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Call for volunteers for the ITM500

8 April, 2015

Have you ever wanted to get involved behind the scenes at a race meeting? How about one of the biggest V8 race meetings of the year? Well here’s your chance — ITM500 is being held this November and they need around 450 volunteers to make the day a success.

The ITM500 takes place at Pukekohe Park Raceway on November 6–8 and will see several iconic Kiwi drivers make the trip home, including Shane Van Gisbergen, Fabian Coulthard, and Scott McLaughlin. Vital championship points are up for grabs along with the chance to battle some international drivers right here on the most iconic race circuit in New Zealand.

Deborah Day, the event volunteer coordinator, says, “Every year our volunteers have a ball. They embody the spirit of this iconic event and we’re looking forward to having a blast alongside our Supercar teams this year.”

Don’t worry if you feel that you don’t have the necessary skills to be a volunteer — every applicant will receive proper training prior to the event. Volunteers will also receive free entry and a volunteer pack, which is exclusively for the volunteer crew.

All new and returning ITM500 volunteers can register their interest now at themotorsportclub.com. Applications close July 31.

Image credit: Matthew Hansen

The motor car as an art form

12 March, 2026

We have certainly come a long way since the exhibition entitled 8 Automobiles, shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the autumn of 1951, the first exhibition concerned with the aesthetics of motor car design.
It was here that the often-used term ‘rolling sculpture’ was coined by curator Philip C Johnson, director of the department of architecture and design, when he said, “An automobile is a familiar 20th century artefact, and is no less worthy of being judged for its visual appeal than a building or a chair. Automobiles are hollow, rolling sculptures, and their design refinements are fascinating. We have selected cars whose details and basic design suggest that automobiles, besides being America’s most useful objects, could be a source of visual experience more enjoyable than they now are.”

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.