Writ filed on winner of air race

Press, 10 April 1987, Page 2

Writ filed on winner of air race

The results of the P.D.L. International Air Race from Singapore to Christchurch could be overturned by legal action being taken by disgruntled competitors. A writ, to be heard in the High Court this morning; seeks a judicial review of the way the results were calculated. It also seeks an interim order preventing the first prize, the $60,000 Tiger Moth won by a Sydney businessman, Boyd Munro, from leaving New Zealand, and asks for an interim freeze on any still-unpaid prize-money. The writ has been filed by Brent Ferguson, of Richmond, supported by three other race pilots —

John Shivas, of Ashburton; and Edward Duncan and Grant Biel, both of Auckland. The first defendant is the Canterbury Aero Club. The Christchurch City Council’s Airport Authority is the second defendant. Mr Munro is named as third defendant. He won the $20,000 first prize for the light plane section, and the Tiger Moth as the over-all winner on handicap. The race was run on a complex handicapping system, based on manufacturers’ performance data for each aircraft type. However, there were complaints about some of the submitted speeds even before the race entrants left Singapore, and a number of protests were lodged when competitors arrived in Christchurch. None was upheld. The Christchurch Airport director, Mr Hugh McCarroll, said yesterday that he could not comment on the matter. The Airport Authority would be represented at the hearing by the City Solicitors. None of the four plaintiffs is likely to gain from a revision of the results. Second place over all went to an R.N.Z.A.F. Orion, eight minutes behind Mr Munro on corrected time.