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VII SOUTH
PACIFIC TROPHY
Location -
Longford
Aust
Laps -
27
Distance -
195.54 km
Date -
07/03/66
Weather -
Fine |
|
ENTRY LIST |
|
No. |
DRIVER |
ENTRANT |
MAKE |
ENGINE |
|
4 |
Jack Brabham |
Brabham Racing Org. |
Brabham BT19 |
Repco V8 2.5 |
|
14 |
Spencer Martin |
Scuderia Veloce |
Brabham BT11A |
Climax FPF |
|
? |
Frank Gardner |
Alec
Mildren Racing |
Brabham BT11A |
Climax FPF |
|
2 |
Graham Hill |
Owen
Racing Org. |
BRM
261 |
BRM
V8 1.9 |
|
3 |
Jackie Stewart |
Owen
Racing Org. |
BRM
261 |
BRM
V8 1.9 |
|
? |
Don
Fraser |
Don
Fraser |
Cooper T53 |
BRM
2.5 |
|
? |
John
McDonald |
Bill
Patterson Motors |
Cooper T70/79 |
Climax FPF |
|
? |
Don
O'Sullivan |
F.D.
O'Sullivan |
Cooper T53 |
Climax FPF |
|
1 |
Jim
Clark |
Team
Lotus |
Lotus 39 |
Climax FPF |
|
11 |
Jim
Palmer |
Jim
Palmer Racing |
Lotus 32B |
Climax FPF |
|
 MARCH
5-7 was Tasmania's once a year big weekend of Motor
Sport LONGFORD. The one
weekend when the roads around the small northern
count' town closed for the annual feast of glorious
International Motor Racing - the final round of the
Tasman Cup. Everyone who
loves the sound and spectacle of the sport at its
traditional best goes to LONGFORD.
We missed McLaren and perhaps Bob Jane, but everyone
else was there the
regulars the Tasmanians we
won't see again till next year, the Tasman Cuppers
and the mainlanders. It
was the same atmosphere, the same drink-and-be-merry
mob in the Caravan Park, the same old programme and
the same heat and flies but it was Longford and we
loved every minute of it.
Blue skies and high temperatures on practice day
augured well for the meeting ire therwise as the
small enthusiastic crowd lined the picturesque
course for Friday afternoon's official practice
session. As usual the first period was quiet and
exploratory. Jackie Stewart. Graham Hill and Jim
Clark all turned in 2:20s, while Brabham managed
2:23, Frank Gardner 2:24 and Spencer Martin 2:25.5
for the 4.5 mile circuit.
Later in the afternoon they came out again to do
battle for the now traditional 100 bottles of
champagne in what proved, as usual, to be perhaps
the most tense and exciting part of the entire
meeting. The BRM team gave
a preview of their later performances when Stewart
recorded 2:17.8 on his fifth tour to surpass
Brabham's standing record of 2:18, then he reeled
off successive laps of 2:16.8, 2:17.2. 2:16.6,
2:17.1 and 2:16.5 to prove it wasn't a fluke.
McDonald was first to pit, then Brabham and Gardner
came in for plugs. Brabham's mixture was altered and
plugs changed after a best lap of 2:20.7. Stewart
gave it a break, then after a wild spin at Newry
Corner where he was nearly collected by Hill, who
was circulating close behind.
With half an hour to go the excitement rose
when, with all cars except Brabham's on the track,
Hill turned in 2:16.8 and then 2:16.2.
Not to be outdone by his team-mate, Jackie
took on more fuel and with seven minutes to go he
set out for another try. Brabham did a single lap.
took a plug reading, then left the track; then Clark
who had a best of 2:18.6 gave it away.
In a scorching last-minute effort Stewart
lapped in 2:16.0 to win the bubbly.
Friday's lap-times decided grid positions for
Saturday's feature race and with perfect conditions
and a big crowd the Tasman
cars were wheeled out for their warm-up lap, then
lined up for the 10-lap 45-mile event.
STEWART OPENS HIS SCORE
Stewart shot to an early lead and as they poured off
the bridge and into Longford Corner he had 20 yards
over Hill, Clark, Brabham, Palmer, Martin, Gardner.
McDonald and Fraser. They
held this order throughout the first and second laps
- the leaders bunched tightly, with Brabham sticking
closely to Clark and waiting for a chance to get
through. On the third lap Spencer Martin moved the
Scuderia Veloce Brabham past Jim Palmer at Newry
Corner into fifth spot, and Don Fraser pitted
briefly.
By now the leading BRM's of Stewart and Hill had
cleared out, a few seconds lead on Clark and
Brabham. Then at Newly, Jack Brabham overdid things
(as he did in the same race last year, that time in
the Viaduct) at Newry and stalled up the escape
road. He regained the race two minutes behind the
leaders in last place. This put Spencer
 Martin into
fourth slot behind the front men, followed still by
Palmer and Gardner, then McDonald and Fraser.
Lap 5 showed Stewart lapping consistently
around 2.18 and screwing 170 down the flying mile,
five seconds ahead of Hill with 10 seconds to Clark,
then Martin, Palmer and Gardner having a wonderful
scrap for fourth. Fraser
withdrew at this stage and Jack McDonald was
trailing 55 seconds behind the leaders. Almost a
full lap behind, Brabham screwed up a bit but made
up little time.
