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Legends of Speed: Celebrating New Zealand’s greatest drivers

24 October, 2016

 

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“Ever wanted to rub shoulders with some of the greatest names across the Kiwi motorsport spectrum? The Legends of Speed gala dinner is the place to be”

Kiwis’ involvement with motorsport goes back to the dawn of the combustion engine, and the international rapport that we have earned stretches back to a golden era of famous Kiwis who took the motorsport world by storm, playing a key part in many disciplines of racing to develop them into the global events by today’s standards.

There has never been a time that so many of our current racing legends have had an opportunity to come together in one place, and the Legends of Speed event is taking advantage of that chance to celebrate New Zealand’s greatest drivers — both past and present — at the Giltrap Group–presented gala dinner at Vector Arena on Friday, November 25.

At the forefront of Kiwi motorsport triumphs is four-time IndyCar champion, and Indianapolis 500 race winner, Scott Dixon, who is set to headline the event as one of New Zealand’s most-successful and recognized racing drivers.

The event will allow you to rub shoulders with Dixon and a contingent of Kiwi greats, and features a showcase of never-seen-before footage and interviews with our legendary drivers. A display of the world’s rarest and most-exclusive supercars from private New Zealand collections will also be featured — some of which are very rarely seen in the light of day — and will complement the evening alongside a motorsport memorabilia auction that includes historic racing treasures and one-off experiences.

Dixon will be joined on the night by Hyundai World Rally Championship (WRC) crew and Argentinian Rally winners Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard, who recently became the first Kiwis to win a WRC round, and surpassed the late Possum Bourne’s stage win record.

“Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, Chris Amon, Howden Ganley, and Mike Thackwell all reached the pinnacle of the sport by competing in Formula One and they helped to lay the foundations for future generations who aspire to the highest levels,” explained event organizer Peter Johnston.

“We’ll honour the past and present, and we will tell the stories and reflect on some of their greatest moments through live interviews and exciting video production,” said Johnston.

Also tagging along for the fun will be World Endurance Champion and factory Porsche driver Brendon Hartley, and Le Mans 24 Hour winner and Porsche factory driver Earl Bamber.

For the [V8] Supercar lovers, our contingency will be well represented by Scott McLaughlin [Wilson Security Racing], Fabian Coulthard [Team Penske], and Shane van Gisbergen [Red Bull Racing Australia]. Four-time Bathurst winner and ‘lap of the gods’ setter Greg Murphy will also attend as one of the country’s most successful exports to the Australian series.

Other attending drivers include GT and Porsche racing icon Craig Baird, Asia Porsche Carrera Cup champion Chris van der Drift, and Japanese Lexus Super GT driver and current Japanese Formula 3 champion Nick Cassidy.
 
Proceeds raised from the event will be donated to the New Zealand Elite Motorsport Academy, and to support the Bring Back WRC New Zealand campaign.
 
For ticket details and more information, jump onto the Legends of Speed website: legendsofspeed.co.nz.

Racing Mazdas

12 June, 2026

Both Rod Millen and Ron Kendall were rotary racing kings, emanating from the North Shore of Auckland, where I grew up. And the ultimate rotary techno guru was Bill Shiells, who developed the engine into a rocket ship while working out of Gulf Mazda in Takapuna from 1969, and later in his own business, Rotorsport. He began to extract some phenomenal horsepower from the enigmatic rotary engine. Bill was one of the first to race the Mazda RX-2 Coupe in 1971 and achieved immediate success, causing others to sit up and take notice, particularly the North Shore’s racing elite. They included Robbie Francevic, Rod Millen, Ron Kendall, John Woolf, John Le Feuvre, and Rex Findlay.

Range Rover CSK — the original SUV

5 June, 2026

The Range Rover, thanks to Charles Spencer King, went into production in 1970 boasting an iconic shape that would last until 1996. The vehicle that would create the SUV moniker came about because Rover decided it was time to add a bigger four-wheel-drive vehicle, one with a 100-inch wheelbase, to the model range. Land Rover made a 109-inch wheelbase model but the standard vehicle had a 88-inch wheelbase.
The new model would be more suitable for road use than the existing Land Rover, which was considered to be predominantly for rural use. To make sure it could cope on any road it came standard with the Rover 3.5-litre V8 engine. The body design was originally sketched by King and went into production with only a few minor touch-ups by the Rover styling team.
According to King, “The idea was to combine the comfort and on-road ability of a Rover saloon with the off-road ability of a Land Rover. Nobody was doing it.”