Mar
We are looking for experienced, motivated, professional mechanics to preform a raft of duties inside our professional motor sport team based in Auckland city.
You will need to have experience in high end euro servicing and diagnosis and any race craft or motor sport experience would be a great advantage, otherwise we will train you on the job at race meetings!
Above award pay rates would be available to experienced applicants, must be able to travel around NZ and Ozzy apply by emailing your C.V to corran@imsracing.co.nz
Jul
Something very special and exceptionally exclusive is coming to New Zealand… AUTOMOBILI PININFARINA
International Motorsport Group are proud to announce in partnership with LORBEK Luxury Cars of Melbourne Australia, the arrival of AUTOMOBILI PININFARINA to New Zealand.
LORBEK Luxury Cars is the official retailer and distributor for AUTOMOBILI PININFARINA in Australia and New Zealand and have assigned International Motorsport Group as their exclusive New Zealand Sales and Service agent.
This incredible Hypercar brand will be available to New Zealand buyers for the first time ever.
This is an exclusive opportunity to be one of the first owners of these astonishing luxury Hypercars.
For more information see brucem39.sg-host.com or call Nick Williamson 021 778 950
Also follow @apf_melbourne for all the latest Pininfarina updates.
We also have some more exciting news to follow… 
May
INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORT GROUP
Are looking to appoint an Automotive restoration craftsman!
IMS is a well-established professional motor racing team and classic car restoration business with many years of top level history having won many championships both here in NZ and overseas
IMS is based in Auckland CBD
Position:
Mechanic / Engineer will be a senior role to suit a person who has a good sound knowledge of both high performance cars and classic cars to work in our classic cars division, this position would be working in our main Race Workshop and our Panel & Paint shop
The person we are looking for needs to be comfortable working in a team and posses a deep knowledge of classic cars and modern classic restoration, engineering and finishing to a high standard.
Please apply to Ray@brucem39.sg-host.com for more details. Mob 021718752
May
IMS Panel and Paint is seeking to appoint a full time qualified tradesman to add to our experienced team of four.
The successful applicant will need to have 8yrs min experienced in high end euros, hot rod, muscle cars, classic, custom, new and restoration work.
We do a lot of bespoke and custom panel and paint work, we don’t do insurance work. A current full drivers licence is required and a passion for cars and motorsport is essential!
Your role would including tasks such as
Full custom paint resprays and repair work
Supervising our car yard wholesale work and quick turn around work for our race customers
New modern classic body shell prep and restoration work
If high end Automotive refinishing is your specialty please contact us for an interview. we are willing to offer above award rates for an experienced professional.
Applicants for this position should have NZ residency or a valid NZ work visa.
Please send C.V’s to ray@brucem39.sg-host.com or call Ray on 021718752 to arrange an interview.
May
Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda has died at the age of 70, his family has confirmed.
Lauda, who won the F1 drivers’ championship in 1975 and 1977 with Ferrari and again in 1984 with McLaren, passed away on Monday – eight months after undergoing a lung transplant.
The Austrian died at University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland surrounded by his closest family, a spokesman said, after he was reported to have gone in for dialysis treatment earlier this month.
Lauda had two kidney transplants in his life – the first in 1997 with an organ donated by his brother, and then again in 2005 donated by his future wife Birgit Wetzinger, who was then his girlfriend
The F1 racer was considered one of the sport’s greatest ever drivers and in 1976 was badly burned when he crashed during the German Grand Prix, but made an astonishingly fast return to racing just six weeks later.
In a statement, his family said: ‘With deep sadness, we announce that our beloved Niki has peacefully passed away with his family on Monday.’
‘His unique achievements as an athlete and entrepreneur are and will remain unforgettable, his tireless zest for action, his straightforwardness and his courage remain.
‘A role model and a benchmark for all of us, he was a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather away from the public, and he will be missed.’
