Williams returns with a vengeance

Press, 29 January 1982, Page 17

Williams returns with a vengeance

Mark Williams has made the kind of racing comeback other midget car drivers must dream about.

After a four-year break to make room for a marriage and other commitments, the 32-year-old Christchurch motor-body builder has rushed straight back into the top level of midget driving. The former Southland champion has had a string of club wins at the Ruapuna Park Speedway this season and at last week’s national championship on the same circuit, he finished a close second behind Auckland’s Owen Shaw.

After winning the last of the three New Zealand championship heats, Williams had accumulated 42 points, putting him second-

equal with the former world champion, Barry Butterworth (Auckland), and one point behind Shaw. Williams had had a third and a fifth placing in his other races. Earlier this month, Williams surprised himself by recording the fourth-best qualifying time from a hignclass field of 31 cars entered in the world 50-lap event at Western Springs, Auckland. Williams matched his prerace form by reaching fourth place in the race itself before a broken magnet drive forced him out in the twentyfirst lap. The Christchurch man bounced back a week later at the New Zealand championships with an aggresive performance ranking among the best of his four-season

midget career. Starting from a back grid in the final heat, he muscled his American-built LTC-VW past a succession of drivers to narrowly beat Butterworth to the line.

Commenting on his hardpushing tactics, Williams said: “That’s just the way I drive.” “I knew others were behind me but I wasn’t sure who until I came out of that last corner. You can’t underestimate these guys, you have just got to get as far in front as you can,” he said. “And the track was very slick so if you wanted to pass you ’had to be a bit rough — otherwise you would stay behind.”