Perkins wins, but Riley benefits at Teretonga

Press, 22 January 1979, Page 18

Perkins wins, but Riley benefits at Teretonga

By JOHN FRIDD »t Wigrain next week-end Teo Fa’bi. of Italy, will virtually go back to square one in his bid to win tr.e 1979 New Zealand international Formula Pacific series The stocky Italian,, who is short :n stature but big on driving ability, will prefer to •uickly forget that he raced on the world's southernmost motorracing circuit after having a wretched day at Teretonga, In vercargill, on Saturday. Fabi. as usual, qualified his Winfield March 78/79 on pole position, with Larry Perkins (Australia, Wynns March 778), alongside him, but in the first heat a carburettor problem eliminated him after only five laps l and in the second a mid-race col-! lision with Perkins saw him lose; two laps while having a new nose-cone fitted to his car.

After collecting the maximum 40 points frnm each of the series’ first three rounds. Fabi scored only eight at Teretonga, and the expatriate New Zealander, Brett Riley (Rentokii March 778». has now gained full benefit from the ludicrous points system ir. force this year and is only four behind the flving Italian

If Fabi fails to finish one of the two heats at Wigram. the final round. Riley could easily win the series bv scoring a brace of seconds or even thirds, never having looked in the same class as Fabi and Perkins.

All this computation and speculation overshadows the brilliant driving of Perkins at Teretonga on Saturday. The affable Australian won both heats after never really being threatened by Riley, even though Riley finial ed only half a >econd behind in the second heat.

Another feature of the fourth round was the continued fine showing of the talented Aucklander. Dave McMillan. McMillan rewarded his team with two impressive third places, just as he did at Manfeild last week-end.

Ten cars ined up for the start of the first 31-lap. 80km heat, with Howard Wood (Hamilton) absent after blowing up the mo-. to*' of his experimental Lyncari in the morning warm-up.

The start was perfect and Perkins managed to close out Fabi into the first corner, a fast sweeper. Behind them Riley settled into third place, followed by McMi’lan. John Smith ‘Australia, Halt;.. Jeff Wood ‘United States. March 78B* and Eje Elgh (Sweden. March 782 B».

Porkins quickly opened up a l.psec gap on Fabi bv flinging his March aggressively around the fine, fast circuit and bv lap three it was obvious that some-

thing was very wrong with Fabi’s motor.

On lap five Fabi brought the car into the pits and his crew found that the nut holding the back carburettor’s float-needle was loose, a discovery that had Fabi’s chief mechanic, Wayne Eckersley, muttering darkly that “there was no way it could have come loose like that.”

So the fabulous Fabi was out, and Perkins kept a stranglehold on the race by increasing the gap between his and Riley’s cars, until the difference was seven seconds at the chequered flag. McMillan was challenged for third place several times by Smith, but the cheerful Australian could never pressure the Aucklander into maxing a mistake and had to settle for fourth place, well ahead of Wood.

The only change to the grid for the second neat was the promotion of McMillan from eighth to sixth spot. Again the front drivers had

fine starts, and Perkins streaked! out of the sweeper, hotly pur-j sued by Fabi. and then camel Riley. Smith. McMillan. Eign Wood and Millen. For 11 laps Perkins and Fabi sp,. a. jui. tne 2..»km circuit locked together. On lap 15 Fabi made his move. Perxins oversteered on the sharp Dunlop left-hander, sliding wide, and fabi shot through on the (inside. However, he did not make it, as Perkins overcorrected his slide and his car’s back swung across and smashed into the front of Fabi’s car, pushing the fibreglass spoiler, on to one front wheel.

Fabi was forced to do another lap as traffic stopped him from getting across the straight to the pits .and he dropped back from Perkins, with smoke pouring off’ the rubbing tyre. tie pitted after that lap, received a new nose-cone then rejoined the race to gain a few | consolation points.

Perkins then had a semi-lead, taking maximum points and s4oo(i for his two wins. He now has 116 points, with Fabi leading with 128 and Riley second on 124.

It is interesting to note that had the promoters adopted the universal F.I.A. points system of 9-6-4-3-2-1 Fabi would hate been leading with 54, Perkins second on 42 and Riley third with 37, a more accurate indication of the drivers’ and cars’ abilities.

