Midget car race re-run

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34086, 25 February 1976, Page 22

Midget car race re-run

(By ROD DEW) The South Island midget car championship will be , re-run at the Templeton Pall Mall Speedway on Saturday night. A meeting of all drivers in the original chanipioni ship contest was held last evening and they unanimously decided that it should be declared “no contest” and held again. The Autocycle Union steward (Mr Murray Butler) subsequently ruled the championship invalid and gave authority to the Christchurch Speedway Association to stage it again on Saturday. The meeting was called by the president of the ; Association (Mr Tony Nesbitt) after drivers had complained that the original championship, held last Saturday, had been a shambles. The driver who “won” the championship, Alan Palmer, was among those who agreed on the re-run. However, he will not lose his prize money. “We will pay out the full prize money for last Saturday as if it was still the ' championship. I think that is only fair,” Mr Nesbitt said. A lot of good, constructive criticism had come out of the meeting, he said. As a result, the red light would be used more sparingly and any cars which stalled on the track ' would be removed on the caution light before racing was allowed to resume. “I am not going to tolerate any more nonsense on Saturday night,” Mr Nesbitt said. “Officials are quite adamant that things will run smoother this time.” The meeting had cleared : the air; the drivers were | “pretty sound sportsmen” and they had the utmost i respect for Mr Butler, Mr 1 Nesbitt said. Only one driver will be unable to contest the re- , ******************** *******

run Jack Brjan. The motor of his Holdenpowered racer blew up last Saturday and it will he imjxrssible for his sponsor. Mr Ron McPhail, to hate it repaired in time. e** ******* ***«