World speedway champions to race at Ruapuna

Press, 28 October 1981, Page 30

World speedway champions to race at Ruapuna

By

ALISTAIR ARMSTRONG

~«.Some top American and Australian speedway racers will be among the action at the Lucas Battenes Speedway Ruapuna Park, mis season. The Christ'chu’i.h Speedway Associations season opens at tne park on trie afternoon 01 SunoaV November 8. and continues on Saturoay nights thereafter The main attraction will be tne appearance of the world speedway champion, Bruce Penhall, of the United States, in an international best pairs competition tentatively set down for Februrary 27. Pennail also won the world pairs title in Poland in June, and his partner on that occasion, Boboy Swartz, will be accompanying him at Ruapuna. The pair will meet a New Zealand team, likely to be the world pairs runners-up, Ivan Mauger and Larry Ross, and an English team, wmch is to include the world solo championship's fourth place-getter, Kenny Carter. A strong contingent of local riders with British league experience is expected for the South Island

solo championships on January 16. Mauger. Ross, and the forme/ New Zealand represemanve. Graeme Stapleion. win line up tor what is me first step towards qualifying for the world championships. Other possible entrants are Christchurch's Alan Mason, who has been racing in Scotland, a leading Canterbury rider, Graeme Beardsley, and the up-and-coming 18-year-oid, Tony Briggs. Briggs is the son of the former Christchurch world champion, Barry Briggs. His appearance. could be prevented by injuries he received in a competition crash in England last July, He broke a bone in ms neck and it is thought to be still in plaster as a result. The highlight of the midget car programme will be a four-meeting series which begins witn the New Zealand championship on January 23. It will feature the visit in following weeks of the United States drivers. Bob Wente and "Sleepy” Tripp,

returiritig,..after a three-year absence.

Tripp, a former world title-holder, is known for ms spectacular driving srvie, wmie Wente. a former American champion, is a veteran oi more than 2u years on nis country s circuits. The series will include the New Zealand Midget Car Grand Prix, to be held in Nelson in the week after the national championships. Locally, there will be a weekly feature race with points counting towards a season tally.. The season for the unlimited engine-size Sprintcars will be boosted by an Invercargill-Canterbury provincial match on November 21 and the -New Zealand championships on January 2. The national event will provide a rematch tor the joint winners of a controversial clash in last year's New Zealand Sprintcar Grand Prix, Roger Gleeson (Christchurch) and Warren Anderson (Wellington). In a bid io attract the top

North Island cars to the race, the Christchurch association has arranged a senes of meetings, taking in Cromwell. Nelson. Wellington and Wanganui The national champion. Wayne Genevan. of Cnnsichurcn. is likely to be to the tore again in the T Q. (Three-Quarter) midget car class. The trend in T.Q. racing here is to race muiti-cyclin-aer Japanese motors (limited to 650 cu cm), but some drivers are trying to get tne cu cm rating lifted to 750 after recent visits by leading Americans who used fuelinjected 750 cu cm motors. In the sidecar class, the New Zealand champions, Bruce and Norma Turner, are negotiating on behalf of the local association to bring tne Australian Champion, Keith Sewell, and the runnerup, Bruce Penhelig, to .Ruapuna. A meeting has been pencilled in for the Australians on January 9. Canterbury's Turner Trophy inter-provincial match with Invercargill will be held on December 5, with the South Island championships on December 28.