Hulme set to race

Press, 27 November 1986, Page 38

Hulme set to race

Sidelined without a race drive in the final round of the Benson and Hedges series at Pukekohe, Denny Hulme, the former Formula One world champion driver, looked as though he would be left out in the cold for the Group A touring car series.

The series, under Simpsons Appliances sponsorship, will open at the Manfeild circuit with the first of three three-hour races on Sunday. Originally it was thought that Hulme would race a Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3-16, but he had gearbox problems when

Denny Hulme, right, is no stranger to the 325 i. He is receiving the keys of his newly-bought BMW 325 i four-door saloon from Tony Mollison, the managing director of BMW New Zealand, Ltd, when he took delivery of it earlier this year.

he raced it recently in the James Hardie 1000 at Bathurst, New South Wales, and it was decided not to persist with it in the New Zealand Group A races.

Now one of Hulme’s long-time friends, Bill Bryce, a New Zealander, has come to the rescue. Bryce, who was active as a race commentator and race driver with a Mini Cooper, has acquired the BMW 3251 that was raced by Tony Longhurst in the Australian JPS BMW Team livery in the Australian touring car championship earlier this year. Hulme will race the car

in the Simpson series and it should go well on the tighter circuits at Manfeild, Feilding, and Bay Park, Mount Maunganui. Hulme and BMW are no strangers. He drove a BMW 635CSi for the JPS team at Bathurst a year or two ago and he runs a four-door 325 i as his personal car. Like the local Archibald Motor Sport team’s driver, Trevor Crowe, Hulme intends to drive all the way in the three-hour Simpson races. Like Hulme, Crowe will be driving a BMW, but his will be the more powerful 635CSi coupe model.