Another frustrating time for Brett Riley

Press, 29 August 1979, Page 25

Another frustrating time for Brett Riley

From d JRUCE BATTEN "‘What I need now is experience in a Formula One car. I’m sure that will lead to the break I need in motor-racing.” Brett Riley’s eyes were panning the field lined up for the start of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix as he spoke about his aspirations in the sport. ‘‘lt’s important for me to get out of Formula Three at the end of this year. I will then have four years’ experience behind me in that class and I think that’s plenty to give me the confidence to handle a Formula One car.” Riley’s fortunes have continued to fluctuate this year and his lack of regular high placings has yet again denied him the chance of winning a coveted British Formula Three championship. He has been trying to bolster his reputation by competing in additional events on the Continent, the latest of which was a nonchampionship Formula Three race supporting the Austrian Grand Prix at the Osterreichring. His performance there typified his season to date — not too bad, but not too good. After qualifying sixth fastest in a field of 34, the Aucklander found taht his Dolomite-engined March lacked the edge he had hoped for to overhaul those higher up the grid in the race.

Unable to close up and steal a “tow” in the slipstream of the years ahead, Riley' had to settle for fifth place — by no means a poor result, but neither one that will greatly enhance his reputation. Winning is the name of the game, and it has come Brett’s way only once this year — in the wet Euro-

pean Formula Three championship round at Donington Park, where his skill counted for more than the power of his engine. It has been the engines used by the Unipart team which have created most of Brett’s problems. With backing from British Leyland, the team is committed to using Triumph Dolomite motors, which lack the torque of the more widely used Toyota units. Acceleration away from corners is the most suspect area of performance.

Riley was relatively pleased in Austria compared with his previous outing at the British Grand Prix meeting at Silverstone. There, the team used four engines over the week-end but neither Riley’s car, nor his teammate, Nigel Mansell’s, had anything like the power needed to be competitive. “Our engines are rebuilt by two mechanics at Swindon,” Brett explained. “They’ve been having

some personal problems during the year and it’s been reflected in the standard of their work. There’ve been far too many engine failures, blown pistons and the like. Now, finally, they seem to be as good as they were at the start of the season and I’ve used the same engine throughout the week-end here in Austria.” lut it is now too late for him to make any major impact back in Britain. Only five rounds of the Vandervell British championship remain and Brett is currently 40 points in arrears of the ■leading drivers, Chico Serra (brazil) and Andrea di Cesaris (Italy). He has even lost third place now to the other New Zealand c mtender, Mike Thackwell, who is enjoying a flush of victories a.t the moment. Because of his races on the Continent, Riley has missed three British rounds, which has not helped-his chances. It looks as if third is the best he can expect in the over-all standings — “which is juSt not good enough.” If his options are Formula Three or nothing next year, then he will consider a fifth season in that class, but bis interest has turned to the British Aurora championship for Formula One cars. He is hoping to find the money to buy a drive in this series rather than the European Formula Two championship. “Formula Two is a dead end at the moment. None of the top drivers in that series can be confident of a Formula One berth next .ar. In fact, the best of the Formula Three competitors have more chance of being signed by a Grand Prix team. So investing in a Formula Two cimpaign would be a pointless exercise,” Riley points out. The Aurora championship does not enjoy much status either, but it is a valuable class for learning to handle the power and precision of a Formula One car. As English driver Geoff Lees has recently shown, when he stepped into the Tyrrell Grand Prix team to replace the hepatitis-stricken Jean Pierre Jarier, there is little '•rther adaptation re-

quired after a season of Aurora racing.

In the meantime, Brett Riley has no plans to return home to contest the New Zealand international Pacific series next January. He has raced in the last two, and was runnerup to Teo Fabi (Italy) this year. But the Marc.h he used in . New Zealand might be seen on the New Zealand tracks nevertheless, The Irishman. Eddie Jordan, is keenly interested in hiring the car. which is stored in Auckland, but is reluctant to finalise a deal until full details of the prize money available in the international series are released.

Meanwhile Riley’s compatriot, Mike Thackwell, has found backing for the last part of the British Formula Three season from a surprising source — Alan Jones. Thackwell spent much of his life in Australia before going to Britain and Jones, the Australian who has won the last two Formula One grands prix in his Saudia Williams, spotted his talent and decided to back him when he heard he was short of money.