Innehållsförteckning för No 141 Febuary 2017 från NZV8

TORQUEBACK, NZV8 MAGAZINE, PO BOX 46,020, HERNE BAY, AUCKLAND 1147; EMAIL TORQUEBACK@V8.CO.NZ Hi folks, What a cool write-up for the CMC [Central Muscle Cars] / TCM [Touring Car Masters] cars in your December issue. My son Mike, who lives south of Sydney and has some great loyal Bathurst friends, goes every year and invited me along with his son. That made three generations at Bathurst 2016, along with 20 (now) friends camped in ‘The Paddock’. Not being a track-racing fan, I was really not that keen on about four solid days of car racing, but that all changed when the muscle cars got into action. They were a blast, and it’s a real credit to those guys who took their cars over — which, after talking to them, [I realize]…

The summer season at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park is set to be huge, with a number of big events planned. Headlining the facility’s event calendar is Mad Mike’s Summer Bash, an event that will see the venue, Mazda, and New Zealand drift superstar ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett join forces for what’s being touted as the biggest drift event of 2017. The bash, which will take place on February 18, will see a 16-strong field of New Zealand’s best drifters, including former New Zealand champion ‘Fanga Dan’ Woolhouse in his 800hp Vortechsupercharged VF Commodore and many other V8-powered machines. Tony Quinn, the owner of Hampton Downs, is looking forward to seeing drift cars strut their stuff on the new seven-corner international drift circuit, which includes the two-corner stretch that Quinn has nicknamed…

Plans for Americarna 2017 are progressing nicely, with event entries reflecting this. Information about a number of event attractions has already been released, so, if you’re keen, you’d better register on the Americarna website quick smart! Organizers have arranged an awesome photo opportunity for entrants: they can have their vehicle photographed by event photographer Mark Bellringer, outside the iconic Len Lye Centre. If you’re keen, flick an email through to Toni Fabish — toni@americarna.com. On the Friday, Entrants to Americarna will have the opportunity to visit what is widely acknowledged as the best private museum inNew Zealand, Tawhiti Museum. Tawhiti uses life-size exhibits and scale models to present New Zealand’s heritage in a series of realistic and engaging displays. One hundred entrants will be able to visit the museum free…

The team at The Toy Shed in Rotorua are working on a pretty crazy Holden HQ wagon for an equally crazy customer. He took his wagon into the shop with a plan for an airbagged cruiser running a big block power plant and 20x15-inch rears, but the amount of rust made the build prohibitive. A replacement car was found, and the rear end was promptly chopped out while a shortened Holden HQ ute chassis was grafted in underneath. This is due to the ute’s full ladder-frame chassis providing more structural strength than the wagon’s separate front subframe. At the rear, the chassis rails were pinched, and a custom four-link set-up was installed for the narrowed nine-inch diff, with a 454ci big block Chev and TH400 transmission up front. The owner…

Spec 1972 PLYMOUTH GTX ENGINE: 440ci big block Chrysler, original 440 block, Eagle crankshaft, Eagle rods, JE pistons, custom-ground hydraulic roller camshaft, Edelbrock Performer RPM alloy heads, Comp Cams Pro Magnum roller rockers, Edelbrock Victor 440 single-plane intake manifold, Edelbrock Ultra Low Profile intake elbow, ProCharger P-1SC supercharger, custom intake piping, ProCharger front-mount intercooler, custom supercharger drive system, Holley Dominator fuel pump, Holley EFI fuel filters, Holley billet fuel-pressure regulator, braided fuel lines, custom-fabricated stainless fuel tank, FAST XFI fuel injection, MSD Pro-Billet distributor, MSD 6AL ignition, MSD HVC II ignition coil, MSD ignition leads, MSD crank trigger, TTI four-into-one headers, three-inch mandrel-bend exhaust, Meziere electric water pump, custom radiator, fabricated top and bottom hoses DRIVELINE: New Process A-833 four-speed manual, McLeod flywheel, McLeod clutch, Dana 60 diff, narrowed diff…

NZV8: We’ve been lucky enough to watch you race, but, for those who haven’t, can you give us a quick rundown of who you are and what you do? Kristin Vermeulen: I’m 24 years old, and I have been racing in the Super Saloons class since I was 16. The race season runs from Labour weekend to the end of March, and I usually manage to fit in about 30 race meetings during that period. I’m registered to Waikaraka Park in Auckland but have also had many opportunities to travel throughout New Zealand, even as far south as Cromwell. Auckland and Cromwell are my two favourite tracks; with Cromwell hosting the New Zealand Super Saloon title in January, I’m looking forward to heading south. When you started racing at age…

EMAIL YOUR INFO TO EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ The debut of Nigel Dixon’s new Top Doorslammer BF Falcon was the talk of the recent NZDRA Central Nationals. While on paper the car certainly had all the goods to run the numbers, we all know how difficult a machine as wild as this can be to get down the strip. Thanks in part to help from Australians Aaron Deery and Grant O’Rourke, along with local young gun Bronson Dunne, Nigel silenced all critics on the very first pass by running through the traps with a 6.77 at 203.35mph. Not only was this Nigel’s first-ever six-second pass, but a sign the car would absolutely deliver on its potential. While the 6.77 was enough to make Nigel the seventh fastest doorslammer currently competing, the next pass…

The NZ’s Quickest Streeters list has a new number two — Mike Black in his twin supercharged Holden ute. It’s been a long-time goal of Mike’s to bump Gary Bogaart’s nitrousfed XB Falcon from the number two spot, and he finally achieved it at the IHRA Spring Nationals, where he ran a best of 8.62 at 160.84mph. Backing the pass up with another 8.6 saw him also take the IHRA EE/TS track record. Mike says the car was running hard and straight, thanks in partto the assistance of Terry Bowden, who’d recently changed the suspension set-up in the vehicle. The ute had multiple driveline failures last season, but it seems that the newly fitted ATI Outlaw Series TH400 transmission, new driveshaft, and 4.3:1 gears have cured the issues. We know…