Fabi’s team will this week change his car's motor in an attempt to rid it of the fuelfeed problem. Results:—

International Formula Pacific series.—Heat one: L. Perkins 'Australia. Wynns March 778», 29min 39.0 sec elapsed. 1; B. Riley (England. Rentokil March 778), 29:46.0. 2; Dave McMillan (N.Z., Citizen Nashua Kalt RTI), 29:49.3. 3; J. Smith (Australia, Ralt RTI), 29:50.3, 4; J. Wood (U.S., March 78B). 29:59.2. 5; E. Elgh (Sweden, Marlboro March 7828>. 30:00.3. 6; G. Campbell

(N.Z., Chevron 839), 30:07.3, 7; K. Stone (N.Z., Motogard Cuda JR3), 3u:21.6. «. No other finishers. Heat two: Perkins, 29:35.4, 1; Riley, 29:35.9. 2; McMillan, 29:4u.2, 3; Wood, 29:47.9, 4; Smith, 3U.V0.0, 5; Elgh, 30:04.1. 6; T. Fabi (Italy, Winfield March 78/79), 30:01.2 (two laps down), 7; Campbell, 30:24.8 (two taps down), 8; S. Millen (N.Z., Martini Chevron 842), 30:16.1 (nine laps down), 9.

Points with two of the 10 races remaining.—Fabi 128, Riley 124, Per Kins 116, Elgh 90, J. Smith 82, J. Wood Bu, McMillan 66, Millen 58, K. Smith (Auckland) 34, D. Oxton (Auckland) 18, Stone 16, Campbell 14, N. Lankshear (Feiiding), 10, H. Wood 6. The volatile Aucklander, Reg Cook, won both rounds of the Shellsport two-litre saloon-car championship round after the challenge from his arch-rival, i Bryce Platt, also of Auckland, evaporated on the first lap of the first heat. Platt (Fountain Escort! 1600 TC) was hounding Cook’s new two-litre Datsun coupe when a stone fiexx up and shattered his car s windscreen; he had to pit to collect a pair of goggles. Another Aucklander. Ken Sager (Escort 1600). took second in the first heat, with Bryan Hessey (Christchurch, Hurst Wreckers Escort 2000) a tine third. John Dymand (Christchurch, Motormarket Datsun coupe), holed a piston in practice and did not start.

Over-all Open Saloon Car Association honours wheat to the consistent Timaru driver, Kevin Ryan (Californian Chicken Escort FV’A.i, who scored a third and a first in the two heats.

lan Munt (Christchurch, Hamilton Brushes Capri V 8), led the local hero. Inky Tulloch (Hiab Capri Chev.i. a merry chase for most of the first heat before Tulloch slipped past near the end to win.

However, Tulloch did not start the second race, as a timing gear had been damaged on his car between races, and Munt was a clear leader before trying a little too hard at one point and sliding off the track, leaping up a sand-bank. Munt was able to regain the track, but something had broken in the back of his car and Ryan easily won the race, from Dave Waldron (Christchurch, Escort turbo) and John Haszard (Dunedin. Raro Mazda).

Max Crawford (Dunedin. Datsun coupe* took C class honours in both races.

Mike King (Auckland) scored narrow wins in both Motocraft Formula Ford beats in last year's championship-winning Titan, after some fine, close racing between the large field. Kim Crocker (Auckland. Palliseri was second and Mike Finch 'Auckland. Cuda) third in the first heat and in the second Mike Austin (Titan) took \ second and Jeff Pascoe (Blenheim. Titan) was third.

Lucas Verhoeven (Christchurch. GLH Owens), qualified fourth fastest and was always

pressing the leaders. He scored a fifth and a sixth.

The leader in the Escort Sport series, Rax Williams, moved further ahead of his rivals with two fine wins in the two heats, with the Dunedin driver, John Armstrong, gaining two seconds. The feature of the racing was the fine showing of the Christchurch newcomer, Mark Rutherford. He was third in the first heat and fifth in the second.

Motor racing.—Europe’s first Formula One meeting this year, at Brands Hatch, England, has been extended to three days to raise more money for the Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Research Fund The organisers hope to exceed the £lOO,OOO donation guaranteed to the fund set up by the Swedish racing driver, who died last year. Tennis.—The United States wilfl begin the defence of its Davis Cup championship in Cleveland, Ohio between March 16 and March 18 when it will play Colombia in the north section final of the American zone.