Main Race At Ruapuna For Fastest Saloons

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31087, 16 June 1966, Page 10

Main Race At Ruapuna For Fastest Saloons

Canterbury’s fastest racing saloon cars will take part in a 20-lap feature race at the Canterbury Car Club’s race meeting at Ruapuna Park on Sunday. The 20-car grid will also include several entrants from other centres, including at least two from Wellington. The race will be run in four classes, and the field will comprise 16 entries already accepted and four other late entries selected from the fastest prospective entrants qualifying on Sunday. Sunday’s meeting will be the last of the present season. As the main race is for the fastest of the popular saloons, it is expected to be one of the best held this season. The cars in the main race will get away from a rolling start instead of the usual grid start Supporting Event* In addition to the main race there will be the usual series of supporting scratch and handicap races. The cars which take part in the main race will also compete in other events during the day. In the up to 1300 c.c. class for the main race entries are at present N. Steenhart (Morris Mini), W. Saville (Mini), R. Butters (Anglia), and C. Orton (Mini). Butters comes from Wellington, and Orton comes from Clinton. There is another Wellington entry in the 1301 to 2000 c.c. class: that of M. Hogan (Allardette). Other entries are J. Milligan (Fiat GT), B. McLaren (Anglia), P. Yock (Morris Ford), and A. Batchelor (Anglia). Yock’s car is the Ford-powered Morris Minor previously raced successfully by Clyde and Warner Collins. It is now powered by a 1950 c.c. engine, and is amongst the fastest saloons at Ruapuna.

The two entries in the 2001 e.c. and over class are M. Stanley (Chevrolet V 8 coupe) and J. Miller (Cortina Corvette). In the group two class the entrants are D. Hayward (Cortina GT), B. Brown (Morris Cooper S), B. Lucas (Mini), R. Findlater (Cortina) and C. Neate (Prince Skyline GT). Another entrant who is expected to qualify in the allcomers classification is J. Mullins, of Christchurch, in

the A4O Farina, which is likely to have a tussle with Yock’s Morris Ford. The two cars are fairly evenly matched, the A4O being faster on the corners, but the biggerengined Morris Ford having more acceleration on the straights. Sunday wil be Yock’s first racing appearance with the Morris Ford, and his lap times in the car will be watched with interest. Leading contenders for the major platings in the main race will be Mullins, Yock, Hogan in the Allardette, and Miller in the Cortina Corvette.

Entrants for other races on the programme include N. Banfield in the little Wasp sports car, P. Leversedge in the 260 M Zephyr Special previously raced by R. Rutherford; G. Mardon in the fast Stanton Corvette sports car, and L. Brownlie in a 1.5 litre Brabham Ford. Many late entries are expected.