Motorsport: Smith to avoid new 13-year hiatus

Ken Smith reckons he can't afford another 13-year gap between his wins in the New Zealand Grand Prix so he'll have to lift his game next weekend at Teretonga.

The doyen of New Zealand motor-racing won his first New Zealand Grand Prix in 1976 at Pukekohe in a Formula 5000 car. There was a 13-year gap until he won his next in a Formula Pacific Swift DB-4.

After another 13-year lean period, he won at Teretonga at the wheel of a Formula Ford in the closest finish ever to the premier single-seater race.

Now 64, Smith will drive a Toyota Tatuus, the class which will make its Grand Prix debut in the 34-lap classic.

"I doubt I'll be driving long enough to wait for another 13 years," said the feisty South Aucklander. "I'm going to have to get my [act] together this time at Teretonga.

"Teretonga is a fast, relaxing type of track and I like that. The Toyota is a good car but they're going to have to sort out the engine mapping.

"I've got confidence in the engine builder but I'm not sure all the mapping in the ECU is the same for everyone. I don't care if I'm first or last but I want to have an equal chance."

Series organiser Barrie Thomlinson has no problem with the engine mapping and believes the series provides an even competition.

The Toyota is the latest in a variety of classes to contest the race since the first international Grand Prix at Ardmore airfield in 1954.

Entrants for that race ranged from BRMs, Ferraris and a Maserati to a number of locally constructed specials.

The winner, after several disputes over placings, was 33-year-old Australian car dealer Stan Jones in the Maybach special with a German engine, a Studebaker front suspension and a Lancia rear end.

The Formula Libre (basically allcomers) gradually became more sophisticated with winners including Stirling Moss in a Maserati 250F, Reg Parnell in a Ferrari, Jack Brabham in a Cooper-Climax and John Surtees in a Lola-Climax.

Smith had raced at Ardmore in sports cars, first an Austin Ulster and then a one-off Cooper powered by a Holden engine.

The Cooper, fitted with a Maserati engine, recently sold in Europe for a million pounds.

Smith's Grand Prix debut came in 1965 when the race had moved to the purpose-built track round the horse racing course at Pukekohe. He drove a 1.5-litre Lotus-Ford into 12th place in a race won by Graham Hill in a Brabham-Climax complying with the 2.5-litre Tasman Formula.

By 1976, when he won for the first time, the specifications had been changed to the grunty Formula 5000 and he won at Pukekohe and in the Lady Wigram at Christchurch with a Lola-Chevrolet. "That was one of the nicest cars you'd ever want to drive. I drove one for 12 laps the other day and it was superb."

By 1977 the Formula 5000s were out and Formula Pacifics were in. Despite a triple heart bypass, Smith had several podium finishes in this class and victory in 1990 at Pukekohe. The younger brigade was snapping at his tailpipes and Craig Baird completed a hat-trick of wins from 1991 as critics began to write Smith off.

Formula Brabham and Formula Holden took over the race with wins to Greg Murphy, Brady Kennett, Simon Wills and Andy Booth before the Grand Prix came to Teretonga in 2002 in Formula Fords.

Future Porsche star Fabian Coulthard won in 2002, A1GP driver Jonny Reid in 2003 and Smith beat Andy Knight by a nosecone in 2004.

The veteran is not talking about retirement in his 48th year of motorsport. After all, come August 11, he will be Super-charged.