Photo: Andrew Higgins in his superbly presented 1975 Lola T400A very special motorsport event is about to unfold in just under 4 weeks. Heading into Christchurch’s annual cup week festivities, the Wigram Revival, a motor racing celebration marking the immensely popular events held at the Wigram airbase from 1949 to the early ninety’s is taking place at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway on the 4th, 5th and 6th of November.
This event promises a motorsport extravaganza for South Island motorsport fans with the headline act once again the F5000’s racing for the Lady Wigram Trophy featuring on Sunday afternoon. These superbly presented late 60’s, early 70’s 5 litre V8 mostly Chev powered single seater race cars still deliver crowd-pleasing looks with their big wings and slicks and the speed and noise to match.
It is particularly special that these cars are from an era dear to our motorsport hearts, when humble Kiwi’s McLaren, Hulme and Amon made the rest of the world pay attention to their exploits at home, in Europe and across the race circuits of North America.
Another Kiwi, Graeme McRae applied his knowledge, expertise and driving skills to his own marque to win the Lady Wigram Trophy 3 years in a row ahead of such esteemed manufacturers as Lola, Chevron, Talon, March and Lotus, driven by some of the most famous names in world motorsport at the time.
Four McRae GM1’s are listed on the entry sheet and are likely to feature at the business end of the trophy race though, will still have to deal with a wily Kenny Smith, who matched McRae’s efforts of the seventies by winning last years Wigram Trophy race for the fourth time. This year though, Smith will be competing in his recently refurbished Lola T332 but is unlikely to have it all his own way.
Dunedin’s Steve Ross, in one of McRaes’GM1’s will be hunting Smith down, as he has done for the last 2 years, as will Aaron Burson in a similar car. Andew Higgins in a Lola T400 will be pressuring the front runners and past winner, Roger Williams of Auckland in the T332 version of Lola will be trying hard to return to the victors podium.
Local drivers include Mr Consistancy, Ian Clements, David Abbott and Stan Redmond who will be looking to shake the jinx of last season’s mechanical malaise. Look out for Dave Arrowsmith’s maiden voyage in his recently acquired Lotus which unlike the others powered by a Ford V8.
Christchurch plays host to two overseas drivers for this year’s event with UK entrant Greg Thornton campaigning his beautiful blue Chevron B24 while Australian Chris Lambden makes his debut at the Wigram Revival in his white McRae GM1.
Expect the unexpected as 20 cars line up for the feature 15 lap Lady Wigram Trophy race scheduled for mid afternoon, race Sunday at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway.