Walter Klepetko, a doctor who performed a lung transplant on Lauda last year, said simply: ‘Niki Lauda has died. I have to confirm that.’
Ferrari tweeted: ‘Everyone at Ferrari is deeply saddened at the news of the death of our dear friend Niki Lauda.’
The McLaren Formula 1 team tweeted a tribute to Lauda on Tuesday, saying they were ‘deeply saddened’ at his death. ‘Niki will forever be in our hearts and enshrined in our history,’ the team said.
Former F1 world champion Jenson Button also paid tribute to Lauda on Twitter. ‘A legend has left us. Rest in peace Niki,’ Button tweeted.
‘Forever carried in our hearts, forever immortalised in our history. The motorsport community today mourns the devastating loss of a true legend,’ Formula 1 said on Twitter.
Former motorcycling world champion Casey Stoner said on Twitter: ‘RIP Niki Lauda, a true Icon and Motorsport legend. Thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this time.’
Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, describing Lauda as ‘courageous, chatty, and extremely funny’, added on Twitter: ‘I am going to miss you being around the @F1 paddock but the legend of Niki Lauda will live on, because you were a very very special man.’
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Lauda ‘fought himself back into life multiple times’.
‘With Niki Lauda, Austria loses one of its greatest personalities… He is a role model for courage, discipline and directness,’ he said on Twitter.
‘A highly accomplished athlete and entrepreneur, Niki is an inspiration to many both on and off the racetrack, pushing everyone on his team to always strive for the best,’ Colin Syn, deputy chairman of the Singapore Grand Prix, said in a statement.
Born on February 22, 1949 as Andreas Nikolaus into a wealthy Vienna industrial family, he was expected to follow his father’s footsteps into the paper-manufacturing industry, but instead concentrated his business talents and determination on his dreams of becoming a racing driver.
In 1968, without telling his parents, Lauda won his first race with a Mini Racer he had bought with his grandmother’s help.
Lauda financed his early career with the help of a string of loans, working his way through the ranks of Formula 3 and Formula 2.
He made his Formula 1 debut for the March team at the 1971 Austrian Grand Prix and picked up his first points in 1973 with a fifth-place finish for BRM in Belgium.
Lauda joined Ferrari in 1974, winning a Grand Prix for the first time that year in Spain and his first drivers’ title with five victories the following season.
Facing tough competition from McLaren’s James Hunt, he appeared on course to defend his title in 1976 when he crashed at the Nuerburgring during the German Grand Prix.
Several drivers stopped to help pull him from the burning car, but the accident would scar him for life – leaving him with third-degree burns to his head and neck.
In order to hide the scars Lauda took to wearing a baseball cap in public, which became a personal trademark.
‘The main damage, I think to myself, was lung damage from inhaling all the flames and fumes while I was sitting in the car for about 50 seconds,’ he recalled nearly a decade later. ‘It was something like 800 degrees.’
Lauda fell into a coma for a time and was given the last rites in hospital. He said that ‘for three or four days it was touch and go’.
‘Then my lungs recovered and I got my skin grafts done, then basically there was nothing left,’ he said.
‘I was really lucky in a way that I didn’t do any (other) damage to myself. So the real question was then will I be able to drive again, because certainly it was not easy to come back after a race like that.’
Lauda made his comeback just six weeks after the crash, head still bandaged, finishing fourth at Monza after overcoming his initial fears.
He recalled ‘shaking with fear’ as he changed into second gear on the first day of practice and thinking, ‘I can’t drive.’
The next day, Lauda said he ‘started very slowly trying to get all the feelings back, especially the confidence that I’m capable of driving these cars again.’
The result, he said, boosted his confidence and after four or five races ‘I had basically overcome the problem of having an accident and everything went back to normal.’
Despite Lauda’s incredible comeback, he lost the driver’s championship that season to Hunt, with whom he had a legendary rivalry.
Their struggle for supremacy was depicted in the 2013 film Rush. Hunt was played by Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, while Spanish-born actor Daniel Bruhl played the role of Lauda.
