Rush Day 17 3rd Page

AUGUST 28, 1976
AUTOWEEK
PAGE 3
Ford's Hayes: Let's Treat Ferrari More Fairly

The following is a statement from Walter Hayes, vice president of public relations for Ford of Europe. Hayes is one of the men responsible for Ford's involvement in Formula One.
Enzo Ferrari's decision to withdraw his team for the rest of 1976 was not difficult to foresee and it had nothing at all to do with Niki Lauda's accident at the N urburgring. On July 19, one day after the controversial start to the British Grand Prix, Signor Ferrari talked at length to Lorenzo Pilogallo of Italy's Corriere Della Sera and the next day, under the headline "Ferrari Fires at Everybody", Italian readers at least had the benefit of his forceful opinions. He complained about the decision in Spain saying that article 123 of the regulations made it clear that in the case of an offense against the rules both dtiver and constructor were equally guilty. The McLaren appeal he called "a parody" and he had some hard words for the Italian sports commission. He said the Ferrari racing stable had never made official complaints in the past but they were now facing situations which abroad are explicity termed "Mafioso" when referred to Italy. "The interpreters of sports regulations are always protecting particular interests
which have nothing to do with the real technical and human sports achievements and that is all I believe in," he said. He said that the British Grand Prix was a "new race" and not an "interrupted race" and went on: "We will go to the race. With or without the Italian Sports Commission, we will go to the CSI and to the FIA, I wonder whether these gentlemen realize, after the Spanish and British Grand Prix, what kind of situation they have created. As far as I am concerned unless there is a return to the spirit of the sports law I do not feel like going ahead." It would be difficult to find anything plainer than that. I at least took him at his word and told Michael Kranefuss on July 21 that I thought Ferrari would be out for the rest of the season and maybe for longer if the British Grand Prix appeal went against him. It really doesn't matter whether you accept Ferrari's point of view or not and I don't imagine he wants your sympathy but motor racing for the rest of the year will be a lot poorer for the absence of the Ferraris and it would be as well for the people most concerned with the sport in terms of administration to take the lessons of this incident to hear. Because the people the sport itself should be
worried about are the spectators and, while they may be as nationalistic as the Olympic commentators, they have the right to expect fair play. It is my opinion, forwhat it's worth, that Hunt won fairly and squarely at Brands Hatch. It was a new race buthe won it. Nor do I beleive his performance was in any way assisted by the infinitesimal error in track measurement in Spain. But you cannot have flexible regulations any more than you can have near virgins. And the sport would do well to remember that
it has only reached its present powerful and highly profitable position because it has been an exciting and a fair sport arid it has, by and large, avoided the recriminations and quarrels that have disfigured so many others.. It would be a very good idea now if the journalists who cover motor sport in Europe let Ferrari know that everybody wants him back. But it would be a better idea if the constructors sent their own ambassador to cool his wrath. 1977 won't be the same without him.
VW, Pennsylvania Split Over Interest; U.S. Plant Still On

DETROIT-Volkswagen AG has announced it will arrange on its own the financing of $135 million needed to provide equipment for its proposed assembly plant in New Stanton, Pa. The Pennsy1vania government originally had agreed to finance the $135 million as part of an overall financing package which had swayed VW toward New Stanton and away from the dozens of other sites it had been considering. However, the German firm balked when Pennsylvania offered a 15-year loan at 90/0 interest, slightly higher than the state originally had promised. Volkswagen will accept the state's offer of a $6 million loan out of the original $155 million package offered, for use in the acquisition of the property. Pennsylvania governor Milton J. Shapp has said that his state would assist VW in obtaining additional financing if costs of completing the facility exceed current estimates of $80 million. Shapp also said that "Some other issues remain to be resolved" before the final settlement, now set for Sept. 15. Financing, however, had been the major obstacle to completion of the agreement. As to whether his state's altered position on financing would force Volkswagen to change its plans to begin building Rabbits at the New Stanton facility by fall of 1977, Shapp said, "I don't think there is going to be any delay experienced.' ,
Group Buys Phoenix Track

PHOENIX, Ariz.-Indianapolis car owner Bob Fletcher and five other Phoenix businessmen have purchased FasTrack International Speedway, the Phoenix-based facility which twice annually holds Indianapolis car racing .. First order of business for the new group, which officially signed papers on the track Aug. 17, 1976, was to rename the scenic layout "Phoenix International Raceway," the track's original title prior to the Bricklin Corporation's purchase four years ago. The purchase by the new group also solidifies the Nov. 7 USAC Bobby Ball 150, championship race. Others involved in the purchase are Dr. Tom Taber, Bill Hardy, Dr. Robert Stephens, Dr. David Lehman, and Jack Gilmore. Dr. Taber will serve as president of the group, Hardy is vice president, Lehman is secretary, Stephens is treasurer and Fletcher and Gilmore are boards of director members. Thus ends a year of legal entanglements for the track, which threatened the future ofIndy car racing in Phoenix, after the Bricklin Corp., the track's previous owner, went into bankruptcy. The track, a one-mile paved tri-oval, a 2.7-mile road course, a TT motorcycle track and quarter-mile dragstrip, is the only facility in Arizona on which Indy cars could compete.
GM's Product Overhall A Process That Will Continue For Years

