Midget Car Driver Crashes Through Pit Gates

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30978, 7 February 1966, Page 8

Midget Car Driver Crashes Through Pit Gates

A former South Island three-quarter midget racing car driver, R. Burt, miraculously escaped serious injury when his tiny J.A.P.-powered machine somersaulted at more than 50 miles an hour and crashed through the pit gates on the back straight at the Templeton Speedway on Saturday night.

The car leapt madly in the air on collision with the gates and then crashed down heavily upside down pinning Burt underneath.

The race, the first threequarter midget car race on the programme, was immediately stopped by the Auto-cycle Union referee and white coated officials, fearing the worst, raced across to the capsized machine.

A dozen willing pairs of hands quickly righted the car to find Burt, still held in by his safety belt, grasping for breath and in a dazed condition. Apart from being winded and badly bruised he was otherwise unhurt After a few minutes he was able to walk away from the scene of the accident.

Had it not been for the roll bar and safety belt fitted to the midget Burt would probably have been killed. As it was, the worst damage was to the car. The rear suspension was damaged, the roll bar badly bent and the windscreen and part <rf the engine cowling broken off. It did not race again. Wheels Locked Together The accident occurred on the third lap of the opening fourlap handicap. Burt, one of the leading contenders for this year’s national championship, swung wide as he came out of the north bend and D. Richens,' having his first outing in a car just purchased from the lap record-holder, J. Morris, tried to go through on the inside. As the two care reached their

peak speeds halfway down the back straight their wheels locked together momentarily and Burt completely lost control, somersaulting into the pit gates. Richens’ car swung wildly but he managed to keep it on the track.

In the re-run there was another spectacular incident when a relatively new driver, S. Unwin, spun his yeHow car on the South bend barely 100 yards from the finish. Many drivers in the tightly packed field were unable to avoid the spinning car and there was complete chaos with cars going in all directions. This eliminated more than half the field but there was no serious damage or injury.

G. Raymond won the race with R. Burt’s brother, S. Burt, taking second place.

Hall’s Best Form The South Island midget car champion, T. Hall, produced his best form this season, racing away with the eight-lap scratch race with ease. His time was 2min 51.4 sec, only 4.Bsec outside the record set by the outstanding Auckland driver, W. Jarden, the previous Saturday. The New Zealand solo champion, M. Burt, narrowly won the motor-cycle four-lap scratch race. He lost the lead once to T. Black but won it back when Black misjudged his broadside on a corner. Results were:— MOTOR-CYCLES Solo Handicap Events (4 laps).—Opening race: T. Shearer (10yds) 1, R. McKinlay (40yds) 2. B. Moulin (60yds) 3. Time, 87.3. Second race: A. Brown (80yds) 1, G. Ray (60yds) 2. R. Webster (90yds) 3. Time, 87.5. Third race: T. Black :70yds) 1, I. Miller (70yds) 2. R. Wright (10yds) 3. Time. 88.5. Fourth race: T. Black (70yds) 1, B. Moulin (60yds) 2, M. Burt (80 yds) 3. Time, 86.2. Fifth race: I. Miller (20yds) 1, C. Glasson (go)ra, R. Wright (60yds) 3. Tima.’- 89.0. Sixth race: T.

Shearer (10yds) 1, G. Ray (60 yds.) 2, R. Wright (60yds) 3. Time, 89.5. Seventh race: C. Glasson (go) 1, R. McKinlay (40yds) 2, R. Webster (go) 3. Time, 89.8.

Solo Scratch Race (4 laps).— M. Burt 1, T. Black 2, B. Lagrosse 3. Time, 84.8. Side-Car Racing.—First event (4 laps): S. Tolhurst (C. Wells, passenger) 1, D. Tomkins (N. Dunn) 2, A. Clarke (G. Jones) 3. Time, 96.6. Second event (4 laps handicap): A. Clarke 1, S. Tolhurst 2, D. Tomkins 3. Time, 97.4. Third event: D. Tomkins 1, A. Clarke 2, S. Tolhurst 3. Time, 93.7. MIDGET CARS Full-size Midget Racing Cars. —Opening handicap (4 laps): J. Tiekink (50yds) 1, R. Clive (180 yds) 2, E. Murray (180yds) 3. Time, 91.6. Second handicap (6 laps): T. Hall (180yds) 1, R. Clive (190yds) 2, E. Murray (180yds) 3. Time, 2:11.8. Eightlap feature scratch: T. Hall 1, J. Tiekink 2. Time, 2:51.4.

Three-quarter Midget Racing Cars.—Opening handicap (4 laps): G. Raymond (50yds) 1, S. Burt (130yds) 2, R. Berry (100yds) 3. Time, 94.3. Second handicap (6 laps): R. Mead (140yds) 1, S. Burt (150yds) 2, R. Berry (110yds) 3. Time, 2:18.8. Eight-lap feature scratch race: S. Burt 1, N. Duff 2, D. Harper 3. Time, 2:53 (best time). STOCK CARS Stock Rod Feature.—First heat (4 laps): J. Annan (60yds) 1, P. Annan (80yds) 2, W. Busbridge (90yds) 3. Time, 98.4. Second heat (4 laps): D. Cameron (120yds) 1, A. Davies (80 yds) 2, M. Quirk (70yds) 3. Time, 99.0. Final (10 laps): D. Cameron 1, P. Annan 2, W. Rushridge 3. Time. 3.53.5.

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