Motor-sport involvement

Press, 29 July 1986, Page 15

Motor-sport involvement

Nissan New Zealand, Ltd, whose car and commercial vehicles are retailed in Christchurch by Cockram Nissan, the dealership which will operate from new premises at the corner of Moorhouse Avenue and Manchester Street from Saturday, has long been involved in motor sport. Reg Cook, of Auckland, has kept the Nissan name in front of the public with his Nissan Sunnys in Shellsport Championship and other national circuit racing series, as well as in hillclimbs. He has also been a regular and successful entrant in New Zealand’s annual international rally, as well as in the national rally championship series. More recently, Nissan involvement in circuit racing has become deeper with the advent of the Nissan Widetrack Bluebird about two years ago. The Widetrack was the first of a long line of • Bluebirds to be of front-

wheel-drive configuration, and when it was launched, it won the wholehearted approval of New Zealand motoring press corps because it turned out to be a saloon with polished road manners and impeccable handling qualities. Those qualities were soon appreciated by a number of competition drivers, including Ray Williams, of Orewa, who drove an SGS Bluebird in the three-round Benson and Hedges endurance race series for locallyassembled saloon cars. The car was drawn from Nissan New Zealand’s fleet. As it had already covered about 60,000 km, it was fitted with new piston rings and main bearings, while the clutch and brakes were relined. A second Bluebird, also drawn from the company fleet, was also refurbished and driven by another North Islander, Don Halliday. The outcome of the Benson and Hedges series was second place in the two-litre category — a magnificent effort, considering that the Bluebirds were matched against high performance saloons retailing for almost $lO,OOO more. The Benson and Hedges Bluebirds showed motor spoilsmen and their followers that to be successful in production saloon car racing, it is no longer necessary to have a fortune or an indulgent bank manager. There is, however, a much more costly form of motor racing and one in which Nissan has already become involved very successfully in Australia in recent months — Group A saloons. Driving turbocharged Nissan Skyline coupes, George Fury, a regular Nissan competitor, Gary Scott and Glen Seton had a big clean-up in the 1 flrace Australian Touring Car Championship series that has just concluded. Fury won five races and Scott another, while Seton took two second places. The record was not quite good enough to annex the championship.

That went to another New Zealander, Robbie Francevic, who was brilliantly consistent to win three races and place well in most of the others in a Volvo 240 Turbo. The performances of the Nissan Skyline Turbos in Australia were sufficiently impressive, however, to persuade the Aucklanders, Kent .Baigent and Graeme

Bowkett, to team up to buy a pair of second-hand Skyline coupes in Japan. They brought them to New Zealand where they are now being prepared in the Baigent-Bowkett Auckland workshop for the heavy Group A international and national racing programme which will be conducted on local racing circuits this summer.