The order remained unchanged during the sixth lap
but at the end of the next tour Palmer squeezed past
Martin for a moment at Mountford, only to be
repassed under acceleration.
Out front it was noticed that Stewart was
having trouble keeping the stick in third gear, but
he maintained a 5-second lead from Hill. Clark's
machine was pulling 10 mph less than the screaming
BRMs down the mile and by now 20 seconds separated
him from Hill. On the
eighth circuit Martin locked a brake in the Viaduct
and ploughed through the straw bales. This let
Palmer through to fourth, still closely followed by
Gardner. Stewart and Hill
pressed on regardless and opened the gap still
further on Clark, Palmer, Gardner and McDonald.
Brabham was well out of the limelight in last place.
Clark pulled out all stops in the closing
stages and got to within three seconds of Hill but
the order remained unchanged, Stewart going over the
line 25 seconds ahead of Hill. On his second lap
Stewart set a new track lap record with a 2:17.7.
His race average was 116.96 mph.
STEWART ROMPS AWAY WITH THE CUP
A searing wind was blowing from the north on the
second day of the meeting, draining energy from man
and machine. The final round of the Tasman Cup was
timed to start at 2.30 p.m. and all listed entrants
except Don Fraser made the line for the warm-up lap.
Stewart's machine had been fitted with new
gears which rectified his earlier troubles and all
were in fine fettle except Brabham's Repco V8, which
was 800 revs down. Phil
Irving and his mechanics had spent long hours trying
to find the trouble but the morning practice showed
that it still persisted.
The 25,000 spectators momentarily forgot the hellish
heat, dust and flies and strained for their first
glimpse of the cars after the start.
Graham Hill couldn't have had his usual 9,000
revs on the clock as the flag dropped because he
faltered badly, allowing Clark to surprise everyone
by rocketing off the line and leading the howling
pack through Longford's right-angle corner, only to
be passed by Stewart down Tannery' Straight. Third
man was Gardner then Brabham, Palmer, 'Martin, Hill
and McDonald. In the pits,
team managers and timekeepers readied lap charts and
lap boards, and fingers hovered over stop-watches.
They craned their necks for a clear view of the cars
as they slid into view around Mountford Corner. The
unmistakable whine of the BRM going through its
narrow rev range confirmed that Stewart now led as
they began the second lap.
On this tour Brabham took third spot from Gardner
who was then shuffled back to seventh by Palmer, and
Hill who
 was beginning to recover from his bungled
start began to move through the traffic. Martin and
McDonald brought up the rear.
Hill picked up another two positions on the
third time around by moving past Brabham into third
and they held this order for the next three laps,
with Clark hanging on grimly 2 secs. ahead of Hill
and 15 secs, behind Stewart.
A wonderful dice began to develop for fifth
slot between Palmer and Martin and this kept the
crowd on its toes for the entire race.
After much dirt-tracking Hill passed Clark at the
end of lap six, the order following then being
Brabham, Palmer, Martin and McDonald who was
trailing at this stage by 45 seconds.
Clark regained second spot one lap later at
Tannery Corner and held this place for the next five
laps, but by the twelfth he was being hard-pressed
by the BRM and was passed as the reigning champion's
motor went sick. He
continued for two laps in the hope that it would
clear but pitted after lap 14 for a plug change.
Agonizing minutes crept by and the leaders screamed
past once before the car was retired, but the motor
sounded no better. Back to
the pits again and this time the mechanics connected
ALL the spark plug leads! Clark was away on all four
but one and a half laps down, without hope of
regaining a place.
About this time a downward thumb from Graham Hill
and smoke and soaring revs front the motor indicated
he was having clutch trouble. Gardner made a
lightning stop to have a loose body panel removed
and McDonald pulled in for clutch adjustment.
Stewart now held a very commanding lead over
Hill who, with Clark out of the way, had no more
clutch worries.
A gap of 20 seconds separated "our Jack" from Hill
and even though the V8 sounded beautifully crisp he
was only seven seconds in front of Palmer who was
being pressed still by Martin, a gap to Gardner then
finally McDonald and Clark who had been lapped.
Suddenly, it seemed, the 21 laps and the final
Tasman Round was over as Stewart took his fourth
chequered flag for the series, lm.6.2s. ahead of his
team-mate. Speeches were made and trophies were
presented by our popular and enthusiastic State
Premier, Mr. Reece, before the genial Jackie Stewart
set out for his lap of honour.
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RACE RESULTS |
|
POSITION |
LAPS |
TIME |
|
1.
Stewart |
27 |
1:02'55.4 FL 2:18.5 |
|
2.
Hill |
27 |
1:04'01.6 |
|
3.
Brabham |
27 |
1:04'28.7 |
|
4.
Palmer |
27 |
1:04'32.2 |
|
5.
Martin |
27 |
1:04'35.2 |
|
6.
Gardner |
26 |
. |
|
7.
Clark |
25 |
. |
|
8.
McDonald |
25 |
. |
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Written
by Neville Fisher for RCN. Article
submitted by Milan Fistonic
Colour photographs courtesy of
Ray Bell
Every
effort has been made to trace the owners of
copyright and we apologise to any we have been
unable to contact |
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