News ExtraTASMAN HOTLINEMOFFAT THE DRAW ALLAN MOFFAT had returned to Australia after Pukekohe, but Brian Foley kept the Australian flag flying in the supporting saloon car races at Levin in his Alfa GTAm. He won pole position from the big bangers with a fastest lap of 54.2, but Rod Coppins and Dennis Marwood outran the little Alfa from the rolling start in both races.Coppins won the first eight-lap clash from Marwood and Coppins, while Marwood headed home Coppins and Foley in their second encounter.• NEW ENGINE FOR McRAEMcRAE is slipping-in a fresh engine fur Christchurch, reckoning that his first Morand-Chevvy engine had done enough work after Pukekohe and Levin. The airfield circuit at Christchurch has been changed for the forthcoming Wigram Trophy.The notorious hairpin has been removed and lap speeds of more than 115mph are forecast.McRAE has had several inquiries already from prospective Australasian buyers for his Leda GMI. The chances are that it will stay either in Australia or New Zealand, because a second car is under construction for McRae to drive in this year's Rothmans European Formula 5000 championship, which will feature double the prizemoney of last year.McRae is also toying with the idea of doing a couple of rounds of the L-and-M Continental Championship in the U.S.He could be in the box seat for the European series, what with reigning champion Frank Gardner rumored to have other committments this year and Mike Hailwood moving up to Formula One.ELFINS SUPER RELIABLE THE Adelaide-built formula 5000 Repco-engined Elfins are establishing what must be a world record for reliability. Between them, McCormack, Stewart and Cooper have now started in a total of 15 races and finished every one.REPCO SPECIAL SERVICE REPCO has set up a special service for the Tasman Championship -a mobile unit that is covering every race in New Zealand and Australia -for the cars using its Repco F5000 engines. Equipped with a full range of spares, it is manned by none other than Repco Engine Developments general manager Mai Preston and his right hand man, Don Halpin.THREE DOWN THREE Lola T300s have come to Australasia and three have been wrecked, all within a matter of a few weeks. First, Frank Gardner's own car was badly damaged in practice for the Australian Grand Prix last November.Then Niel Allen crashed his car while practising at Surfers. ·Graeme Lawrence wrote his car off in the ill-fated 19th New Zealand International Grand Prix and now Gardner's car has been virtually written off.LAWRENCE RECOVERS • LAWRENCE is making a slow, but successful recovery in Auckland's Middlemore Hospital.He has not developed any complications but he will probably be hospitalised for at least three months.And it will be six months before he can drive again, if in fact he decides to continue racing.