Pottinger top driver

Press, 16 February 1978, Page 21

Pottinger top driver

Bill Pottinger shoved that he will be a force to reckon with on the rally scene this season when he won the Canterbury Car Club’s Autolodge Gold Star hill-climb at Duvauchelle on Saturday. Pottinger drove his Escort Mexico increasingly faster throughout the day and ended with a record-breaking run of Imin 35.375ec, breaking Stephen Stokes’s record by just over a second.

11 was Pottinger’s first competitive drive in the Escort, which was rallied last season by Mike Reid. Pottinger experimented. fairly unsuccessfully, with a turbocharged Datsun 1300 last season and now seems to have the reliable mount to complement his fine style. Stokes could not match the record-breaking run which gave him the Duvauchelle event last, year, but still took second place on Saturday with a time of Imin 18.645ec. Ross More surprised his boss, Trevor Crowe, by driving his ittle Datsun 1200 into third dace, an effort made even more ommendable by the fact that le was running on standard adial tyres. Crowe finished ourth. only half a second belind Bore, after having traction problems. Russell Greer, of Renwick, exierienced ignition problems with he Stanton Corvette, veteran of ountless hill climbs, and competed only two runs., to finish veil down.

Most drivers had problems with the loose, pebbly surface on their first one or two runs

up the twisting 2km course, but once the loose metal was kicked off times improved dramatically, and some exciting action was provided for the 150 spectators. Several cars spun, and some clipped banks, but there were no serious mishaps. Results:—

W. Pottinger (Christchurch, Escort 1600), 1:35.37 (record), 1; S. Stokes (Rangiora, Escort 1600), 1:38.64, 2; R. Bore (Christchurch. Datsun 1200). 1:39.43, 3; T. Crowe (Christchurch). Datsun 1200 coupe), 1:39.90. 4; E. Morgan (Christchurch. Escort 2000'. 1:41.99, 5; .1. Shand Fairlie. Escort 1600), 1:42.33. 6; B. Fitzgerald (Twizel, Mini Cooper), 1:42.69. 7: G. Askin (Al bury, Fiat 1300). 1:42.78. R; B. Walker (Christchurch. Datsun 1600). 1:43.34. 9; D. Batty (Christchurch. Toyota Corolla). 1:43.51. 10. Stephen Stokes may not have won the hill-climb, but he made no race of it in the Autosporl Club’s gravel sprint at. Lincoln on Sunday, winning by almost six seconds.

Most of the top competitors from the hill-climb did not race in the sprint, which took the cars on timed runs twice around a Ikm figure-eight circuit, but the 22 drivers competing had some close tussles, with two cars rolling when asked to do impossible feats. Results (combined time of two official runs). —S. Stokes. 2:35.1, 1: B. Fitzgerald, 2:41.0. 2: P. Fairhill (Christchurch, Mini Cooper), 2:41.6, 3; B. Walker. 2:42.6, 4.