Race Report: Mallory Park, 22 July 1973

Mike Wilds took pole position for the latest round of the Lombank North Central Championship despite practice having to be stopped and then resumed later as a result of an accident between the March of Brazilian “Teleco” and the Royale of John Sheldon. Ian Taylor took the second quickest time in his March from the GRD of Brian Henton. Those in difficulties included Leonel Friedrich who developed a serious engine problem and Alan Jones who found himself on row six when his GRD refused to handle properly.

Everyone got away from the grid without incident but entering Gerards there were too many cars in too little space and Richard Robarts spun collecting the DART GRDs of both Alan Jones and Pedro Passadore as well as Nick Crossley’s March, both Robarts and Crossley were out on the spot but the DART cars continued albeit well down the field. Back at the front it was Wilds from Henton, Taylor, Wood, Harness, Gerber, Brise, Kuwashima and a fading Santo. Henton made several tries to take the lead from Wilds and on lap 5 at Gerards he found a way past and immediately began to edge away. Taylor now moved onto Wilds tail but despite a number of attempts he was unable to gain second and Henton was able to take advantage of their squabbling to ease out to a three second victory.
Wilds managed to keep Taylor at bay to take the runner-up spot by 0.2 seconds with Brise in fourth. Brise had lost his clutch at the start but it gradually came back again and he made up several places despite a coming together with Gerber’s Brabham at the hairpin. Harness and Wood took fifth and sixth with Kuwashima retiring from seventh in the closing laps when his March lost fifth gear.

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