Levin 1968

ENTRY LIST
No.	DRIVER	ENTRANT	MAKE	ENGINE
1	Bruce McLaren	Owen Racing Org.	BRM P126	BRM V12 2.5
2	Pedro Rodriguez	Owen Racing Org.	BRM P126	BRM V12 2.5
3	Denny Hulme	Racing Team S.A	Brabham BT23	Cosworth FVA
4	Chris Amon	C. Amon	Ferrari 246T	Ferrari V6 2.4
5	Red Dawson	I. Dawson	Brabham BT7A	Climax FPF
6	Jim Clark	Team Lotus	Lotus 49T	Cosworth DFV 2.5
7	Frank Gardner	Alec Mildren Racing	Brabham BT23D	Alfa Romeo V8 2.5
8	Piers Courage	Piers Courage	McLaren M4A	Cosworth FVA
10	Peter Yock	Peter Yock	Lotus 33	BRM V8 2.0
11	Ken Smith	Ken Smith	Lotus 41B	Ford 1.5
12	Roly Levis	Shaw Motors	Brabham BT18	Ford 1.5
14	Graeme Lawrence	Lawrence Racing	Brabham BT18	Ford 1.5
17	Vince Anderson	Vince Anderson	Brabham BT11A	Climax FPF
18	David Oxton	S. Oxton	Brabham BT16	Ford 1.5
19	John Nicholson	John Nicholson	Lotus 27	Ford 1.5
20	Laurence Brownlie	Laurence Brownlie	Brabham BT18/21	Ford 1.5
24	Bill Stone	Bill Stone	Brabham BT6	Ford 1.5
29	Don Macdonald	Don Macdonald	Brabham BT10	Ford 1.5
36	Graham McRae	Graham McRae	Brabham BT6	Ford 1.5
41	Jim Palmer	Jim Palmer	McLaren M4A	Cosworth FVA
57	Bryan Faloon	Bryan Faloon	Brabham BT4	Climax FPF
91	Frank Radisich	Frank Radisich	Lotus 22	Ford 1.7
115	Paul Bolton	Rorstan Motor Racing	Brabham BT22	Climax FPF

n a race depleted by retirements, Chris Amon made it two on the trot with the 2.4 V6 Ferrari when he completed a fast and steady drive to first place in the Rothmans International race at Levin on January 13, the second round in the 1968 Tasman Championship. For Team Lotus and the BRM team it was another dismal failure and, in fact, only ten of the 18 starters were still running at the end of the 75-mile event. A surprised Piers Courage trundled off with second place after a first-class drive in the 1.6 McLaren M4A to finish more than a lap in front of the similar car driven by the first resident Kiwi home, Jim Palmer.

Following the pattern of the Grand Prix the week before, Jim Clark failed to finish in the 2.5 Lotus Ford V8, this time with suspension trouble and the BRM V12s of Pedro Rodriguez and Bruce McLaren also retired. After setting the best time in practice in the 2.5 Brabham Alfa V8, Frank Gardner spun off and struck a bank in the early stages of the race while leading Clark and Amon. Second resident Kiwi across the line was Roly Levis who drove well in the 1.5 Brabham BT18 to take fourth position in front of Red Dawson’s 2.5 Brabham Climax and Bill Stone (1.5 Brabham).

A number of modifications were carried out to cars after Pukekohe. Jim Clark’s damaged Ford V8 engine was airfreighted back to England the day after the G.P. and a new unit arrived the following Tuesday for the works Lotus. The BRMs had a few changes, including the adaption of electric fuel pumps with rear mounted fuel bowls instead of the mechanical devices, while the ignition “black boxes” were re-positioned from the top centre of the roll bars to one side so that they received more cooling. Advice from England had it that the V12 cars must be run, and the V8 BRMs were only to be used if absolutely necessary. The Owen Organisation had their cars out earlier in the week at Levin in attempts to rectify the fuel injection problems.

Chris Amon had a shorter “Monaco” type nose on the Ferrari giving improved ventilation and better visibility on the tight Levin circuit. The Ferrari quickly showed that it was a force to be reckoned with when Amon soon got down to Clark’s record of 47.5s in the first practice session held in perfect weather. Amon then returned 47.1s and finally a 46.9s time before over-cooking things at Rothmans Corner and clouting an earth bank. This bent a steering arm and the Ferrari was whisked away to Hunterville to be repaired with no further practice being done.

