The Pivot

Back to real race circuits...fantastic! The cut and thrust of F2 street racing left Kiwis Liam Lawson and Marcus Armstrong adrift as the championship battle develops but both are on the fightback trail. At a ‘difficult’ Azerbaijan round of the FIA Formula 2 championship Armstrong had his best qualifying performance of the season and took much-needed points in the first race, while Lawson was put into the wall by Australian Oscar Piastri. It was Armstrong’s turn in the second race as he hit the barriers during a battle for fourth; Lawson came back from a start position of 20th to finish seventh. Then in the final race, Dan Ticktum, Theo Pourchaire and Armstrong tangled at turn 3, forcing Pourchaire into the escape lane and knocking Armstrong out of the second race in a row. Ticktum copped a ten second penalty for the incident. Lawson had started from pole but in the cut and thrust of repeated safety car periods finished sixth. Now, Marcus Armstrong is looking forward to a return to the ...

I was surprised to see ciggie advertising is not specifically banned from Formula One.  Ferrari’s Mission Winnow sponsorship has been questioned on a regular basis since it was first introduced in 2019. Mission Winnow is, basically, Philip Morris’ not-so-subtle vaping initiative. Philip Morris is, basically, Marlboro. Marlboro has been on the Ferraris since, basically, forever. It turns out that overt tobacco sponsorships have been discouraged but not completely banned in Formula One for years. Still, Philip Morris is so upset by the apparently distaste for tobacco in racing that the company has decided to remove its Mission Winnow sponsorship from the Ferraris due to “mistrust.” Riccardo Parino, Vice President of Global Partnerships at Philip Morris, had quite a lot to say about the whole situation: "The Mission Winnow logo will not be featured on the Scuderia Ferrari livery during races in the EU, starting with the French Grand Prix this weekend. Mission Winnow respects all laws...

Michael Clark has been named the latest independent trustee of the Kiwi Driver Fund, joining mate Bob McMurray and others. The fund helps drivers meet the cost of contesting the Castrol Toyota Racing Series. Its trustees are now seeking support from partner companies to help the trust continue its work A regular competitor in the Historic Formula Ford series, Clark has what he describes as a ‘selfish obsession’: he wants to see the current groundswell of Kiwi racing talent continue to roll across the world’s premier motor racing categories. From his home base at Drury in South Auckland (a short drive south to the Pukekohe and Hampton Downs circuits), Clark highlights the next wave of fast locals following the recent wheel tracks of the ‘two Scotts’ (Dixon and McLaughlin) in Indy. New Zealand, he says, is punching well above its weight in motor racing: Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber in their glory days with Porsche at Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship; Chris van der D...

Mad Mike cuts loose at Manukau In February and March of this year Kiwi offroad racing fans were treated to the sight of a father-and-son team dominating the Stadium Short Course Championship racing at Manukau. ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett carved out an early dominance in his amazing Mazda REPU ute ‘RUMBUL’ (an ex-USA stadium truck) with what may be the wildest 13B rotary in New Zealand tucked under its retro bonnet. “The engine is absolutely psycho, probably as wild as you can make a naturally aspirated 13B – it screams.” Meanwhile his 14 year old son Lincoln dominated what were termed ‘demo’ races for the 450cc ModKarts now arriving in New Zealand. These things are miniature race trucks also based on an American specification and wearing panels similar to our local Kiwitruck youth class, though they are sized for teens or adults. Dad Whiddett is a consummate showman who has run an ever more wild progression of drift cars over more than a decade. He’s run RX7s in multi-rotor form, a Maz...

Just lucky...right place right time...pure fluke...a decent snap...Mike Fraser puts on a bicycle stunt show for the photographers at Twizel.     Got entitled attitude? Adjust yo'self! A dislaimer: I don’t consider myself a photographer. Or a videographer.  I write, run events, manage media.  Occasionally I am in the right place at the right time and score a decent snap. This month in my Muddy Wheels column in NZ Petrolhead we take a look at the dedicated few who follow and shoot the spectacular but quirky sport of offroad racing. Mike Peffers, Peter Burling, Craig Dawson, Graham Hughes, Ken Fox, Darryl Hutton. Sometimes Geoff Ridder and Bruce Jenkins. Some very experienced motorsport photographers among them. If I missed out a name or two that’s only because my organic hard drive needs rebooting. New names are emerging: Morgan Dumelow in the south; Darren Stanley in Tauranga. And of course my wing[person] these past few years, Donna Gedye - she and Phil Cameron...

27 and counting... [ disclaimer: Wayne's my dear, dear cousin. Many years ago - last century - I met up with him on the Rally of New Zealand. I was in my asthmatic Escort Sport 1600, he was in his lovely RX4 coupe, and his mates were in a P76! We had a cool time in the frigid dark of the central North Island, following our heroes as they jostled for tenths of a second on frozen gravel roads. It seems none of us can leave behind our motorsport obsessions. Just as I'm about to look closely at another motorsport fascination (possibly with a roundel on the bonnet, or even with a roundy engine under the bonnet), I hear he's doing up an RX7 with some provenance behind it! ] Kiwi endurance racer Wayne Moore (69) is heading for Germany to compete in his 27th Nürburgring 24 hour race on New Zealand’s Queen’s Birthday weekend. It's been a short break away from the legendary circuit, known to many as the Green Hell. Moore last competed in the race in September 2020 after the event...

Kiwi rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have taken a commanding win at the opening round of the 2021 New Zealand Rally Championship. It was the fourth time the pair had won this event in a Hyundai. This time their winning margin was a huge seven minutes and 32.9 seconds, secured over two days and 298 km of competition. While their fellow NZRC competitors struck mechanical issues across the two-day rally, Paddon and Kennard had a near perfect run to win 12 of the 14 special stages and set new stage records on 11 stages. Two punctures on Sunday afternoon prevented a clean sweep of stage wins, but Paddon was still pleased to return to competition in such strong form. “We’re very happy; it’s awesome to come away with a win, particularly after the off-season and how busy it’s been for the team. We couldn’t ask for anything more. It was a shame we couldn’t quite get the clean sweep of stages, but two tyres delaminated on us.” For many of the competitors it was a much awa...

A charitable trust that provides essential support for rising New Zealand race drivers is seeking wider support from the motorsport and business communities in order to expand its work. The Kiwi Driver Fund has been instrumental in helping New Zealand's latest crop of young motor racing drivers to build their international racing careers. It provides financial support for drivers entering the annual Castrol Toyota Racing Series, New Zealand’s premier single-seater championship and an essential step for any local driver’s career plans. Trustee and former McLaren Formula 1 team member Bob McMurray says the fund “is probably the single most important instrument for helping drivers take that crucial next step in their careers.” "The Toyota Racing Series gives local drivers a chance to compete directly against the best rising stars from Europe, the UK, Asia and the Americas. While drivers from Europe or the USA have championship opportunities literally at their doorstep, the...

    Offroad racing champion and rally driver Raana Horan was left wishing he’d stuck with these low-risk sports in April after breaking ribs in a boating incident. Horan, who won the inaugural offroad racing stadium championship held at Manukau in February and March, was in the final stages of preparation for the Otago Rally, first round of the 2021 New Zealand Rally Championship. After winning the final rally of the 2019 season in Waitomo and sitting out the ‘Covid year’ Horan was ready to fight for points over the two-day Otago event. His withdrawal has nudged the entry list below 50 cars, with Hayden Paddon an odds-on favourite to win from top seeding position.