VII LEVIN INTERNATIONAL
Gold Leaf International Trophy
 Location - Levin NZ  Laps - 28  Distance - 49.56 km  Date - 15/01/66  Weather - Fine
ENTRY LIST
No. DRIVER ENTRANT MAKE ENGINE
11 Spencer Martin Scuderia Veloce Brabham BT11A Climax FPF
4 Frank Gardner Alec Mildren Motors Brabham BT11A Climax FPF
15 Red Dawson Red Dawson Brabham BT7A Climax FPF
8 Andy Buchanan Wilson Motors Brabham BT7A Climax FPF
10 Syd Jensen Syd Jensen Brabham BT4 Climax FPF
12 Ken Sager J.H. Sager Brabham BT9 Ford 1.5
21 Roly Levis Roly Levis Brabham BT6 Ford 1.5
20 Ray Thackwell Team Tiki Brabham BT2 Ford 1.5
14 Graeme Lawrence Lawrence Motors Brabham BT6 Ford 1.5
31 Bill Caldwell Bill Caldwell Brabham BT6 Ford 1.5
2 Richard Attwood Owen Racing Org. BRM 261 BRM V8 1.9
6 Jackie Stewart Owen Racing Org. BRM 261 BRM V8 1.9
5 Dennis Marwood Ecurie Rothmans Cooper T66 Climax FPF
1 Jim Clark Team Lotus Lotus 39 Climax FPF
41 Jim Palmer George Palmer Lotus 32B Climax FPF
17 John Riley John Riley Lotus 18/21 Climax FPF
9 Dene Hollier Dene Hollier Lotus 20B Ford 1.5
16 Ken Smith Ken Smith Lotus 22 Ford 1.5
93 Bryan Innes Bryan Innes Lotus 22 Ford 1.5
25 Colin Ngan Colin Ngan Valour Ford 1.5

Dickie Attwood takes a surprise Tasman VictoryThe BRM team scored another victory when one of their 2-litre V8 cars piloted by Englishman Richard Attwood who was driving his very first race in New Zealand-won Round Two of the 1966 Tasman Championship at Levin on January 15. But it was Australian Frank Gardner's Gold Leaf Race until two laps before the end when a broken half-shaft put paid to his chances with the Brabham Climax. Handling problems on the tricky circuit dogged Jim Clark, the world champion finishing second ahead of consistent Australian Spencer Martin in the Scuderia Veloce Brabham.

One of the most outstanding performances was made by Roly Levis who drove brilliantly, pushing his 1.5L twincam Brabham around Levin as fast as many of the 2.5-litre cars, and finishing fourth in the Tasman Cup race ahead of Jim Palmer (Lotus 35) and Red Dawson (Brabham Climax). Then in the final single-seater race of the day, the Vic Hudson Memorial race, he tucked in behind Clark throughout the event and repeatedly made cheeky attempts to pass the world champion finally finishing third behind Stewart and Clark.

Practice saw plenty of excitement. With the cars out only a few laps, Frank Gardner spun at the tricky Cabbage Tree corner with Andy Buchanan's similar Brabham coming unstuck at the same spot only a few moments later, the latter car suffering minor suspension damage. Already the two BRMs looked very impressive, with both Jackie Stewart and Richard Attwood making determined efforts to record good times.

Jim Clark was just getting things sorted out when a bolt on a bottom radius arm on the rear suspension sheared as the Lotus came out of the fast Clearways corner into the main straight at about 100 m.p.h. The car spun backwards into a bank with fortunately not too much damage to the rear suspension, but it meant the end of practice for Clark after only a few laps.

In the second practice session the boys really got down to the task, and good times soon became evident. Fastest lap was made by Stewart, his time of 49.2s being 0.1 of a second under the official record. Next was Gardner who was driving well in the Alex Mildren Brabham (49.6s), followed by Spencer Martin (Brabham), 50.1s; Richard Attwood (BRM), 50.4s; Red Dawson (Brabham), 51.0s; Jim Clark, 51.2s (who missed the second session, of course) and Jim Palmer, 51.2s

Everyone eagerly waited to see Roly Levis' performance in his Brabham but the car was having a new motor installed after a disappointing run at Pukekohe the week before, and Levis was unable to have any practice at all. Fastest of the 1500 c.c. cars was Ray Thackwell who turned in 51.9s in his Brabham. Some of the drivers were complaining about the rough surface of the circuit in places which is rather harsh on cars, and Spencer Martin was doubtful whether or not to run his 275LM Ferrari in the sports car race.

All the small engined cars lined up for the first preliminary for the Tasman event on race day before a large crowd of about 23,000. Thackwell made a good start, but Graeme Lawrence's Brabham moved into the lead at Lake Bend with Bill Caldwell's similar car third and John Riley's 2.5 Lotus fourth. At Hokio corner Thackwell spun the Brabham, so that the order at the end of the first round was Lawrence, Caldwell, Levis, Riley and Ken Smith (Lotus 1.5).