He won his second championship in 1977 before switching to Brabham and then retiring in 1979 to concentrate on setting up his airline, Lauda Air, declaring that he ‘didn’t want to drive around in circles any more.’
Lauda came out of retirement in 1982 after a big-money offer from McLaren, reportedly about $3million a year.
He finished fifth his first year back and 10th in 1983, but came back to win five races and edge out teammate Alain Prost for his third title in 1984.
He retired for good the following year, saying he needed more time to devote to his airline business.
Initially a charter airline, Lauda Air expanded in the 1980s to offer flights to Asia and Australia.
In May 1991, a Lauda Air Boeing 767 crashed in Thailand after one of its engine thrust reversers accidentally deployed during a climb, killing all 213 passengers and 10 crew.
Lauda occasionally took the controls of the airline’s jets himself over the years. In 1997, longtime rival Austrian Airlines took a minority stake and in 2000, with the company making losses, he resigned as board chairman after an external audit criticized a lack of internal financial control over business conducted in foreign currency. Austrian Airlines later took full control.
Lauda was instrumental in luring Hamilton away from his previous home at McLaren, often backing him in public and providing advice and counsel to the British driver.
Lauda also intervened as a Mercedes mediator when Hamilton and his former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg feuded, argued and traded barbs as they fought for the title between 2014-16
In August 2018, Lauda underwent a lung transplant that the Vienna General Hospital said was made necessary by a ‘serious lung illness.’
In January this year he was admitted to hospital with influenza. Lauda also worked in a consulting role for Ferrari in 1993 and was team principal of Jaguar in 2001 and 2002
. 
Copy from the
Mar
Connor Adam has won the first round of the 2018-2019 Toyota 86 Championship after an intense weekend of racing that brought two wins and a second place for the Post Haste-backed International Motorsport racer.
Three fiercely contested races went largely incident free and produced some of the best racing of the Supercar Championship curtain raiser for the Toyota series in front of an official crowd figure exceeding 100,000.
Experience was the name of the game at this early stage of the championship with Adam, Jordan Baldwin in the Intermach car and Jaden Ransley in the Miles Toyota car all shining over the weekend.
Baldwin bounced back from missing Friday practice due to exam commitments with a blistering qualifying session that saw him lock out pole position for both Race 1 and Race 2 while Ransley crossed the line first in the final race on Sunday, only to drop to third after incurring a five second penalty for a jumped start.
It was Adam who put the three best races together, however, and he left Pukekohe as the early leader in the points. “I would have loved another win in that last race,” he commented. “But regardless it was a great weekend for us and a great start to the season. We’ll go on from here and try and win the championship.”
CareVets Scholarship racer Callum Hedge proved his class as best of the rookies over the first weekend showing pace and good race craft in all three races. Second in the final race became his first win after Ransley’s penalty and was a nice reward after an eye-catching opening weekend in the category. And it left him sitting second in the points too and ahead of more experienced rivals Baldwin and Ransley. CareVets team mate Arran Crighton had to play catch up all weekend after damaging his car beyond immediate repair in qualifying and he had to jump into a back-up car for the weekend’s three races.
Australian Toyota 86 ace Jake Klein impressed on his first visit to a New Zealand race track and went quicker and quicker each time out to take fifth for the round while young Brock Gilchrist never put a foot wrong as he bagged a trio of top ten finishes on his debut weekend.
Peter Vodanovich showed great speed in the CMC Markets car, but a retirement after contact with Kaleb Ngatoa in the first race required a long afternoon and evening of work for his crew and set him back for the rest of the weekend.
Of the rest, Justin Allen in the Battery Town car, Andrew Jackson in the North Shore Toyota and Campbell Stewart in the NZPGS car all showed consistent form to finish in the top ten for the round.
