Northerners run out of the race

Press, 5 December 1985, Page 69

Northerners run out of the race

By

PETER GREENSLADE

If North Island followers of saloon car endurance racing gained the impression that South Island competitors were in the annual Benson and Hedges threerace series just for a high speed drive, they received a rude awakening from Christchurch’s Trevor Crowe. Partnered by a Queens-

lander Tony Longhurst, he grasped the series by the neck and ran the northerners right out of it with a devastating Pukekohe sixhour race win a fortnight or so ago.

Crowe, king-pin of O.S.C.A. (the South Island’s Open Saloon Car Association racing series), is now also racing a BMW 635 CSi in the burgeoning Group A saloon car series. With the help of Longhurst, a regular member of Frank Gardner’s JPS-Team BMW Motorsport, a division of BMW Australia, Ltd, he is asserting himself in Group A competition.

One of the quicker saloon car men on any New Zealand racing circuit, Crowe, nevertheless, is still learning how to get the best out of the BMW 635 CSi.

In the Benson and Hedges series he proved to be an apt pupil and in the final round at Pukekohe he was putting in some laps of the 3.5 km circuit as fast and even faster than Longhurst, who is an experienced BMW conductor.

In any case, Crowe and Longhurst effectively demolished the opposition to beat by three laps the former Australian Touring Car champion, Dick Johnson, and the Auckland motor dealer and businessman, Neville Crichton, who drove a very fast Ford Mustang GT. The BMW covered nearly 800 km in the six hours, averaging just on 144 km.

The Crowe/Longhurst 635 CSi is racing backed by Archibalds Garage, Ltd, the Christchurch motor firm that has an enviable national reputation in the quality car business. Thus, it was not entirely surprising that Ray Archibald, a son of the founder of the firm, was in the Crowe/ Longhurst pit at Pukekohe and following the fortunes of the firm’s car. Archibald was one of New Zealand’s foremost racing drivers for many years, dis-

tinguishing himself at the wheel of an XKI2O Jaguar and a magnificent 3.8 Jaguar racing saloon. Over the last couple of decades or so, Archibald has made rare appearances in long distance races. Partnered by Tony Shelly, another latter day racer, he drove a stock Jaguar 3.8 to win the first long distance race at Pukekohe, the Wills six-hours, back in 1963. In 1966 the pair teamed up again in a 3.8 to repeat the performance.

Then, about 10 years later, Archibald made yet another of his appearances, this time in a Chevrolet Camaro, to demonstrate that he had not lost his magic touch and to show the youngsters what longer distance racing was all about.

Now yet another decade has elapsed and the Archibald motor racing connection has been revived.

Crowe has a full driving season ahead with the Archibald team. He will not only contest all the Group A A.N.Z. saloon car races at the international meetings, but will also race his VB- - Toyota Starlet for the team in supporting sports sedan races. The team will, however, face its moments of truth when Crowe and Longhurst line up the 635 CSi on the truly international Group A starting grids at the Wellington street circuit at the end of January and at Pukekohe a week later. These two races, which constitute the Nissan Mobil 500 series, are worth $120,000.

Until a factory revamped BMW 635 CSi is confirmed next year, the Archibald team must rely on the undoubted talents of Crowe and his Australian driving partner, and the unquestionable reliability of their current BMW 6.35 CSi. Whether the combination can continue to carry off the laurels in the Archibald 'traditional style and against some of the world’s best Group A competition remains to be seen.

But one thing is certain, the team, described by Frank Gardner, Australia’s JPS-Team BMW boss, as the best of the week-end warriors at Pukekohe, is getting more professional at each competition outing and, in big-time motor racing, it is professionalism that really counts.