Sports car burns

Press, 23 April 1984, Page 3

Sports car burns

PA Tauranga Murray Higgins escaped with minor burns to his hands when his car suddenly burst into flames at the Easter Day motor racing meeting at Mount Maunganui’s Baypark Raceway yesterday. Higgins was running well up in the field in the first sports sedan race when his Mazda RX3 burst into flames on the back of the circuit. Within seconds the vehicle was completely engulfed, and by the time the

fire was extinguished, the car was gutted.

The cause of the fire is not known.

The race saw a sparkling performance from the former national sports car champion, Bob Homewood, in a drastically modified Ford Escort.

Homewood, the fastest qualifier on Saturday, took on Auckland’s lan Algie (Alfetta V 8) and beat him convincingly, leaving the rest of the field behind. Homewood said the car was almost straight from the workshop, having only

run once before in a club event in Auckland. A feature event of the meeting was a 50-lap race for Formula Fords, won by a Wanganui driver, Chris Abbott, ahead of Robbie Rodgers. In the Production Supercar races, Auckland’s Trevor McLean was in outstanding form in his SS Commodore, winning both the scratch race and coming second in the handicap event. His nearest rival was Wayne Anderson (Falcon V 8).

Wellington’s Mark Gregory narrowly took the first superkart race from a local driver, Kevin Clark, who won the second race from Hamilton’s Ginger Malloy.

Auckland’s Jim Clark was unbeatable in both Mini Seven races, though Brian Audas tried hard to catch him.

Lloyd Watts and Roger Coles shared the honours in Formula Vee while Stuart Eyre easily won both rally car races.