Lawrence was really trying hard as he knew the forceful Roly Levis would soon be on his tail, the latter moving into second position on the second lap. Levis was about two seconds behind Lawrence by the end of the third circulation, the leader lapping in 51.5s, while Caldwell had stopped on the main straight out of gas! Such was the pace of the two leaders that they had pulled out 13 seconds on third man, John Riley in his Lotus Climax. On lap 4 Levis moved to the front, slipped in a 50.0s lap and ran home in front of Lawrence, Riley and Smith.

Stewart, Gardner and Martin occupied the front row of the grid for the second preliminary, and it was the flying Australian Gardner who made the best of the start, opening up a lead on Stewart, Martin, Red Dawson and Clark on the first lap. Lapping in 48.5s, Frank Gardner had no trouble in leading this race throughout, giving him pole position for the final and making him firm favourite. By lap 3 Clark was only barely holding his fifth position from Attwood, the Scot obviously having handling misdemeanours with the Lotus. One lap later Clark spun at Cabbage Tree corner, loosing all chance of a good place in the heat, while Dennis Marwood also completed a nonsense at the Hairpin. The sixth lap order was Gardner, Stewart and then a seven second gap to Martin, Attwood, Dawson and Palmer, they finished this way.

With such close lap times, it was evident that the final would be a close battle. Gardner's pole position time of 48.3s was exactly a second better than the old record set by Clark in 1965, and the other two on the front row, Stewart and Clark, had also recorded better than record times in the preliminary heats.

GOLD LEAF INTERNATIONAL.
THE GRID.

F. GARDNER J. STEWART J. CLARK

R. ATTWOOD S. MARTIN R. LEVIS

R. DAWSON D. MARWOOD J. PALMER

D. HOLLIER K. SAGER R. THACKWELL

B. CALDWELL A. BUCHANAN K. SMITH

Gardner made a great start at the drop of the flag, and his dark green Brabham was first into the Hairpin with Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Richard Attwood and Spencer Martin in hot pursuit. Before the end of the first lap, however, Stewart had pushed the delightful sounding BRM ahead of Clark, while Roly Levis led the New Zealand brigade in sixth place behind Martin's red Brabham. Jackie began biting at Franks tail for the lead, but the Australian was on fine form and held his position. An early retirement was Ray Thackwell, his 1.5 Brabham suffering a broken half-shaft. On the third lap Attwood moved past Clark into third place, and by the next round Gardner and Stewart already had a 200 yard lead over Attwood, Clark, Martin, Levis, Palmer, Dawson and Marwood.

Then came more excitement on lap 5 when brilliant Spencer Martin took Clark for fourth place, while Gardner continued on his merry way, lapping at around 49s, or at under lap record speeds! Back in the minor placings it was generally quiet, except for a dice between Dean Hollier (Lotus 20B) and Bill Caldwell who had done a great job repairing his Brabham since the Grand Prix meeting the week before.

With seven laps gone Gardner was 4 seconds in front of Stewart, while fourth place was again in dispute as Clark managed to get by Martin. There was a sudden change on the eighth lap when Stewart dropped back to fourth place. He was having difficulty changing gear and on lap 10 pulled into the pits to retire. The pattern now appeared set, Gardner, Attwood and a 7 second margin to Clark, Martin, Levis, Palmer, Dawson and Marwood but there was more drama to come.

Roly Levis began to close in on Martin, his little Brabham running particularly well, while Clark appeared satisfied to remain in third place. Hollier retired with lack of oil, while just for good measure Frank Gardner set a new lap record of 47.8s on the 15th round. By now Gardner and Attwood were 9 seconds in front of Clark and as the laps wound away, it seemed inevitable that the Australian was ready to receive a well deserved victory.

Alas, on lap 26, with only two more rounds to go, the leading Brabham began to slow and an understandably upset Frank Gardner pulled into the pits. The half-shaft on poor Gardner's car had broken after a grand drive and that was that. This left a surprised Attwood safely in the lead and he tootled home the last two laps to take the chequered flag some 12 seconds in front of Clark.

Jackie Stewart led the 8-lap Vic Hudson Memorial event from start to finish. On the opening lap Levis took second place from Clark briefly, followed by Dawson, Ken Sager (1.5 Brabham) and Hollier while Neil Whittaker's Brabham Climax came unstuck in a big way out of Lake Bend, the car flying in the air after striking a bank but fortunately not overturning.

Stewart was 5 seconds in front of Clark, Levis, Dawson and Sager by lap 4, and the order remained the same to the finish with Levis making a number of bids to pass the world champion, finishing only 0.6 of a second behind at the end.
 
RACE RESULTS
POSITION LAPS TIME
1. Attwood 28 23'12.0
2. Clark 28 23'24.1
3. Martin 28 23'33.1
4. Levis 28 23'35.8
5. Palmer 28 23'42.7
6. Dawson 28 23'48.0
7. Marwood 27 .
8. Sager 27 .
9. Buchanan 27 .
10. Smith 27 .
Caldwell 26 .
Gardner 25 DNF:Half Shaft FL:47.8
Hollier 13 DNF:Oil Pressure
Stewart 09 DNF:Gearbox
Thackwell 01 DNF:Half Shaft
Written by Donn Anderson for Motorman Magazine. Article submitted by Milan Fistonic

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