G. Hill Wins Grand Prix At Pukekohe

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30954, 10 January 1966, Page 13

G. Hill Wins Grand Prix At Pukekohe

About 35,000 people crowded the Pukekohe circuit on Saturday and saw the London driver, G. Hill, win the New Zealand Grand Prix for the second successive year in a 2-litre V 8 B.R.M. and set a new lap record.

Hill, closely attended all the way by his Scottish teammate, J. Stewart, led all the way to cover the 84 miles—4o laps—in 62min 56.55ec. Stewart was second, only I.ssec behind him. Third and fourth places went to the current national champion J. Palmer (2.5 Brabham) and D. Marwood (2.5 Cooper) respectively. Both completed 38 laps. A lap further back were the Australian, L. Geoghegan (Lotus 32) and K Sager (1.5 BrabhamFord) in the fifth and sixth places. The race lost much of its interest night from the start when the world champion, J. Clark (2.5 Lotus) stalled on the line with a stripped first gear as the flag fell. A telescopic collision involving Clark, the Australian, F. Gardner, and the Masterton farmer, A. Buchanan resulted. The Brabhams of Gardner and Buchanan were immediately eliminated, but Clark finally got under way at the tail of the field, only to retire with gearbox trouble after six laps. Seconds after the start, another favoured driver, the young Australian, S. Martin, was also eliminated when his Brabham spun off the course at the bend leading into the back straight. He resumed briefly, but finally abandoned the race at the hairpin bend at the end of the straight.

With the strongest opposition out of the contest, Hill and Stewart were able to dictate the terms. They seldom raced more than 2sec apart for the whole distance. Hill set the new lap record of Imin 25.75ec in the second lap and, although in the final stages of the race Stewart made a determined bid for the lead, neither driver was able to improve on the figure. The previous record of Imin 26.25ec was set by F. Matich and D. Huhne, both driving 2.5 Brabhams, in 1964. 150 m.p.h. On a dry track the 8.8.M.S were touching 150 miles an hour on the long back straight, but their speed was reduced during a heavy fall of rain during the earlier stages of the race. However, lit was during this period that both leading drivers were able to gain even more of a lead over the rest of the field. Both were models of consistency and never made an error wearing through the slower cars time and time again effortlessly, as the cars, with the typical high-pitched whine of the V 8 engines, burned up the track. With so many of the stars eliminated right at he start, the Grand Prix was. something of a disappointing anti-climax in a day of good racing .

The 125 c.c. world motorcycle champion, H, Anderson, of Ohinewai, probably provided most of the thrills. After winning the New Zealand Junior T.T. with consummate ease on his diminutive Suzuki, he went out and immediately took the lead in the senior race, only to come down at the hairpin bend in the first lap. Undaunted he remounted to resume the race in twentieth place and work his way through a field comprised laregly of 500 c.c. machines to finish second—well within striking distance of the winner, N. Landrebe (G 45 Matchless). This race was one of the highlights of the day, but there were others. In the opening event of the programme, A. Hyslep scored a brilliant win over Christchurch’s J. Mullins, who was highly favoured, in a 1293 c.c. Mini-Cooper s-imll-ar in every resipect to that driven by Mullins, who is regarded as Canterbury’s most successful saloon car driver.

Subsequently, Canterbury's fortunes were revived when R. McDonald, of Cheviot, drove his Lotus-Cortina into first place in the open saloon car race after the first-lap retirements of the Ford Mustangs of I. Geoghegan and Hamilton’s I. Segedin. Wharton Memorial The Ken Wharton Memorial race for sports cars was held in heavy rain and resulted in a convincing victory for the Australian Martin in the 250LM Ferrari. Second home, and some lOsec in arrears, was the national sports car champion, J. Boyd, in the venerable Lycoming Special. The Australian run of luck continued in no uncertain fashion when I. Geoghegan drove his Ford Mustang convincingly into first place in the feature all-comers’ saloon race. It was the Australian all the way. But a tremendous battle developed between the national saloon champion, p. Fahey, and the Aucklander, D. Simpson, who raced nose to tail in second and third places most of the way in their very similar Lotus Anglias. Simpson dropped back in the last lap with engine trouble to leave Fahey to come home a comfortable second. In the course of this race all three broke the saloon car lap record, but the final honour went to Geoghegan with Imin 38.5 sec.

The former national saloon champion, K. Grant, made a brilliant comeback with his Sebring Sprite-engined Austin A4O to win the up to 1300 c.c. allcomers’ saloon race, vanquishing the very fast 1293 c.c,. MiniCoopers of B. Innes, T. Scott, and F. Hamlin. Disastrous Event

The Pukekohe Feature for 1500 c.c. single-seater racing cars was won by L. Geoghegan in his Lotus. Like the Grand Prix, it proved to be a disastrous event. In the early stages