Barring his Race 1 clash with Vodanovich and the resultant penalty, Kaleb Ngatoa would have finished higher up the points than tenth. The youngster – mentored by Kenny Smith – did show enough pace to indicate he will be a factor at future rounds, however.
Toyota 86 Championship 2018-2019 Driver Standings
1 Connor Adam 217
2 Callum Hedge 189
3 Jordan Baldwin 188
4 Jaden Ransley 174
5 Jake Klein 143
6 Brock Gilchrist 130
7 Andrew Jackson 111
8 Justin Allen 101
9 Campbell Stewart 95
10 Kaleb Ngatoa 92
11 Sam Wright 90
12 Arran Crighton 85
13 Mitch Hughes 84
14 Jacob Cranston 84
15 Peter Vodanovich 81
16 Connor Davison 66
17 Tony Austin 56
Mar
Neil Foster has won the 2018 Carter’s Tyres South Island Endurance Series Three Hour title after claiming a third straight victory at Timaru International Raceway on Saturday.
Foster’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 won all three series races along with co-drivers Jonny Reid (round 1 & 2) and Gene Rollinson (round 3).
Second home at the Timaru round was the series sponsor’s Carter’s Tyres Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 driven by Dwayne Carter and Shane Hodgson followed by the Marco Schelp/Matt Hamilton Porsche Cup S and the Scott O’Donnell/Allan Dippie Porsche 991 in fourth.
“I couldn’t be happier with that result,” Foster said.
“Three in a row and a couple of lap records is a great result for the team.”
Rollinson had lapped the entire field before the 30-minute mark and set a new lap record of 58.626 seconds in the race.
“We decided to put Gene (Rollinson) in the car first to put a gap on the field which worked well for us.”
Heading into the final three-hour race, 12 different teams had a mathematical chance of winning the title including the Ben Byers/Jaxon Evans Audi R8 Ultra GT3 and the George McFarlane/Jack Milligan Porsche 997 GT3R. Both suffered transmission problems with the Audi retiring and the Porsche rejoining the race but down in 26th place.
While Foster/Rollinson stayed out in front it left their rivals fighting for podium places. Two safety car periods did little to change the running order other than to allow a quick splash and dash for the Carter’s Mercedes with 45 minutes remaining.
“We did that to make sure there weren’t any issues,” Dwayne Carter said.
“The car ran well with no hiccups or issues. We didn’t have the pace of the Audi but pleased for the team to bring her home in second.”
Thrilled to be third home was the pairing of Schelp and Hamilton. Having retired out of the first round after one hour and only completing two hours in the second round, the team was hadn’t expected a podium result.
“It’s really great to finish third,” Schelp said.
“Matt did a great job and with one stop it set me up to bring the car home and get a good result. Hopefully we have done enough to qualify for the NZ champs in November.”
As well as the overall title and five Class titles, drivers’ and teams were also looking to qualify for the New Zealand One Hour Endurance Championship event at Highlands Motorsport Park on 24 November 2018. Twenty places are available for not just the quickest but more for the most reliable finishers over the three rounds.
While Foster claimed the title, it was the consistent performances over the three rounds from the O’Donnell/Dippie and Tim Mackersey/Barry Moore pairings that saw them second and third overall.
Foster also took the Class E win ahead of Carter/Hodgson and McFarlane/Milligan pairings.
The ever-consistent duo of Allan Dippie/Scott O’Donnell (Porsche) finished fourth in the round and cemented overall honours in Class D ahead of the Paul Rickerby /Graeme Rhodes Falcon V8ST with the Schelp/ Hamilton Porsche 997 Cup S third.
Series winner of Class C (2001-3500cc) was the Mazda RX8 V8 of Grant Williams/Ben Williams/Rick Matheson finishing ahead of the NZV8 spec Falcon of Kevin Underwood/Jordan Michels. Third was the Holden Camaro of Bruce Tinnelly/Ryan Tinnelly.
