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Big rigs and V8s ready to rumble

26 November, 2014

The BNT NZ SuperTourers are set to hit the Fuchs 500 event at Pukekohe Park Raceway this weekend, over November 28–30. Their brute V8 power will be complemented by the 1200hp, five-tonne monsters making up the New Zealand SuperTruck Championship. It has been 10 years since the SuperTrucks last raced at Pukekohe and at least 11 of the leviathans are expected to make an appearance, along with a raft of former champions including Ron Salter, Andrew Porter, and Calven Bonney.

The excitement is also at a peak in the SuperTourers series, with Richard Moore and his co-driver, full-time V8 Supercar driver Tim Slade, just trailing in points behind V8 Supercar wizard Shane Van Gisbergen and Simon Evans.

Moore is part of the M3 team along with Greg Murphy and Paul Manuell and he says he has learnt a lot from them — he feels that he has what it takes to race with the big boys.

“We’re pretty confident now that we’re a leading force and we really want to take it to that leading car of Simon and Shane.”

With the levels of competition ramping up in the SuperTourers, don’t go thinking that the SuperTrucks have just been shoehorned in — the Pukekohe event will be round one of a five-round championship for the trucks and is rejuvenation for the series. The 1200hp trucks hit their 160kph top speed halfway down the back straight, and the new back section of the track presents new passing opportunities. “These things are bloody exciting to watch, if you haven’t seen them before, you need to get along,” says Clevedon racer Troy Wheeler.

The BNT NZ SuperTourers and NZ SuperTrucks will also be joined by the UDC NZ V8 Utes, NZV8 Touring Cars, Toyota Finance 86 Series, Honda Cup, and the SsangYong Actyon Racing Series. For tickets, go to nzsupertourers.co.nz.

A diamond in the rough

24 June, 2025

Two years ago, Lew finished a thorough restoration and the impressive ute has taken on a new life and colour. Lew plays down the amount of effort required but, despite his protestations, I suspect he put a lot of time into the project. A few unwanted tenants were evicted along the way.
“It didn’t take me long. There had been mice living in the firewall, which had caused a bit of damage. It apparently broke down and was pushed into a shed. It was 20 years to the day when I pulled it out and it sat in my other shed for 3 years before I started on it. That’s why it’s in such good order — it’s been kept in a shed for so long and still is.”

NZ Classic Car magazine, July August 2025 issue 400, on sale now

15 June, 2025

Good for the soul, a dose of Hemi Orange – Chrysler’s champion Charger
The Australian-developed Chrysler Charger was a game changer for the company in 1971, as it faced a faltering start introducing its new VH range. The stylish big coupe signalled a massive change of direction and emphasis for Chrysler.
Auckland racing driver Rod Coppins raced successfully in Australia and New Zealand. Rod found success behind the wheel of a couple of Chargers, and it is a special E49 R/T in the custody of Mike Todd for some years, that is our feature car.
A full restoration of this car has been completed at Auto Restorations (AR) in Christchurch. We recently sampled the car, ready to be shipped back to Mike and spoke to AR’s Harry Dawber, leading the team who completed the superb restoration of this rare piece of NZ motor racing history.
I mentioned that Chrysler Chargers were never built to this standard as we walked around the gleaming Charger in its Hemi Orange colour scheme.
“We took a lot of time getting those shut lines exactly right. It’s been a great car to work on, and the paint and trim have been very well done by the team here.”