N.I. pair win despite fierce car fire

Press, 27 January 1986, Page 25

N.I. pair win despite fierce car fire

The Wanganui pairing of Ray Purdie and Peter Sloman, representing West Coast North Island, won the Sydenham Park Chev Spares New Zealand Invitation best pairs at Woodford Glen Speedway on Friday evening. With teams also competing from Central New Zealand and Canterbury, it was the Southern Zone team which led heat one.

Norm Butler took his Monza to an early lead, but his fellow team member Peter Woods, came through in his Commodore to win. Butler dropped back, allowing through Purdle and Canterbury’s Doug Smith and Tony Cardwell.

Heat two saw the end of the Central New Zealand team challenge, with Roy Granger’s Oldsmobile getting a flat tyre and Mick Quinn driving his Z2B Camaro into a concrete wall.

Purdie won the heat from Smith’s Z2B Camaro and Cardwell’s Buick Skyhawk. This gave the Canterbury pairing an early points lead.

Smith made the break from pole position in heat three ahead of Purdie and Woods, but it was all over in lap five when the Z2B’s engine failed.

The final heat saw Woods easily into the lead from pole,

but a closely following Cardwell sneaked past Woods to the the lead, winning in the record time of 3:24.515.

Purdie and Sloman held on for third and fourth, giving them the points lead and the over-all win.

Sloman provided himself and the crowd some excltment when he brought his Corvette Stingray into the infield in the Saloon feature, with the back of the car engulfed in flame.

He was soon out of the car, and quick work by the crash crew brought the fire under control, although one of the back tyres was melted. Final points: West Coast North Island 46, Canterbury 41, Southern Zone 39, Central New Zealand 15. Results.—

Super saloons. — Sydenham Park Chev Spares New Zealand Invitation best pairs, Heat 1: P. Woods I, R. Purdie 2, D. Smith 3. Time, 3:29.76s (record). Heat 2: Purdie 1, Smith 2, T. Cardwell 3. Heat 3: Purdie 1, Woods 2, Cardwell 3. Time, 3:26.92s (new record). Heat 4: Cardwell 1, Woods 2, Purdie 3. Time, 3:24.51s (new record). Singer Sewing Centres feature: Cardwell 1, Purdie 2, B. Stewart 3. Time, 4:20.955. Stocks.— Beaurepaires race: M. Robb 1, K. Maddison

2, K. Stevens 3. Time, 3:07.755. Hurst Auto Dismantlers race: B. Annan 1, W. Wilding 2, B. Hern 3. Time, 2:35.40. Bardahi race: Annan 1, A. Parkhill 2, K. O’Connor 3. Time, 2:41.965. Coca-Cola feature: O’Connor 1, W. Parsons 2, Wilding 3. Time, 2:30.005.

Sportsman Coca-Cola race: J. Annan 1, K. Hanna 2, D. Giles 3. Time, 1:29.07s (record). 1 Shell race: Annan 1, Hannah 2. Time, - 1:28.50s (new record).

A grade saloons.— 3ZM race: N. Soper 1, S. Hammond 2, J. Barryman 3. Town Hall Service Station race: Berryman 1, W. Boyle 2, Soper 3. Radio Avon race: Soper 1, B. Stewart 2, Hammond 3.

B grade saloons.— Trevor Allan Auto Gas race: B. McSaveney 1, F. Arneson 2, M. Kerr 3. Time, 2:53.425. Amalgamated Batteries race: J. Child 1, L. Summerfield 2, K. Kerr 3. Time, 2:48.425. Programme Promotions race: L. Gregg 1, T. Waters 2, Arneson 3. Time: 2:31.355.

Street stocks.— Viking Pies and Savouries race: B. Oliver 1, T. Hall 2, P. Elwood 3. Yukoff race: H. Hobby 1, J. Ayers 2, M. McSaveney 3. Doug Smith Panelbeaters race: T. Stevens 1, S. Britt 2, K. Delaney 3.