Sensational Saloons on Show Mike Pero Wigram Revival 2013 ❏ Formula Atlantic Cars Racing for Year
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THE PRESS, Christchurch Wednesday, October 30, 2013 B7 CANTERBURY CAR CLUB ADVERTISING FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS Sensational saloons on show Mike Pero Wigram Revival 2013 ❏ Formula Atlantic cars racing for year. Welcome and registration on the Lady Wigram Trophy for the Friday night, formal dinner on aloon car racing has been RX3. Money makes the car go first time since 1993. Saturday night and display of a fixture at Wigram since faster and in the late 70s- early 80s ❏ Jim Richards driving the memorabilia in the Mike Pero its early years. competitors started dropping out beautiful black JPS BMW 635csi, Lounge on Sunday. Saloon cars such as of the main game due to the now owned by Peter Sturgeon, of ❏ Display of the Tom Walkinshaw Jaguar, Vanguard, a expense. Moves were afoot to Christchurch. inspired Arrow AX3, a 3-seater SBorgward Isabella of all things, create stand-alone race classes, ❏ Angus Fogg, loves driving the race car with all the attributes of a early Austins such as the A30, with early examples being the Pre- pants off anything on four wheels. F1 car designed to share the (which, it seems, was never 65 which provided racing variety This weekend his challenge is to experience with motorsport fans. designed to be a racing saloon car) with everything from 4-cylinder master the 12-cylinder might of the ❏ The 50-year anniversary of the were early entries in the saloon mum-and-dad cars to the big V8 big cat Jaguar XJS he has restored Porsche 911 model celebrated by car fields. A speed of 58.7mph was saloons, albeit with performance for Rolleston’s Gary Johnstone. displays and a dedicated Porsche recorded as the fastest average restrictions to control big ❏ Andy McElrea is returning from race Saturday afternoon. speed from a saloon car at the 1955 spenders. Mini 7s, too, capitalised Australia to drive the same car he ❏ The 50-year anniversary of the Wigram event. on their appeal to provide exciting drove to win the NZ Formula Ford humble Hillman Imp which still The late 1960s appeared to close racing, and they celebrate 30 Championship in the 1990/91 features in classic Pre-65 racing provide the motorsport enthusiast years as a race class this weekend. season. today. Talk to Ian Perry about his with buckets full of bang for their Pre-65s and Mini 7s are classic ❏ The 50-year celebration of the travels to England to celebrate the entry dollar. For the trophy, racing classes in their own right, Ruapuna racing circuit. milestone. F5000s powered by 5-litre V8s, and will please with almost 30 cars Constructed by volunteers in 1963 ❏ Thirty-year celebration of Mini 7 sporting huge slick tyres and big on their combined grid. and extended in 1993, Ruapuna is a racing in the south. Many drivers wings, and driven by household OSCA became the less- credit to the vision, hard work and and spectators have enjoyed the names on the world scene, more restricted, almost-anything-goes passion of a few to transform a close racing that this controlled than a couple of them Kiwis, V8 performance class and catered dusty, stony riverbed into a class provides. Check them out in thrilled the large crowds with for those who built their own thriving race circuit attracting the extended pit area over the everything that was good about rocketships, shoehorning V8s into thousands to Christchurch each weekend. motor racing. At the same time, very small cars to capitalise on saloon car racing had morphed power-to-weight ratios – into immensely pleasing and something Trevor Crowe did very highly tuned Aussie and American well, and still does today. The muscle cars or outrageously early TraNZams found a home tweaked smaller British cars like with OSCA once that class ran out the mighty Mini and the Escort. Nostalgic moments: This weekend’s Wigram Revival will replicate motorsport entertainment of yesteryear, with more than of steam, though there was no This weekend’s Wigram 150 saloon cars and historic touring cars leading the way. doubting their appeal. The Revival will replicate this Japanese got further into the act motorsport entertainment with XJS, and they were competitive, as Capri. Racing in the same time. This is all about crowd- with extremely affordable. highly more than 150 saloon cars and the well as being expensive to keep company will be some of the pleasing entertainment, and potent 4 and 6-cylinder cars, often historic touring cars leading the competitive. Remember the Sierra Shellsport cars of the same era expect the best when the handicap capped with a turbo ,and capable way. A decade in time