1967 Gold Star 2

1967 Gold Star 2

The Lady Wigram Trophy Race 1967

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Dave Currie

1967 Gold Star 2

1967 Gold Star 1

Lady Wigram

Never seriously challenged after Stewart's abrupt fifth lap retirement, Clark pressed on, nevertheless, to clips well-rounded 10sec off the race record. Nose in the background belongs to Jack Brabham’s Repco V8.

After exceptionally hard races at Pukekohe and Levin, Jim Clark rounded off the New Zealand section of the Tasman series by winning the Lady Wigram Trophy on the 21st of January very much as he pleased. His main adversary Jackie Stewart was dramatically eliminated in the fifth lap when a course marker, kicked up by a rear wheel of Clark’s 2 litre Lotus– Climax V8 shattered the windshield of the closely following BRM, broke an oil line and struck the unfortunate Stewart, but once the other Scot was sidelined the Lotus driver was able to cut out the balance of the race quite sedately, averaging about 96 m.p.h. for the 101.2 miles and clipping a neat 1osec from the record set by Stewart in 1966. It was left to Richard Attwood to up hold the reputation of BRM and this he did in workman like style to finish second, 16.9sec in arrears. Third, a lap back, was Denis Hulme in a sick Repco-Brabham V8. He fared much better than his boss, Jack Brabham, who made a long stop to remedy overheating troubles in the lightweight V8 and resumed to make fastest race lap in 1 min 25sec and finish in 13th place. Fourth and fifth were the Alec Mildren Brabhams of Frank Gardner and Kevin Bartlett.

Elation at Wigram. Jim Clark’s Jubilant win-by-a-mile smile must be the envy of all those whiter-than-white television toothpaste advertising models.

Although Gardner pulled out all the stops he was two tours in arrears when the finish flag fell on the Clark Lotus-Climax V8.

Profiting from the defection of others, Roly Levis in his 1.5 Brabham-Ford motored to sixth place, a lap behind Bartlett a stout effort on this power-driving circuit which leaves smaller cars a bit breathless. New Zealand’s main hopes came to nought. In fifth spot and ahead of Gardner and Bartlett after 14 tours Jim Palmer abandoned with a broken crankshaft in his 2.5 Repco-Brabham-Climax, Dennis Marwood's rather leisurely progress in the 2.5 Cooper-climax was marked be the oil it left on the track. Graeme Lawrence, who had done well in the earlier international races, had the thankless task of trying to cope with overheating in his 1.5 Brabham-Ford.

Main interest in the training session was the 400 pound side prize for the driver who pit in the first 100 m.p.h. race lap. Although it was destined to remain in the Motor Racing Club’s coffers got another year at least, the thought that it was there for the taking caused the faster men to flex their muscles. In the morning things did not look promising as there was a strong headwind on the main straight and the best effort was Stewart’s 1 min 23.7 sec—0.9 sec outside the target.

I the early afternoon the wind dropped and Stewart broke the ‘ton’ with 1 min 22.6 sec using Goodyear tyres, but was so impressed with Clark’s new Firestones that he asked team manager Tim Parnell to obtain the all clear from Sir Alfred Owen back in England to use them for Clark finally returned a lap of 1 min 21.8 sec– 191.2 m.p.h. The best Brabham and Hulme could manage was 1 min 23 sec each

The headwind came up early on race morning and kept lap times in the preliminary 11-lap heats something like 1 sec away from that 400 pounds

Clark had pole position in his heat and gained a handy lead over Stewart and Brabham from the fall of the flag. These three romped off from Hulme, whose car sounded sniffly, and Attwood. There was a gap back to Bartlett, Palmer and Gardner, who swapped places fairly frequently. In the eighth lap Stewart pushed ahead of Clark in the pit straight and next time round so did Brabham. Attwood had taken Hulme. There was not much between Stewart, Brabham and Clark at the finish and Attwood was about 20 sec in arrears in Fourth place. Hulme. Palmer and Bartlett were next in line while Gardner, Slowed by lack of fuel pressure, had to be content with eighth.

The other heat went to Levis, with his team-mate Bill Stone next and Hollier third. It was nothing to write home about, many if the smaller 1.5 litre cars encountering trouble along the way.

Stewart has run 1 sec outside the 100 m.p.h. lap and this turned out to be the fastest lap of the day.

Contrary to normal procedure starting positions for the trophy race were allocated to the drivers on the basis of their potential performances rather than on actual times recorded either in training or the heats. Front row comprised Stewart, Brabham, Clark and Attwood. In the next row were Hulme, Palmer and Bartlett, while in the fourth row were Gardner, Ian Dawson (2.5 Repco-Brabham-climax), Marwood and Levis. There were 21 starts in all.

Stewart outgunned Clark at the start but Clark quickly reversed positions to lead Stewart and Brabham through the left hander out if the pit straight. Next came Attwood and Hulme, clear of Palmer, Gardner and Bartlett. Clark looked supremely happy up front. In the third round Hulme amended the order by taking Attwood, Although the Repco V8 still had a nasty wheeze. But the actors dominating the stage were Clark and Stewart. The BRM seemed to have a slight advantage over the Lotus under braking, but there was not much in it and Clark was able to hold Stewart off by a car length or so as they progressed.

In those opening laps the race showed every indication of being the GP and Levin all over again. But it was not to be. The Pattern changed when Clark unbeknown to him, blasted Stewart out of the contest quite involuntarily. With the No. 1 BRM man gone, Brabham had his try. At that juncture he was only about 1.5 sec back bit he had Hulme and Attwood right behind him. The world champion could do nothing about Clark, But Attwood, obviously aware that BRM’s reputation now rested on his shoulders, set to work and took Hulme. By the 12th tour these two has taken Brabham, who was rapidly losing found in the lightweight can, and by then Clark was fully in command of the race.

Palmer was not lingering wither. In fifth place, he had the measure of Gardner and Bartlett, but it was not ling before he was out and Gardner was back in fifth spot. Dawson led the local lads with Levis and Hollier next and Marwood tagging along behind.

Goggled eyes were glues on the staer as the all-star front row line-up waited tensely for the flagfall to let loose the Lady Wigram Trophy field.

Jim Palmer in the Brabham-Climax had the measure of similarly mounted Aussies Gardner and Bartlett but became an involuntary defector through engine maladies.

Wigram's major place getters, Clark, Attwood and Hulme, celebrated with the Queen og the Christchurch Boys’ High School Car Club’s Motor Show

Tasman Revival

Allan McCully

Tasman Revival