Who’s running the numbers? New Zealand’s quickest street and drag cars

12 November, 2015

 

In every issue of NZV8 magazine we feature a list titled New Zealand’s Quickest Drag Racers (as seen below). The list isn’t so much one to celebrate historical achievements, but to give those who are currently competing the credit they deserve. As such, it’s updated on a monthly basis to not only include new entrants, but also to show which drivers have improved their PBs.

Included on the list is any V8-powered vehicle that runs 8.99 seconds or quicker, regardless of which class they race in. The only exception being streetcars, which fall into our separate Quickest Streetcars List, that we also run, assuming they meet the legal criteria. For the streetcar list, the time cut-off is 9.99 seconds or quicker, since nine seconds seems to be the new benchmark for what quantifies a quick streeter these days. You can see who’s currently on that list here.

As a general rule, we’ve always asked for drivers themselves to keep us informed of their times and progress, but we’ve also made an effort to hunt out the information as much as possible. However, that’s where we now need your help.

With so many new cars running into the eight- or nine-second zones, it’s now more important than ever to remove those no longer competing, to give those that are the room they require.

If you’re on the list, but have parked the car up for a few seasons, or sold it, we’d love to hear from you. Likewise, if you’re not on either list and should be, then please do let us know. The easiest way is by emailing [email protected]. Even if you’re not on the list, but have it on good authority that someone should/shouldn’t be, we’ll take your word for it. 

So get emailing!

Lunch with Bill Leckie: An Imp’s tale

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

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.