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Western Springs is no longer: introducing Vodafone Speedway

5 August, 2016

It has been announced that iconic Kiwi motorsport brand and venue, Western Springs, will be rebranded this summer after partnering with telecommunications company, Vodafone NZ. The speedway will soon be transformed from Western Springs Speedway to Vodafone Speedway. 

“We’re very excited to have partnered with a globally recognized and successful brand like Vodafone, and look forward to hosting speedway at Western Springs for the next three years at least,” said Springs promoter Greg Mosen.

“Vodafone has a strong portfolio of existing sport and entertainment partnerships in New Zealand, including the Vodafone Warriors NRL team, several Super Rugby teams, as well as the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards and much more.

“Vodafone is committed to getting Kiwis closer to the things they love and Western Springs Speedway has been one of those things for almost a century,” said Vodafone’s Consumer Director, Matt Williams. 

“As well as the rebranding, we are excited to be able to offer a variety of speedway ticket giveaways this summer as part of our loyalty programme Fantastic Fridays, exclusive to Vodafone customers.”

The name change may come as a big surprise for some, but Western Springs has been aligned with WXC Communications for the last three years. And, since Vodafone has recently purchased them, this has been a natural and exciting progression for both parties, we’re told. 

We’re not sure that Vodafone Speedway has the same ring to it as the long-standing original name, however with time, it’ll no doubt become the norm. There’s to be no disruptions to the busy schedule Western Springs holds. 

Let us know what you think about the name change in the comments below! 

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.”