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Massive Murphy auction at Hampton Downs

16 June, 2014

 


Greg Murphy is supporting the Spinal Cord Society NZ and its research into finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes by donating the proceeds of a massive memorabilia auction. The event is to be held on Sunday, June 1, at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, and entry is free.

The items for sale on the day will range from highly covetable items donated by Greg from the highlights of his career to date, to fun and very reasonably priced items, making this an exciting event for bidders of all levels.

There are also chances to win apparel and even a hot lap with the man himself, with spot prizes on the day for all those who register on arrival.

For information on all the family activities planned, as well as the full inventory of items to be auctioned and registrations of expressions of interest, visit murphhotlaps.com. To bid on one of the 20 charity hot laps also available, visit trademe.co.nz and use the search term ‘Murph Hot Laps’.


Public and guest event timetable:

8.30am: Pre-booked track experiences commence
9.30am: Free entry general admission gates open to public: Holden Barina Skid Pan experience, kids bouncy castle, Formula Challenge V8 drive sessions
10am: Silent auction, Trademe Charity Auction winners’ hot laps commence
12.30pm: Special track demonstrations including drift demonstration by Drew Donovan
1.30pm: Silent auction closes
2.30pm: Greg Murphy live auction begins
3pm: Formula Challenge single-seater drive experiences
4pm: Event activities conclude

Lunch with Bill Leckie: An Imp’s tale

6 August, 2026

Seeking limelight is part of Bill Leckie’s DNA, but when I asked him if anyone had written about his career and the cars he created, he didn’t think so. Even so, I was delighted when he agreed to sit down with me over a pie and coffee to reminisce. I started by asking how it is that someone who is so fanatical about F1 only ever raced saloon cars? Well, we’ll get to that, but where did things start? “I went to Cornwall Park Primary School and then to Remuera Intermediate where I became good mates with Geoff Perry, son of the legendary motorcycle racing legend Len.” Geoff Perry was 23 and on the edge of stardom when he was killed in a mystery air disaster over the Pacific in 1973. “We used to race around his backyard on a cutdown motorbike. It was friendly competition that I suppose helped hone our racing instincts. There was never much between us and so, by 11 or 12, I had a definite leaning towards speed.”

Mitsubishi’s secret weapon

31 July, 2026

Ewen’s Starion is a little different and special. He saved this one – literally ‘found in a paddock’ — just in time, as he relates.
“Mine is a 1983 Starion. I’ve had it about five years. I first saw it in a paddock at Ryal Bush [north of Invercargill], and I went past it three times. The third time I went back and knocked at the door, but the owner didn’t want to sell. He rang up a year later, and put a price on it, which we accepted. Only thing wrong was the motor was totally dismantled.”
Ewen then set about getting the car back to its current state.
“It took me six months to find somebody suitable to refurbish it back then. Simon Bradley at Midas in Invercargill offered to do it and he did a great job on it. The head was badly damaged around the valves, and Simon said you could get generic cylinder heads now, so he installed one, and it cost $800. It’s made such a difference to the car. Mine is an intercooled, fuel-injected turbo model, fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox. It’s a great car to drive too.”
Except for a small patch of surface rust, Ewen’s car was in surprisingly good condition despite its paddock life.