Summer racing series gets boost

Press, 5 August 1988, Page 40

Summer racing series gets boost

John Hawkins on RACING

New Zealand’s traditional summer international motor-racing series will remain,under the guidance of Global Sports and Promotions and, importantly, retain backing from Wills New Zealand in the forthcoming season. This was announced to the news media in the plush surroundings of the East Tamaki Yacht Club in Auckland last week.

The importance of the continued involvement of Global and Wills, who will provide over-all sponsorship via their Benson and Hedges brand, cannot be underestimated, and adds impetus to the revival of the series — a process which began last season with their initial participation. In an interesting development, the prestigious Formula Pacific category will be sponsored by another of' Wills’s brands, Peter Jackson.

Explaining the decision to support the Pacific series, the promotions

manager for Wills New Zealand, Mr Gary Morrison, said research had shown that the public identified with the Pacifies as the most prestigious class. The present Uncertainty about the future of the Group A touring car series influenced the decision.

The format will be similar to last year’s. At the five meetings, the first at Baypark on January 7

and January 8, there will be two championship heats a class, with events for Pacifies, sports sedans, Formula Fords and touring cars. Races for Mini 7s or Formula Vees, or both, will replace the now defunct Laser TX3i series.

The motorsport manager for Global, Mr Brian Lawrence, and a representative of M.A.N.Z., Mr Garry Jackson, said that every effort was being made to ensure the continuation of a worth-while national championship touring car series. “Nobody wants to see Group A go out the door,” said Mr Jackson. The Formula Pacifies are showing signs of prosperity. At least six Ameri-can-based drivers are likely to participate in the Peter Jackson series, including last year’s Lady Wigram Trophy winner, Dean Hall. Likely contenders include Mitch Thieman, Rod Granbury and Joe Sposanto, as well as the Japanese, Hiro

Matsushita. The Americans are likely to come armed with the now fullydeveloped Swift chassis, the dominant force in domestic Formula Atlantic racing in the United States.

A likely contender is Truesports Racing, from Ohio, an organisation which runs the champion, Bobby Rahal, in Indycar racing. Truesports’s driver, Colin Trueman, at present leads the East Coast Formula Atlantic series. Should Trueman not be able to make the trip to New Zealand, the team will have as a substitute the rapid Belgian, Dider Theys. From Australia, Greg Siddle, who previously ran Roberto Moreno in the New Zealand series, is at an advanced stage of negotation to run two top European Formula Three drivers in the. Peter Jackson series.

All these drivers and others will strive to beat last year’s winner, Paul Radisich, who turned in

some brilliant drives and is enjoying a successful season in the United States campaigning Super Vees.

In upholding New Zealand honours, Radisich will be capably backed by the durable Aucklander, Kenny Smith, who has yet to make his choice between Ralt and Swift chassis.

There has been a strong upsurge of interest in Pacifies among New Zealand competitors. Local representation will include Richard Lester and Bryan Hartley in the former Graham Watson cars, the woman driver, Heather Spurle, in Lester’s old car, Steve Richards, and probably the Formula Ford graduate, Craig Baird, a Hamilton teenager who showed much promise in the junior class. Mr Lawrence said that although an eye was being kept on developments in the United States, there were no plans to introduce the new Toyota en-

gine to New Zealand Formula Pacific racing.

' Prize money for the Formula Pacific totals around $lOO,OOO.

The sports sedan class also looks particularly healthy, having retained backing from Hansells Sun Valley and benefited from a tidy-up of regulations. Rodger Freeth’s championship success last season was somewhat blighted by a series of expensive engine failures. He intends re-powering his Toyota Starlet with an as-yet-unspecified engine ordered from none other than Tom Walkinshaw. Other leading contenders are exected to include the top O.S.C.A. drivers, Rob Kennard, Don Grindley and John Osborne.

Dates for the Benson and Hedges international series are;- Baypark, January 7-8; Pukekohe (N.Z.G.P.), January 14-15; Manfeild, January -21-22; Wigram, January 28-29; Levels, February 4-5.