Rex Flowers: A Story of his 1961 Gemini Mk3A-09 Cosworth-Ford FJ Part 13 of 15
[Continued from Part 12]
The final race on the programme for Formula Libre Racing and Sports Racing Cars was Event 17, a Scratch race over 8 laps. Due to damage to cars sustained in earlier races, there were six scratchings from those listed in the programme. Angus Hyslop was added to the reduced list of starters, as well as Rex Flowers from the Reserves list – it is not known if the other two cars on the Reserves were added as well. Jack Brabham took his third win from three starts for the day; Tony Maggs was second in the Bowmaker Lola 2.7 from Chris Amon and Angus Hyslop in their T53 Coopers. David McKinney recorded Rex in his Gemini in 8th place.
The Lady Wigram Trophy Race Meeting, RNZAF Station Wigram – 19th January 1963 –Rex entered his Gemini, possibly fitted with the 1500cc engine, in the 9th International Lady Wigram Trophy race, held on the airfield at RNZAF Station Wigram, Christchurch and Saturday 19th January 1963.
Although he entered Race 1, the 15 lap Motor Racing Club (MRC) Championship race, Rex did not start this race as he had already qualified for the Lady Wigram Trophy Race. The MRC race was “For open cars not entered or not qualifying of the Trophy Race”. The race was won by Maurie Stanton in his Stanton Corvette 4.9 from Barry Cottle in his Lola Mk1 Climax 1.2 sports, and Arthur Moffat in his ex-Jim Palmer Lotus 15 Climax 2.0 sports was third.
The 9th Lady Wigram Trophy Race was held over 71 laps/242 km on the sealed taxiways of RNZAF Station Wigram airfield. . Rex qualified the Gemini in 11th place of the 18 cars that started the race – of the seven 1500cc cars, Rex was third fastest to Jim Palmer’s Lotus 20B and David Young’s newer Cooper T65.
The Start Grid for the Lady Wigram Trophy Race:
4 Brabham 1 Surtees 47 McLaren 2 Maggs
Brabham BT4 2.7 Lola T4 2.7 Cooper T62 2.7 Lola T4 2.7
1 min 16.6 secs 1 min 16.6 secs 1 min 16.8 secs 1 min 19.4 secs
5 Hyslop 32 Amon 41 Palmer
Cooper T53 2.5 Cooper T53 2.5 Lotus 20B Ford 1.5
1 min 20.0 secs 1 min 21 0secs 1 min 22.0 secs
18 Young 17 Shelly 37 Bulcraig 25 Flowers
Cooper T65 1.5 Lotus 18/21 2.5 Aston Martin DBR4 3.0 Gemini Mk3A 1.5 (?)
1 min 23.8 sec 1 min 24.4 secs 1 min 24.4 1 min 25.6
20 Histed 21 Turpie 12 Green
Lola T2 Ford 1.5 Lotus 20 1.5 Cooper T45 2.0
1 min 27.4 1 min 27.7 1 min 27.8
27 Sager 19 Levis 3 Ireland
Lotus 20 1.5 Cooper T52 1.5 Ferguson P99 4WD 2.5
1 min 28.1 1 min 28.4 No Time
Front Row – from the right of photo #4 Jack Brabham Brabham BT4 Climax, #1 John Surtees Lola T4 Climax 2.7, #47 Bruce McLaren Cooper T62 Climax 2.7, #2 Tony Maggs Lola Climax 2.7
Row 2 – on right #5 Angus Hyslop Cooper T3 Climax 2.5, red car #32 Chris Amon Cooper T53 Climax, obscured behind Maggs #41 Jim Palmer Lotus 20 Ford 1.5
Row 3 – obscured over top of McLaren’s helmet # 18 David Young Cooper T65 Ford, to left and behind Amon is #17 Tony Shelly Lotus 18/21 Climax 2.5, the red car behind Maggs/Palmer #37 Bulcraig Aston Martin DBR4 3.0, on left #25 Rex Flowers Gemini Mk3A
Photo Euan Sarginson in ‘The Shell Book of NZ Motor Racing 1963’
#25 Rex Flowers Gemini Mk3A, #37 Lionel Bulcraig Aston Martin DBR4
Next row – to the left and behind Bulcraig is a blue car with white wheels which is #17 Tony Shelly Lotus 18/21. Shelly moved up on the grid to start the race beside Bulcraig. Beside Shelly in this photo is #20 John Histed Lola T2 Ford.
In Rear – #12 Ian Green Cooper T45 Climax
Photo Euan Sarginson on the back cover of ‘The Shell Book of NZ Motor Racing 1963’
#1 John Surtees Lola T4 Climax 2.7 just ahead of #4 Jack Brabham, Brabham BT4 Climax 2.7. To the left of Surtees in this photo is #47 Bruce McLaren Cooper T62 Climax 2.7, and to the left of McLaren is #2 Tony Maggs Lola T4 Climax 2.7. Behind McLaren is #41 Jim Palmer Lotus 20B Ford 1.5. Behind Brabham is #32 Chris Amon Cooper T53 Climax 2.5 and to the right of Amon is #5 Angus Hyslop Cooper T53 Climax 2.5. To the left and behind Amon is #37 Lionel Bulcraig Aston Martin DBR4 3.0 and just to the left and behind Bulcraig is #25 Rex Flowers Gemini Mk3A Ford. To the left of Flowers on the edge of the track is #3 Innes Ireland Ferguson P99 Climax 2.5. To the left and behind Hyslop is #18 David Young Cooper T65 Ford 1.5 and to his left and behind is #20 John Histed Lola T2 Ford 1.5. To the left and behind Histed is #21 Frank Turpie Lotus 20 Ford 1.5. At the rear is #19 Roly Levis Cooper T52 Ford 1.5
Photo from ‘The Weekly News’ page 5 of 23 January 1963
The Race – Graham Vercoe recorded at page 188 to his ‘Golden Era’ book,”Surtees again made the best getaway and led McLaren around the first tour but the Cooper driver got into the lead at the hairpin [at the end of the main straight] on the second round as they tried to avoid the wreckage of the first lap crash between Bulcraig and Palmer. An oil line had severed on the Aston, spraying hot oil onto its back tyres and sending it into the back of Palmer in his Lotus 20B. The remainder led by Brabham, Maggs, Amon, Ireland, Hyslop, Shelly and Histed were some way back.
Hyslop soon ahead of Ireland and Amon. On lap13 Shelly pitted with gearbox problems and Ireland continued to drop back with overheating. Amon was next out [on lap 29], again with gearbox failure. Lap 31 saw the big drama as Surtees pitted with his gearbox refusing half of its selections. He rejoined the race for two more laps then put the Lola away for good. This left the front runners as McLaren with Brabham hot on his heels and then a gap back to Maggs and Hyslop with Ireland way back in fifth. On lap 33 Brabham slipped in front of McLaren who was having to keep an eye on his oil level (after the race it was found that two pistons had broken rings and were using a great deal of oil) but eight laps later, McLaren got the lead back…. Ironically, it was Brabham who suddenly found himself out of oil and he had to pit for more. He returned by some was down on McLaren.”
Bruce McLaren won from Jack Brabham, both on 71 laps. Next were Tony Maggs and Angus Hyslop on 70 laps. John Histed was 5th on 64 laps, Ian Green 6th on 62 followed by Ken Sager in 7th place with Rex in 8th place. Rex said later he remembered having problems with a slipping clutch in the Gemini so he was 14 laps down on the leaders on 57 laps. Roly Levis was the only remaining car in 9th place.
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