Unlike Pukekohe, Firestone had plenty of rubber for Levin, and Clark and Amon were back on these covers. The Dunlop people hoped that Team Lotus would try their tyres, but Clark ran Firestones in both practice and the race. When the 18-car grid was finally formed, eight cars ran Firestones while both Goodyear and Dunlop had five cars each. Circulating without trouble in the first practice session was the Gardner Brabham Alfa, returning an excellent 47.1s. Clark went out and did a few laps but then a minor oil leak had to be repaired and by that time the practice was over after doing a best time of 48.0s or fourth on the list.

Bruce McLaren had the steering arm on his BRM shortened after he found things a little awkward during practice

 earlier in the week. The V12s sounded healthier and Bruce equalled Gardner’s time, with Rodriguez returning a 48.7s lap. Fifth best in the first session was Piers Courage, whose Dunlop-shod McLaren did 48.6s to beat the second works BRM. In the second practice period Gardner made himself favourite for the race by setting a cracking 46.5s lap to give him pole position. Rodriguez did 46.9s or second best to equal Amon’s time, but the BRMs were still being temperamental. The Lotus Ford came into the pits with water pouring from a cracked radiator, but the Scot had done a 47.0s lap. Fifth best time of 47.2s went to Bruce McLaren, while Piers Courage did 48.5s.

After arriving late Roly Levis showed that he had lost none of his old fire by turning in a great 49.6s lap in the Tony Shaw Brabham BT18, while Jim Palmer’s 1.6 McLaren M4A did 50.4s or the same as Graeme Lawrence (1.5 Brabham BT18). The fuel injection cams jammed open on Palmer’s car in the early part of the second session. Levin resident Bryan Faloon did a 50.8s time in a 2.5 Brabham Climax 4 which was tenth best, and he was followed by Bill Stone (1.5 Brabham Ford), 51.2s; Peter Yock (2.0 Lotus 33 BRM V8), 51.3s; Graham McRae (1.5 Brabham Ford), 51.6s; Frank Radisich (1.7 Lotus Ford), 51.8s; Red Dawson (2.5 Brabham Climax 4), 52.0s; and Ken Smith (1.5 Lotus 41B) and David Oxton (1.5 Brabham BT18 Ford) both on 52.4s. Paul Bolton had swapped engines in his 2.5 Brabham Climax 4 since Pukekohe, but the newer long-stroke unit was missing and the Australian driver’s best time of 53.0s put him 19th on the practice list.

Rodriguez led Gardner and Amon at the start of the exciting first preliminary. The Brabham Alfa closed right in on the leading BRM at the Hairpin but a battery terminal snapped, Gardner’s engine went dead and the Australian spun. Everyone got round him safely so that after one lap the close order read Rodriguez, Amon, McLaren, Clark, Courage, Yock, Palmer and Bolton. Gardner got going again near the tail of the field in an effort to take a respectable placing. The second lap saw more action when the Mexican driver spun his BRM while exiting from the Hairpin, and this time Amon led by a slender margin from McLaren and Clark. After four laps this trio had pulled out a two-second advantage on Courage, Rodriguez and seven seconds later a grand battle between Yock, Palmer and Bolton.

On lap 5 Bolton took Palmer, but it was only for a brief spell before the McLaren shot back to seventh place and then passed Yock who was putting on a great performance in his Lotus BRM. The Ferrari ran two seconds ahead of McLaren and Clark after six laps, and five seconds later came a scrap for third between Courage and Rodriguez. Bolton spun just before the pits, which put him back to eighth spot behind Yock but still clear of Dawson. Clark closed in on McLaren, and took the BRM on lap 8, pulling out a 3 second advantage two rounds later and starting to make Amon’s lead look doubtful.

The Lotus Ford snatched the lead from Amon on the eleventh lap, and at the same time Clark set a new lap record of 46.2s. Back in the minor places Gardner moved ahead of Palmer into sixth place while on lap 13, with one round to go, Rodriguez took Courage to finish about two seconds behind his team mate. Clark came home 2 seconds ahead of Amon, followed 4 seconds later by McLaren, Rodriguez Courage and Gardner, with Palmer first resident Kiwi across the line.

At the fall of the flag Gardner’s Brabham Alfa streaked into the lead, with Clark, Amon, Rodriguez, McLaren and Courage chasing him into Lake Bend. The yellow Brabham came around in front after one lap with the major positions the same except for Courage who had displaced McLaren after Cabbage Tree bend. Jim Clark gave Gardner no easy time, both cars lapping in 46.9s, and pulling out half a second on Amon after three laps. A little way behind McLaren were Bolton and Palmer and then a gap to the dicing trio of Levis (1.5 Brabham), Dawson (2.5 Brabham) and Graeme Lawrence (1.5 Brabham). After five. laps the leading three cars were still very close with a two-second margin to Rodriguez, while Courage kept his little McLaren ahead of the second works BRM.

