New midget cars

Press, 13 April 1978, Page 32

New midget cars

Two North Island cars will race at Templeton speedway this season. Dave Cawley and Norrie Chandler, both long-time stalwarts in the three-quaw ter midget class, decided at the end of the season to step up a grade for next year’s racing. They have just returned from Auckland and the cars they brought back with them reflect the high standard of machinery and racing there. Cawley bought the Ford Pinto-powered midget of John Godfrey, who raced in the national midget-car championships last February 18.

Cawley will not use the Pinto engine in the car. He also bought three Offenhauser motors in the North Island. “I wouldn’t run a washing machine with the Pinto,”

said Cawley yesterday. At the nationals, the motor had played up. The Offenhauser which has only recently been replaced by the Volkswagen as the premier midget motor, was originally built specially for speedway.

Chandler bought a Chevy 11-powered midget car of the same type that Mark Williams did well in last year. He bought the car from Ray Alach, who has his own

midget canmaking business in Auckland. Alach raced the car at Western Springs last season with some success. Business commitments prevented him from coming south for the national championships. Later this month, Templeton will hold a speedway meeting featuring a demolition derby. Other attractions will include the older type of stock cars, junior scramblers, and side-car racing.