world auto scene has been a program by Volkswagen in the earl:y'1970's to abandon DETROIT-The time was 1972-73, and its air-cooled rear engines and to replace most people didn't care too much about them with cars using water cooled front engines with front wheel drive. the mileage of their cars. The big General Motors' cars got about In appearance, all the cars-1977-7810mpg. Some people grumbled but there 79-are radically different from what was no big outcry because that was the people are used to seeing at GM. Its new time before the Arab oil embargo and the regular size cars are flat sided and snub nosed. This was the only way GM resulting gas shortage. However, those in the top echelons of engineers could maintain the interior GM saw the energy crisis approaching. room while shaving the outside. The intermediates, which will be They met and decided that what had to be done was nothing less than a complete introduced a year from now, are also overhaul of GM's product lineup. Those squared off compared with the current cars, from the big Buicks and Cadillacs on intermediates. Thus, they should be able down, would have to become more to carry the same load as the current mideconomical. They had grown big, round size cars in both people and luggage. GM Chairman Thomas A. Murphy said, and heavy over the years. The full size cars weighed three tons, "This is a new era of cars. We have spent the intermediates 5,000 lbs. and even the one hell of a lot of money to get the weight compacts with the usual equipment were out and put more value in." Of course, the problem is that the new in the two-ton range. The rule of thumb has been that you can improve fuel regular size cars have the same outside economy one mile per gallon for every dimensions as the current intermediates 300 pounds of weight saved, although the inside will be bigger. A year So, GM decided to put all its cars ona from now when the 1978 intermediates crash diet-shed 700 pounds to 1,000 will be downsized, they will have the pounds and a foot in length so they could outside dimensions of today's compacts get 3mpg better economy. But (and here although the inside will be the same as was the real challenge) the slimmed down today's mid-size cars. In the fall of 1978, the compacts will cars still would have to be able to have the have their outside dimensions chopped. same general interior space. A regular size car would have to hold Until these 1979 models bow there will be six passengers and their luggage in ease. an overlapping in model sizes at GM. The new intermediates would have to Murphy says, "There is going to be a hold to their present interior dimensions. blurring of emphasis on outside Ditto for the compacts. dimensions of cars as a means of defining A three-year program was mapped out their size. We have defined small cars as at that time. The full-size cars, GM's so- those with ll1-inch wheelbases or called Band C Body models like the smaller. "This was because at that point cars Electra, Pontiac Bonneville and Chevrolet Caprice, would be changed for tended to be smaller. But with our new cars we are able to get in that wheelbase 1977. That was phase one. For phase two, GM package something which you had set out to change the intermediate size considered intermediate size." cars, like the Oldsmobile Cutlass, Murphy admits the overlapping of size Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac definitions and the three year period it Grand Prix. These would be done for 1978. will take to accomplish the change is Phase three, redoing all the compact bothersome. cars, was set for 1979. This meant a new "I wish I could wave a magic wand and Chevrolet Nova and cars of that class. get the new generation of cars out at one The change is the biggest top-to-bottom time," he said. "But we don't have even the product overhaul ever undertaken by a tooling capacity in this country for that major American auto firm in modern kind of job. We're doing it as fast as times. The only thing comparable on the possible." By Robert W. Irvin
LATE NEWS
Continued From Page 1
point lead over second man Walt Maas with four races left. At presstime IMSA had not received a Mid-Ohio Camel entry from Maas, and if he gives that event a pass, Brad has the championship. Chrysler Corp. will offer its electronic Lean Burn system on its 440cid and 360cid engines in 1977; up to now that system has been available only on the 400cid engine, and in full-sized cars; Now it will also be available in the Aspen/Volare lines. American Motors expects to sell more than 300,000 cars in the 1977 model year. It has sold 256,000 cars to date in 1976. The increased figures are expected from the debut of the new Pacer wagon in late September. A pair of TurboPorsches will start the Mid-Ohio edition of the Camel GT Aug. 20. Al Holbert's turbo will be driven by George Follmer and Holbert crewchief Doc Bundy and Paul Miller's car will be driven by Miller and Milt Minter. Donnie Allison will drive the Gilmore/Hoss Ellington Chevrolet in the Southern 500 Labor Day. The names of three more drivers for this year's IROC series have been released: they are CaleYarborough, Jody Scheckter and Al Unser. IMSA regular Bill Freeman will do the three USAC 500-milers in the Ex-Revson, Ex-John Martin McLaren M16-B. The updated car will debut at the fall Phoenix USAC race Nov. 6. Denver's Jerry Jolly has taken possession of a Kwech-built Monza which will carry sponsorship from KLZ radio for the final three Camel GT races of the year at Road Atlanta, Laguna Seca and Daytona. Detroit cars probably will cost about 60/0 more in 1977, in the biggest price boost since 1974, when a 100/0 increase was followed by the worst sales decline in decades. Deliveries are expected to rise by 25% despite the increase, to 10.8 million new cars, including imports. There would appear to be a good chance that Buick will have a turbocharger option available for 1978, probably on its V6. Buick now is negotiating with various companies for production.

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AUGUST 28, 1976

Ford's Hayes: Let's Treat Ferrari More Fairly

VW, Pennsylvania Split Over Interest; U.S. Plant Still On

Group Buys Phoenix Track

GM's Product Overhall A Process That Will Continue For Years

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