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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.

More to the point

6 March, 2026

This Daimler SP252 is so rare, few people know it exists. It’s one of a kind. It’s the only surviving, in fact the only SP252 ever completed; the would-be successor to the SP250 Daimler Dart. It is also the last sports car to have been designed by Jaguar’s legendary founder, Sir William Lyons.
Perhaps one of the original Dart’s biggest problems was it’s somewhat-divisive looks. It certainly went well enough to win fans, although Sir William wasn’t among them. It crushed the opposition in the Bathurst six-hour race, finishing five laps ahead of anyone else, and it was snapped up by police forces in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as it was the fastest thing on the road.
So you’d think a stunning new body with the magic Lyons touch would have been a surefire success. Why this car never made it into production is still something of a mystery, as the official explanations barely stack up.

Polishing to perfection

26 February, 2026

The secret to a show-stopping finish is colour sanding, no matter which paint system you use. Even a good painter, no matter how experienced or talented — like my mate Bruce Haye, CEO at Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga — can’t shoot to a perfect mirror finish. To get that level of perfection, you need to colour sand.
It used to be called ‘rubbing out’ or ‘cutting’, and it was done with pastes that came in cans. They worked — sort of — but the compounds really just rounded off imperfections instead of eliminating them, and they removed a lot of paint in the process. But now your new finish can be made flawless, thanks to microfine sandpapers that come in 1000, 1500, 2000, and even 2500 grit ranges, and Farecla G3 polish — available from automotive paint suppliers.