from the Cosworths, which packed a punch made famous by Reg Cooke and laps unfold, to see just who has of delivering the sort of mid-80s gave us perhaps the most for their size and remember the his Datsuns. Wide guards and dealt with the heavy-traffic lap the horsepower one could only dream crowd-pleasing saloon car racing Wellington street races? These aggressive stances added to the best. The race format challenges about back in the 60s. This formed of all time and, even today, young fantastic cars and the class they spectacle of motorsport at the time, the drivers to go hard but keep it the basis for the Sports Saloons and old alike can’t get enough of it. ran in are kept alive and you can and we will enjoy its resurgence safe and protect their machines at class, which will mix it with OSCA Historic touring cars see it all for yourself and let your over the next season or two. all times. However, it’s hard to over the coming weekend. introduced works racing teams kids in on the secret this weekend. Adding to the motorsport magic believe Timaruvians Bones Love ’em or hate ’em, the that applied pots of money to Jim Richards returns to Mike will be Classic Mainland Muscle Collins or Jimmy Little will be Mazda RX7 and the famous rotary develop production road cars to Pero Motorsport Park driving his and a series of handicap races will taking it easy. This is not a Timaru engine found a quick following win races. Not only did they old JPS 635csi, presented superbly provide a spectacle not to be town benefit race, though. once second-hand prices reduced. perform, but they looked good, by Peter Sturgeon. Angus Fogg missed. Pre-85 Classic Saloons caters for Alan Moffat campaigned the often supported by strong will line up with the genuine ex- Some of the genuine historic race-prepared street cars from as brand successfully, too, and now sponsorship from world-class Hourigan/Prince Jaguar XJS that grunt machines of the past line up early as the 1950s, with the Jaguar we enjoy an affordable race class brands. he has recently restored for Gary against some great examples of marque presenting formidable controlled to provide great Cameo role: Gary Orton’s 1986 Ralt RT4 appeared in Freejack starring Mick Jagger, BMW led the charge with its Johnstone, who will pilot his more modern-day conversions. Of opposition in the form of a C-Type entertainment for drivers and Renee Russo and Sir Anthony Hopkins. M3, its 635csi and later its E36 replica TWR Jaguar BRG XJS. interest will be maiden replica, an E-Type and several Mk spectators. Super Tourer model. BMW Group A and M3 are well appearances of Rod Hayman in a IIs. Continuing the British theme Motorsport manager Mark If someone said ‘‘let’s develop represented along with Graeme Pontiac Firebird and Austin will be a Capri, three Mks of Wederell says the addition of NZ 6, big, heavy family saloons into Clyde in his E36 Super Tourer. McKinley in his fresh Corvette, Escort, two Mks of Cortina, the 6-cylinder Holden and Ford racing Classic cars recall great competitive race cars,’’ they would Brett Stevens and Andy while Paul Ringland (Anglia V8), Mini and a Sunbeam Rapier. The on the paddock at the same time as have been laughed out of the bar Greenslade will campaign their Mike Baldwin (Torana SLR5000) Euros will be represented in the the South Island RX7s, adds a before six o’clock closing time. Ford Sierras, and should provide Graeme Sargent (Torana XU1) and form of Fiat, Alfa, Porsche, chalk-and-cheese scenario, though days of NZ motor racing However, Rover did with its SDI good opposition for invited guest Chris Glasier (Marcos LM500) will Mercedes and BMW – and Japan race times are remarkably and Jaguar did so its 12-cylinder Roger Townsend and the Cologne debut in the Muscles for the first with the Datsun 240Zs and a Mazda similar. he Mike Pero Wigram the driver’s seat, and might upset Revival this weekend is a if he gets back into the groove in veritable who’s who and time for the big race, while David Twhat’s what of motorsport in Arrowsmith has the lap record for Christchurch and the South the class and should be a definite Island. podium prospect. Showcasing early days of Wigram racing A brand new format will be However, it is all about the cars, used to celebrate the historically and some carry real history of the ingle-seater competition single-seater ambassador for the Special of Avon Hyde are but allows for the Lotus-type sports While he will still be significant Lady Wigram Trophy, battles fought in New Zealand, and tests courage more than Wigram Revival meeting, the some of the cars from the Wigram cars, early and later model competitive in the classic which will be contested for the at Wigram, back in the day.