The TCR spec VW Golf of Tim Mackersey/Barry Moore that led Class B (2001-3500cc) heading into the round won the class ahead of the older spec Seat Leon Supercopa of Mike Driver/Simon McLennan. Third on points was Pat Heagney/Ryan Heagney’s (Toyota Sprinter Turbo).
Defending Class A champions Stu Black/Arron Black’s BMW E46 WTCC slipped to third overall with gearbox issues. This opened the door for Darryl Phillips/Terence Phillips (Honda Integra) to take the series win from the reliable Peugeot 106 of Tim Stanton/Leyton Tremain.
Qualifying teams now prepare for the national title race at Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell in November.
Mar
Chris Henderson has won the Carter’s Tyres One Hour South Island Endurance Series after finishing second in the third and final round at Timaru International Raceway on Saturday. Matt Whittaker (Gen2 Porsche 991) won the 60 min race from Henderson (Toyota AE86 V8,) and Rowan Shepherd (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup).
Having won the 2017 series, Henderson was not expecting a repeat performance in 2018. “Very happy with that,” commented Henderson. “We are surprise winners as we expected some bad luck which never came. It was awfully busy out there with traffic, so happy to finish where we did.” Henderson had won the opening round at Teretonga, Invercargill then finished fourth at Ruapuna two weeks’ ago.
Whittaker added to his first win two weeks’ ago at the second round in Christchurch. Having missed the opening round with preparing his brand new Gen2 Porsche 991, the objective was to qualify for the national endurance race later in the year at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell.
“The car is going great, although we still haven’t sorted it completely,” commented Whittaker. “Hopefully we have qualified as missing a round can really hurt.”
While Henderson put his very quick Toyota Corolla on pole it was Whittaker that immediately took the lead with both Henderson and Shepherd slotting in behind him. This was the order of racing for the next 60 minutes with all three finishing in sight of each other at the chequered flag.
Henderson sustained some minor panel damage from traffic early in the race and was blacked flagged requiring a pit stop to fix a rubbing panel. Meanwhile Shepherd was hoping for a safety car.
“Yeah, we had been hoping for a safety car which never happened,” said Shepherd. “We would have pitted during that time, but it never happened. We just don’t have the pace of the front two but third overall is more than we hoped to achieve.”
Whittaker broke the Timaru race record completing 55 laps in 1:00.08. Previously the record was 55 laps in 1:00.40sec.
Thirty-seven cars took to the track competing in four different classes. The Class A (0-2000cc) series title went to Stuart Black/Arron Black (BMW) with Andrew Kitching (Honda Civic) second and Angus McFarlane/Michael Bushell (Toyota Starlet) third.
Marco Schelp (BMW KK WTC 3.5 M3)) was first home in Class B (2001cc-3500cc). Despite also winning the class at Ruapuna, Schelp had missed the opening Teretonga round. The overall Class title went to Mike Driver/Phil Hodd (Seat Leon Supacopa) with Geoff Clear (Honda Civic) second and Craig Elstob (VW Golf) third.
Overall winner Henderson also won Class C (3500+) ahead of Garry Derrick/Ben Derrick (Porsche 996 Cup), with the Nissan R32 of Murray Beeby/Karl Beeby third
Rowan Shepherd took out Class D honours with Allan Dippie/Scott O’Donnell (Porsche 997 Cup S) second ahead of Danny Whiting (Porsche 991 Cup) third.
The top 20 drivers now qualify for the New Zealand One Hour Endurance Championship event at Highlands Motorsport Park on 24 November 2018.
Mar
The official entry list for this weekend’s Laser Plumbing & Electrical Hampton Downs 500 has been confirmed and there’s a strong contingent of Kiwi drivers in what doubles as the penultimate round of the Australian Endurance Championship (AEC).
Championship leaders Jaxon Evans and Tim Miles lead the charge from across the Tasman. The Australian-based Kiwis have dominated the opening two rounds of the championship in their Audi R8 LMS. Evans has been turning heads in recent months with his performances in the Porsche Carrera Cup and the AEC and the 21-year-old is tipped for big things in the sport.
