Teo Fabi cleared

Press, 16 January 1979, Page 24

Teo Fabi cleared

An official strip-down of Teo Fabi’s March 78/79 engine in Christchurch yesterday cleared the crack Italian driving star of cheating allegations made after practice at the Manfeild meeting at the week-end. Mr John Gobbe, chief technical officer of the Motorsport Association of New Zealand, yesterday removed the official seals put on Fabi’s motor immediately after he had won the first two rounds of the international Formula Pacific series at Bay Park, Tauranga, inspected the motor and pronounced it “100 per cent legal.” An Auckland newspaper published a “shock” article on Sunday stating that rumours were abounding that Fabi’s motor had illegal modifications and that “noone with only two years racing could be that quick.” However, Mr Gobbe said the M.A.N.Z. seals had definitely not been tampered with, and he was completely satisfied that the Winfield March was within the rules.

The competent March team is now rebuilding the motor in a Christchurch workshop, to make it reliable for Fabi’s bid to win the remaining four races in the series, at Invercargill and Christchurch, and thus make a clean sweep winning himself $20,000 in prize money.