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Race to the Sky returns — win the money-can’t-buy experience

25 February, 2015

The Repco Race to the Sky is set to make a welcome return to the event calendar on April 17–19 at Cardrona Valley.

Returning for the first time since 2007, the event is set to see more than 100 cars, bikes, and buggies tackle the world’s longest gravel hill climb. It’s a 14.km course with 135 turns, climbing from 450 metres to 1500 metres above sea level.

If you want to be in amongst the action, Repco has organized a great prize package, giving you the chance to have a money-can’t-buy VIP experience at the event. To enter, all you need to do is spend $50 in store at any Repco branch before March 31 and text your receipt number and name to 244.

The two winners will be drawn on April 1, and will receive two return flights to Queenstown (departing Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch), three nights accommodation at Novotel Queenstown, two VIP hospitality days at Repco Race to the Sky, two passenger rides in the Repco Race to the Sky car, and, to top it off, two tickets for afternoon entry to Highlands Motorsport Park.

“Gotcha!’’ The continuing tale of a Nissan/Datsun tragic – part two

8 May, 2026

In 1996, I was on a mission to buy a suitable pavement scorcher and visited the now-defunct Manukau City Car Fair. Unbelievably, among the sea of four-door utilitarian Japanese compacts was the absolute jewel in the crown, my automobile wet dream — a 1985 two-door R30 RS Nissan Skyline FJ20 Turbo five-speed manual in nice condition. The owner wanted $10,000 — a great deal.
But what did I do? I bailed out, paralysed by indecision. The money would have been a stretch, but it was the worst automotive choice I ever made. Instead, I went for a rusty Toyota Sprinter 8 Valve Twin Cam Coupé, which was pretty terminal from the get-go. I know. We’ve all done it, but there was really no excuse for passing up the Skyline, and I was haunted by that for years.

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

30 April, 2026

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.