Another Australian-based Kiwi, Dominic Storey is lying third in the AEC standings going into the Hampton Downs 500, and together with co-driver Peter Hackett, they will be ones to watch.
Former A1GP stars Matt Halliday and Johnny Reid will relish the opportunity to test themselves against established V8 Supercars drivers including David Russell, Tony D’Alberto and Steve Richards and McLaren factory driver Alvaro Parente from Portugal. The Kiwi pair will team up with Andrew Bagnall and Neil Foster respectively in the International Motorsport Audi R8s. Jon Udy and Matt Whittaker complete the driver pairings in the third International Motorsport Audi.
Other Kiwi entries include Andrew Waite driving with Hampton Downs owner Tony Quinn in the McLaren and Andrew Fawcett and Gene Rollinson in the Trass Family Motorsport Ferrari.
All of the Kiwi drivers entered in the two AEC rounds in New Zealand — the Highlands 501 from November 10-12 is the season finale — will be eligible for the inaugural NZ 1001 trophy which will be awarded to the driver with the most combined points from the two events.
“We were hoping for a few more Kiwi entries,” says Tony Quinn, the owner of Hampton Downs and the Australian GT Championship. “Some cars and drivers that were hoping to make it had to pull the pin in the last week or so and some of the Australian teams haven’t made the trip this year.”
“The risk that you run by having an event at the end of the year is that some cars are in various states of disrepair. Some of the drivers are dealing with budget constraints. Others haven’t had a great start to the season, so it’s understandable why some of the Aussies haven’t made the trip across the Tasman. I’m still really looking forward to what should be a great weekend of racing.”
It’s shaping up to be a busy weekend at Hampton Downs with big fields for the two support categories, Central Muscle Cars and the Ssangyong Racing Series which will be making its debut on the Hampton Downs circuit.
The Fast & Furious Racing format will also make its debut at Hampton Downs this weekend. Fifteen cars have been confirmed for the inaugural event including a Lotus, McLaren and a Crawford DP. Fast & Furious Racing has been called the Twenty20 of motorsport with the focus on short, sharp sprint races.
Qualifying for the Laser Plumbing & Electrical Hampton Downs 500 starts on Saturday with live coverage of the Top 10 Shootout from 2 pm. The Hampton Downs 500 feature race will be broadcast live on TV3 on Sunday, with the race starting at 12.30. There will be free WiFi at the circuit so spectators can tune into the live stream and keep up with all the action.
Mar
Former New Zealand Formula Ford champion Michael Scott has impressed in his returning hit out in the Australian Toyota 86 Championship at Bathurst — qualifying Fourth for the category’s opening race.
While Scott has raced in the series before, a cameo performance at The Bend represents his only drive in the series this year. He was only edged on the timesheets by pole-sitter Tim Brook, Jake Klein, David Sieders, and Zane Morse.
Scott also managed to outqualify IndyCar Series and Pirelli World Challenge (as well as fellow Toyota 86 Bathurst rookie) James Davison — cousin to Supercars drivers Will and Alex Davison.
Like yesterday, the Bathurst circuit was coated in wet for the majority of the session. Times were down as a result, with Brooks claiming pole on a 3:00.2864. Scott was 1.5-seconds behind, with the circuit conditions splitting the field with large margins.
Among those not to maximise their time behind the wheel was Jack Milligan. The reigning New Zealand Toyota 86 Championship winner was unable to recreate his scintillating 2017 Bathurst pace, and will instead line up in 20th place on the 38-car grid.
Milligan’s main solace was that he still managed to outqualify fellow Toyota Racing Australia driver and former Australian Touring Car Champion Glenn Seton by three positions.
The opening race of the weekend for Scott and Milligan takes place tomorrow morning, at 11.20am NZDT.