W. Caldwell and Innes, driving a Brabham-Ford and Lotus 22 respectively, tangled on the bend leading Into the back straight. Both cars went off the track and were badly damaged. An ambulance was brought on to the circuit, but Caldwell escaped with minor cuts, and Innes was reported to have suspected fractures of two ribs. In spite of the indifferent weather—it rained heavily in Auckland all Friday night—people flocked to the circuit from an early hour on Saturday morning, and although final attendance figures are not yet available, officials estimated the crowd at about 35,000 —a record for Pukekohe. The Grand Prix was the first round in the eight-race Tasman Championship series. Points are: G. Hill 9, J. Stewart 6, J. Palmer 4, D. Marwood 3, L. Geoghegan 2, and K. Sager 1. The other races in the New Zealand section of the series will be held on the next three Saturdays at Levin, Wigram, and Teretonga. Results:— Grand Prix (40 laps).—G. Hill (England), 8.R.M., 62:56.5, 1; J. Stewart (Scotland), 8.R.M., 62:58.0, 2; J. Palmer (New Zealand). Lotus Climax, 38 laps, 3; D. Marwood (New Zealand). Cooper Climax, 38 laps, 4; L. Geoghegan (Australia), Lotus 32, 37 laps. 5; K. Sager (New Zealand), Brabham Ford, 37 laps, 6; R. Dawson (New Zealand), Brabham Climax, 37 laps, 7: R. Levis (New Zealand), Brabham Ford, 37 laps, 8; D. Hollier (New Zealand), Lotus Ford. 37 laps, 9; N. Whittaker (New Zealand), Brabham. 37 laps, 10; R. Thackwell (New Zealand), Brabham Ford, 35 laps, 11; K, Smith (New Zealand), Lotus Ford, 35 laps. 12. Fastest lap: Hill, lap two, 1:25.7 (race record); Stewart, lap one, 1:26.2; Palmer, lap two, 1:26.8. Saloon Cars, Up To 1300 c.c. (five laps).—A. Hysiop, Austin Mini Cooper, 9:11.5, 1; J. Mullins, Morris Cooper S, 9:16.1, 2; B. Innes, Morris Cooper S, 9:17.7, 3: F. Hamlin, Morris Cooper S. 9:20.9, 4. Fastest 'ap: Hysiop, 1:47.6. Over 1300 c.c. (six laps).—R. G. MacDonald, Lotus Cortina, 11:12.4, 1; R. Douglas. Morris Cooper S, 11:18.3. 2; T. Scott, Morris Cooper S, 11:21.6, 3: I. L. Bradley, Lotus Ford, 12:6.2, 4. Fastest lap: I. Geoghegan, Ford Mustang, 1:46.9. Ken Wharton Memorial Sports Car Race (six laps).—S. Martin (Australia), 250LM Ferrari, 10:24.9, 1; J. Boyd, Lycoming, 10.43.9, 2; I. W. Horley, Beowulf Ford, 12:6.1, 3; I. Green, Cooper Bristol, 12:23.0, 4. Fastest lap: Martin, 1:42.1. All-comers Saloon Cars, Up to 1300 c.c. (six laps).—K. Grant, Austin Farina A4O, 11:9.6, 1: B. Innes, Morris Cooper S, 11:12.7, 2; T. Scott, Morris Cooper S, 11:17.4, 3: F. Hamlin, Morris Cooper S, 11:20. z, 4. Fastest lap: K. Grant, 1:48.0. Open Saloon Cars (10 laps).— I. Geoghegan, Ford Mustang, 16:48.3, 1; P. Fahey, Lotus Anglia Fastback, 16:53J, 2; R. Coppins, Zephyr Corvette, 17:19.9, 3: K. Grant, Austin Farina A4O, 17:31.4, 4. Fastest lap: Geoghegan, 1:38.5 (race record).

Class Records, Up To 1300 c.c.—K. Grant, Farina A4O, 17:34.4; J. Mullins, Morris Cooper S, 18:15.4, 2; B. Innes, Morris Cooper S, 17:5.7, 3; A. Curry, Austin Cooper S, 17:28.4, 4.

1301 To 1600 c.c—B. Philips. Anglia, 17:13.6, 1; K. G. Bradlay, Flat 1500, 17:15.6, 2. Over 1600 c.c.—l. Geoghegan, 1; P. Fahey, 2; R. Coppins, 3; D. Simpson, Lotus Anglia, 17:37.0, 4.

Pukekohe Feature (10 laps).— L. Geoghegan, Lotus 32, 15:13.0, 1; R. Levis, Brabham Ford, 15:23.1, 2; G. Lawrence, Brabham Ford, 16:10.2, 3; R. Thackwell, Brabham Ford, 16:32.5, 4. Fastest lap: Geoghegan, 1:30.5. AH-comers Saloon Car Handicap (six laps).—R. Coppins, Zephyr Corvette, 11:55.0, 1; R. Brown, Morris Cooper S, 11:56.4, 2; N. Doyle, Anglia Corvette, 11:56.8, 3; A. Hysiop, Austin Cooper S, 12:3.7, 4. Fastest lap: Coppins, 1:41.8. Senior Tourist Trophy (eight laps, for machines of up to 500 c.c.). —N. J. Landrebe (Dunedin), 499 c.c. Matchless G5O, 1; H. R. Anderson (Ohinewai), 125 c.c. Suzuki, 2; B. J. Scobie (Te Awamutu), 499 c.c. Manx Norton, 3; M .M. Cleverly (Tauranga), 499 c.c. Manx Norton, 4. Winner’s time, 12:21.2. Junior Tourist Trophy (eight laps, for machines of up to 350 c.c.). —Anderson 1; F. R. Marnwell (Tauranga), 350 c.c. Manx Norton, 2; J. A. Wales (Petone), 350 c.c. A.J.S. 7R), 3; R. J. Breingan (Gisiborne), 350 c.c. Manx Norton, 4. Winner’s time, 14:9.