Gardner and Clark came down the main straight side by side on lap 7, and the Lotus slipped into the lead as the two thundered into the fast Lake Bend. Already back markers were being lapped by the top boys, and with nine laps completed the leading trio was two seconds in front of the Mexican driver, with Courage four seconds in arrears. Five laps later the Lotus Ford was three seconds clear of Gardner, followed two seconds later by Amon, and Clark’s lead appeared to be growing bigger. Then on lap 14 the Scot went straight ahead at the Hairpin, and by the time the Lotus rejoined the field four cars had gone by.

This time Gardner’s luck was out, for he lost his newly acquired lead only seconds later when he over-cooked things at Rothmans and spun the Brabham into an earth bank. The resultant suspension damage left Frank a disappointed retirement. Two laps later Peter Yock retired the Lotus BRM with battery trouble. Chris now found himself with an eight second lead on the close pair of Rodriguez and Clark, followed by Courage, McLaren, Bolton, Palmer, Dawson, Lawrence, Stone and Levis.. On lap 17 Clark passed Rodriguez but he was nine seconds behind the Ferrari, and began the task of reducing the gap. Bolton and Palmer continued their dice for first resident Kiwi, but the Brabham Climax retired on lap 20 with an inoperative feel pump, leaving Palmer well clear, of Dawson.

With less than a third of the distance cut out, Clark had narrowed the Amon lead to six seconds, while the third placed Rodriguez V12 BRM ran sweetly about three seconds behind the Lotus Ford. McLaren seemed unable to pass Courage, whose Formula 2 McLaren was ideal for the tight Levin circuit, and the Kiwi constructor had to be content with fifth for the meantime. After 24 laps Amon’s lead had been reduced to five seconds, and such was the pace of the leaders that Palmer in sixth position had already been lapped. McLaren challenged Courage, this pair circulating 11 seconds behind the first BRM Graeme Lawrence made the first of his pit stops with a loose plug lead which lost him invaluable time.

On lap 27 McLaren overtook Courage, putting the two BRMs third and fourth, but all interest lay in Clark who was overhauling Amon and now resided just two seconds in arrears. Then McLaren lost time with a brief excursion and the waiting Courage regained his fourth place. On lap 29 Graham McRae retired his 1.5 Brabham with a jammed gearbox. Clark looked all set to take the lead, but on the 31st round pulled into the pits with a bent trailing rear suspension arm, the result of hitting a kerb. For the second week in a row the Lotus Ford challenge had failed. This retirement brought luck for the Ferrari team as Chris now had a virtually invincible 17-second lead on Rodriguez and McLaren, the last named having passed Courage yet again.

More than a lap behind, but safely in fifth place, came Jim Palmer, followed by Dawson, Stone, Levis and Faloon. Rodriguez was driving a steady race some 13 seconds clear of the close McLaren and Courage, but the Mexican could make no impression on Amon who led by 20 seconds after 36 laps. Palmer doubled Dawson on lap 31 so the field was well spread out by now. The Rodriguez car began to run sick on lap 40, marking the first signs of trouble with the Bourne machines. Pedro pitted with fuel starvation problems and rejoined the fray in fourth place but a

 further stop put him right out of the money. Dawson dropped back behind Stone and Levis, while Courage passed McLaren again on lap 42 when there were only four cars on the same lap.

The final 20 laps did not hold much interest for the 20,000 spectators with Chris continuing his faultless drive. On lap 55, and only eight rounds left, poor Bruce McLaren began to slow drastically, his BRM sounding terrible. He pulled into the pits with boiling fuel and lost his third place. Amon’s best lap time of 46.8s (90.25 mph) was the same as Gardner’s best lap, and the Kiwi came home almost 50 seconds in front of Courage. Once again Courage put on a great performance for second place, while Palmer outclassed the rest of the local cars. But numerous retirements and the non-appearance of the recovering Denny Hulme eliminated much interest from the second round in the Championship.

RACE RESULTS
POSITION	LAPS	TIME
1. Amon	63	50’40.2 FL:46.8
2. Courage	63	51’30.5
3. Palmer	61	.
4. Levis	60	.
5. Dawson	60	.
6. Stone	60	.
7. Faloon	59	.
8. Radisich	59	.
9. Lawrence	58	.
10. Oxton	58	.
McLaren	55	DNF:Fuel
Rodriguez	43	DNF:Fuel
Clark	30	DNF:Suspension
McRae	29	DNF:Gearbox
Bolton	19	DNF:Fuel Pump
Yock	15	DNF:Electrics
Gardner	14	DNF:Accident
Smith	0	?