Crowe wins at Levels

Press, 22 October 1984, Page 3

Crowe wins at Levels

The O.S.C.A. champion, Trevor Crowe, reasserted his position at the top of the field with a comfortable win in the 15-lap Arbuckles O.S.C.A. final at Levels Raceway near Timaru yesterday. Crowe led every lap except the first in his Starlet Oldsmobile to head off the winner of the previous round, John Osborne, in his Versatile Capri Chev. Crowe led off the grid, but Osborne used the power of his bigger V 8 to pass on the back straight and lead at the end of lap one. On lap two, however, Crowe slipped through into a lead he held until the finish.

Crowe eased slightly away from Osborne throughout the race, and Osborne was similarly untroubled by lan Munt who drove steadily to third in his Waterbed World Capri Chev. Further back the race was enlivened by a fine tussle between John Fisher, who drove with increasing confidence in his Capri Chev, and Don Grindley (Mazda RX7). The battle lasted until lap

11 when Grindley slipped through on the short front straight and pulled away to finish fourth, with Fisher taking fifth. Crowe easily won the race for two and four litre O.S.C.A. cars, held earlier in the day, leading all the way to head home Grindley and Mike Johnston’s Escort turbo. Warren Burt’s Toyota Corrolla was fourth and first two litre car home.

Avon Hyde, P.D.L. Commodore Chev, was on pole position for the six litre class race and led away from the start. Hyde’s race ended on the back straight, however, when his engine broke a con-rod. Osborne took over to lead initially from lan Shrimpton, Radio Avon Capri Chev, but Munt, who had made a poor start carved his way through the field to finish second, close behind Osborne.

Ross Cameron in a Formula Pacific March, won both races for Libre Cars, but the real battle in these races was waged between John Crawford who has recently returned from Eng-

land and was driving a borrowed car, Peter McEwan and Andrew McElrea. Crawford and McEwan had a slight coming together in the first heat, McEwan retiring with frontal damage. Crawford had a successful return, to win both Formula Ford heats. Struawn Armstrong, of Timaru, was fortunate to escape injury when he lost control of his Vauxhall in the first race for pre 65 saloons. Armstrong’s car hit the brrier head-on at considerable speed, the driver escaping with little more than a shaking. Mike Fitzgibbon and Kevin Pateman, both of Timaru, took a win apiece in this class.

Barry Dryden’s Commodore led most of the way in heat one of the South Island Production Saloons, but was passed toward the end of the race by Mike Small’s Charger. In the second heat Dryden made no mistake and although Small closed the gap again toward the end of the race, Dryden held on to win.