Pit Stops

Press, Volume C, Issue 29511, 12 May 1961, Page 11

Pit Stops

QINCE the names of such famous Italian racing drivers as Ascari, Castellotti, and Musso disappeared from the world's racing circuits, Italy has had no top-class driver to pilot its famous Ferraris.

In winning the small car class in the 1961 sponsored economy run last week, the two Christchurch entrants, Messrs G. W. Drayton and W. L. Timlin, set up a new world record figure of 60.19 miles a gallon in their Morris Mini-Minor. This compares with their winning figure of 57.75 miles a gallon recorded on the run last year using lower octane rating petrol. Mr Drayton is a former president of the Canterbury Car Club, and his interest in competitive motoring goes back many

* A young driver who ; showed up well in speed ; I events last season was!! Errol ’Norris, a young; Christchurch motor mech-; i anic who now drives the 1 Cooper formerly owned I | by the late Les Moore and ! Basil Campion. Older and more experienced drivers > i rate him highly. I;

But at the recent, Syracuse Grand Prix, hope for the future was inspired by a 26-year-old from Milan, Giancarlo Baghetti. In spite of very strong opposition from such drivers as Moss, Brabham, and

Porsche recently announced details of its new IJ-litre flat eight-cylinder racing engine, and when this is seen on circuits pitted against the current V-6 Ferrari and the projected V-8 Coventry Climax and B.R.M. engines, international motor racing should receive a real shot in the arm. The horizontally - opposed Porsche engine will have twin overhead camshafts to each bank of four cylinders, and is cooled by a fan mounted on top of the engine. Porsche is also experimenting with its own design of disc brake.

On May 27-28, the Blenheim branch of the Forces Motoring Club is sending a team of cars to Christchurch to compete in a gymkhana and night trial. This is a repeat of a similar event at this time last year when six cars from the local branch travelled to Blenheim. The event will be an annual one, and the two branches will compete in a contest run on a points basis.