VWs duel at speedway

Press, 16 January 1979, Page 4

VWs duel at speedway

The close duels between the VW midgets of . Alan Palmer and Kevin Proctor were a feature of the racing at Ruapuna Park Speedway last night. Palmer won the first scratch race by a good margin but was chased hard in their next outing for the full distance by Proctor, Proctor showed the benefit of his recent experience in Auck-

land when he came within half a second of the six-lap record in the final scratch race, with Palmer a close second. The visiting Australian driver, Noel Bradford, had a short run in the midget events. Competing in Norrie Chandler’s Chevy 2. he was forced to retire in the fust race with a dropped valve Wayne Wright, woo convincingly won the first sprinter race, lent his car to Bradford, who promptly picked up a third racing. lan Begbie continued his great showing of last week, coming from the back mark in the two sidecar handicaps. He and Tony

Henry capped the night with a fine win in the final scratch race after a race-long duel with Dave Scobie and Mark Lock. Begbie’s performance earned him the “C.8.A.-Mutual Personality of the Night” award. An unusually large number of solo riders fell during the programme, but none w r as seriously injured. John Sparks had the most spectacular spill, in the rerun of the second division consolation. He went too fast into the town bend and his bike rode up the fence, throwing Sparks into the wire netting. He recovered in the pits. Results:— MOTOR-CYCLES First division solo events (four laps).—First handicap: T. Briggs 1, R. Wright 2. L. Ross 3. Time: 83.3 sec. Second handicap: T. Skretting (Norway) 1, G. Stapleton 2. P. Paw’son 3. Time: 82sec. Champion spark plug handicap (three law): C. Blackett 1, A. Crosbie

Suzuki Centre scratch.—Ross 1. Stapleton 2, Wright 3. Time: 76.8 sec. Tommy’s Yamaha Flying Six '.oss 1. Wright 2, R. Muts (' riands) 3. 77.65ec. Secor vision solo events (four 1 -First handicap: R. Lang 1 orscutt 2 G. Wells 3. 83.7 (econd handicap: G. Beards), C. Blackett 2, A. Crosbie f.L’sec. Consolation scratch: avltt 1, W. McClintock 2. . ime. Final scratch: Blackett . Crosbie 2, Lang 3. 83.0 sec.

Novice solo events.—First scratch (three laps): M. Pavitt 1, F. Gibson 2.78 sec. Second scratch (four laps): K. Robinson 1. A. Bayard 2. Imin 42sec. Blair Carpenter Motor-cycles final (four laps): R Lang I, Pavitt 2, Gibson 3. 96sec. Side-car events (four laps).— Honda City Handicap: I. Begbie and T. Henrv 1. A. Rogers and I. Muir 2. D. Scobie and M. Lock 3. 94.45ec. Christchurch Motor-cycles Handicap: Begbie and Henrv 1, Scobie and Lock 2, C. Finch and L. Brooks 3. 87.5 sec.

R.C.A. Records scratch: Begbie and Henry 1, Scobie and Lock 2. Finch and Brooks 3. 85.3 sec. CARS Three-quarter midget races.— Fish Tank Handicap (six laps): E Lambie 1, G. Dawson 2, G. Parr 3. 2min 9sec. G. Stone 1, S. Smith 2. R. Sladen 3. 2mln 9sec. Russ Noble feature (eight laps): Smith 1, A. Clarkson 2. B. Read 3. 2min Bsec. Midget car events.—Bishopdale Service Station scratch laps): A. Palmer 1, R. Robinson 2, G. Roxburgh 3. 2min 33.8 sec. Handicap race (six laps): Palmer 1, K. Proctor 2, D. Cawley 3. Imin 58,3 sec. Eeratch race (six laps): Proctor 1. Palmer 2. Robinson 3. Imin 53sec. Sprint car events. —First handicap (six laps): W. Wright 1, M. Allan 2. H. Pierson 3. 2min 4fi.4sec. Second handicap (six laps): Pierson 1 S. Everett 2, N. Bradford 'Australia' 3. 2min 9.6 sec. C.R.C. feature (eight laps): Pierson 1, A. Botherway 2, Everett 3. 2min 49.8seJ