drivers may seek re-run of “shambles”

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34085, 24 February 1976, Page 26

Midget-car drivers may seek re-run of “shambles”

(By

ROD DEW)

An attempt to declare the South Island midget-car championship at Templeton on Saturday “no contest” is expected to be made at a special meeting of drivers tonight.

Th« meeting has been railed by the president of the Christchurch Speedway Association (Mr Tony Nesbitt) to try and resolve the controversy which was aroused over the running of the championship. ‘•Everybody in the championship has got a complaint about somebody else.” Mr Nesbitt said yesterday. "It was just a shambles," he said, when asked for his personal opinion on the championship. “Once a meeting is started I don’t have a lot of control over what goes on and there was certainly a lack of consistency with decisions made by Auto Cycle Union officials. But the drivers were not all correct in their claims. Some of them obviously don't know the rules.” he said. Mr Nesbitt intends to invite the Auto Cycle Union steward (Mr .Murray Butler), the assistant steward (Mr Barrie Phillips) and the referee (Mr Eton Richens) to the meeting to answer questions from drivers.

Allan Palmer, who was awarded the championship after a run-off with Kevin Proctor, was out of Christchurch on business yesterday and could not be contacted for his views. How-

ever. other drivers were unanimous in condemnation

of the championship. There was a tremendous: amount of dissension during l the championship, Laurie I Millar, who led the contestl on points until he was spun, out right at the start of the re-run of the final heat, said| he was critical of the decision to declare the second heat “no race” and re-run it, although this helped him get back into the championship.

A fuel pump belt had broken in the first running of the second heat and he had I failed to finish. “Once a race has been held, that should be the finish. There is nothing in the rules indicating that a re-run can be held.” Millar finished runner-up in the second running of the heat and this put him into a three-point lead in the championship. He seemed a likely winner until he was spun around in the first bend of the final heat. But he has no strong complaints about the referee failing to stop the! race. “Only one re-start is] allowed under the rules,” he said, pointing out that at the same time he had tried very hard to avoid being hit in the first bend. But he feels that officials could have found other ways of letting him back into the race without bending the rules. He described the meeting as "a shambles” and said “a lot of drivers seemed] to switch off their brains.” Millar said he would welcome the opportunity to have another chance at the title but he would probably not push for a complete rerun of the championship. “It has been won as far as I am concerned. There will be a

cloud over the championship whatever happens. I don’t know what Allan (Palmer) feels about it. I enjoy racing against him. I don’t care if I get last, as long as I enjoy it.”

Millar’s Datsun car burnt a valve in the first heat and

was running on three cylinders for the rest of the meeting. He will have this repaired before any re-run is held.

Jack Bryan, who was fined jslo after several collisions ' with Palmer in the first run- ’ ning of the second heat, i yesterday denied that he was responsible. He claimed that he had a “nasty shunt” ’from Palmer in the Prison ißend but had managed to , keep in front. “I took my 'own line in the next bend and he went round the outiside. I kept the power on — | perhaps 1 shouldn’t have — land my front wheel went ini’ side his wheels. My tyre ] went flat and there was I nothing I could do about it.” I He said that he was “pretty upset” about being fined and about the decision |to run the second heat I again. Blew up Later *n the championship, ] Bryan’s motor blew to ’pieces and even if the championship is held again next | Saturday he will be unable to compete. Nevertheless, he I feels that the championship -should be run again and that the officials should be more strict with the rules.

Mr Ron McPhail, the owner of the car Bryan

drives, said that the championship appeared to have been run in a very unsatisfactory manner. He said that if a decision was made to hold it again, it should not be for a fortnight. This would enable him to repair th* S4OO worth of damage to the Holden motor.