The 1961 New Zealand Grand Prix may not have been Stirling's greatest, however when we get told of superb film footage in colour, shown below, it is just the kind of excuse we need to cover a race which has not received that much exposure in the past. The drivers on the international Formula 1 scene loved to go to New Zealand and Australia for the start of the season as it took them away from the dark cold winters of Europe to enjoy the delights that both countries had to offer, much in evidence in the film below. As Stirling said of his visit to the Antipodes that year "I opened the season by taking on the locals in New Zealand, as this had become an almost traditional fixture for me over the years."

For the 1961 edition of the New Zealand Grand Prix, Stirling raced a 2.5 Lotus 18 "Intercontinental", a Lotus 18 powered by a 2.5 litre Climax FPF four-cylinder engine to compete under the newly initiated "international formula" regulations. As with previous Grand Prixs in New Zealand, heats were required to qualify for the final race. With Stirling racing once again in the Rob Walker colours for the 1961 season, in Formula 1, he won his heat easily given the additional power he now had compared to the previous seasons 1.5 litre Climax engine. The heat race over 15 laps of the 2 mile circuit was won at an average speed of 90.1 mph with Stirling also recording a lap record.

Sadly mechincal gremlins put paid to his efforts in the final that took place later in the day, as Stirling recalls "I had a frustrating time because I was leading quite comfortably when a drive shaft cracked on lap 30 and I had to retire". Ironically all the Lotus cars racing in this Grand Prix retired, including those of John Surtees and Innes Ireland, leaving Jack Brabham, in his Cooper, to win from Bruce McLaren with the rest of the field someway behind.

Re-live this race by watching the superb colour footage below, which feature all the drivers mentioned above, including Stirling, with footage of him at the wheel of the 2.5 Lotus 18 before he retired. The film starts with the an open race around the streets of Dunedin on the South Island, watch out for the classic Le Mans type start. 

To purchase a copy and view other archive films from New Zealand go to www.nzonscreen.com