The legendary ‘Rat Trap’ AA/Fuel Altered is returning to New Zealand following great success on its 50th anniversary world tour. If you were lucky enough to catch Rat Trap when it was last here in 2015, you’ll know just what an experience it is. First developed by Dennis Watson in 1968, the Altered was one of the four cars that participated in the Fuel Altered tours of 1970, ’71, and ’72. Now owned and campaigned by Ron Hope, and running on a 90 per cent nitro mix, it’s a wild machine that has run a best ET of 6.35 seconds and 231mph. “We had a fantastic time racing at Saskatoon, Canada, at Santa Pod in England, and Hockenheim, Germany,” said team owner/ driver Ron Hope. “However, I’m excited to be…

1991 Once again, the Chevrolet was cut off the chassis, trimmed of any small remaining scraps of unneeded originality, and measured up for a wind-cheating ride height at which to build the new chassis. Round tube was used this time around, and, while the old chassis did a damn fine job, a side-by-side comparison made the new one look like a space shuttle. And it looked even more impressive with the engine and new four-speed Lenco positioned in it. There were some changes to the engine as well. A bird-catcher hat sat on the same supercharger, while the heads were now non-water-jacketed Brodix castings, and the cam was swapped out for something supercharger oriented. Interesting factoid — or maybe not — the frame for Steve Keys’ Mercedes was built at…

We’ve all seen a motor for sale that the owner claims was running when the car was parked just a few months ago. Although it’s tempting to take the seller at their word, especially if we really want that motor, we know it’s not always accurate. If you do front up with the cash and purchase a motor that’s been sitting around, it’s important to make sure you go about firing it up in the right way so as not to aggravate any existing damage. The obvious potential problem is if the engine has seized, so getting a ‘barn-find’ engine running is really about ensuring proper lubrication within the bores, bearings, and ancillaries. The engine you see here apparently last ran around five years ago; however, before that, it was…

Enzed Central Muscle Cars (CMC) took to Taupo at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park for the third round of the class' championship, joining the ITM Motorsport Championship round of the Premier Motorsport Championship with a grid of 25 cars. Friday was a practice day, with two sessions for CMC, and the weather was exceptional — probably the most settled of any of the three days; bad weather loomed for the weekend and the forecast of rain put a damper on everyone’s spirits. On Saturday morning, the cars were out for qualifying at 9.30am, on a clear, dry, albeit slightly cold, track. Some good times were put down, with John Midgley’s XD Falcon topping the charts with a run of 1min 34.379s. Greg Honnor’s Mustang was close behind, with 1 min…

Citrus Injection Issue No. 21 featured more than its fair share of neat cars. It was the last issue with editor Sean Craig at the helm, and he went out with a bang; the issue featured a load of sweet feature cars. One of those cars was Karl Stanbra’s flawlessly clean Holden HQ ute — which we still reckon should have been a cover car at the time — yes, it’s orange, and, yes, it’s an HQ! It was a fitting precursor to his next build, which will be on a cover of NZV8 in the not-toodistant future. Classic Muscle Yep, more feature cars — how about a legit 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429, with close-ratio four-speed Toploader and 3.9:1 Traction-Lok LSD? When you were done drooling all over that,…

I get the feeling that it’s going to be a pretty cool summer. Kicking the first weekend of summer off with the Culture — Backstreet Car Meet show was a pretty good way to get me thinking that. With an ever-increasing number of events being run as well as this, and an ever-higher standard of vehicles being built and attending events, I have faith in the car people of New Zealand! You can read more about the show on page 138 of this issue, or online on The Motorhood, but I assure you that I am trying to remain unbiased in saying that it was one of the coolest automotive events I’ve had the pleasure of attending. The reason I’m trying to remain unbiased in my praise of the event…

Hey, Rob, your Camaro looks awesome! We’re guessing it didn’t always look like this? Nah, most of the work got done in the last six months. Before then, I’d just lowered it and had it on 22s — it looked a bit silly standard. You’ve owned it for a while? Yeah, I’ve had it for more than four years. Did you import it from overseas, or was it already in the country? I have got stuff in from overseas before, but I bought the Camaro out of Auckland. These cars are available in New Zealand at pretty reasonable prices, so it made sense to buy one locally. Yours looks way cooler than your average latemodel Camaro, though. What made you go for those Work wheels? Well, the wheel offset on…

Twenty-four-year-old Jordan Young has made the change from high-powered Jappas to high-powered American muscle. Purchasing a ’79 Fox Body Ford Mustang around three years ago because it ticked all the boxes without breaking the bank, Jordan’s spent the last three years building it into a monster. About the only part left of the original engine combo is a set of full-length headers, as Jordan, a mechanic by trade, has rebuilt the 302 to include Crower rods; blower pistons; and, most important, a 6-71 supercharger. A 1050cfm carb takes care of air and fuel, while ported heads and a fairly decent– profile cam will make the most of the power on offer. At this stage, Jordan’s aim is to get the project completed in the first half of next year, although,…

The problem with youth is that it’s wasted on the young. Youngsters generally have no idea that, while they feel like life is a struggle, they’re only in for a rude awakening as they get older, and, in reality, they may well be enjoying the best days of their lives. One youngster who doesn’t fall into that category and is aware that life is pretty damn good is VH Commodore–driving 17-year-old Cameron North. That’s right, just 17 — almost as if he fell out of the womb yesterday. Then again, with parents like Peter and Keri North, there was never any chance that the lad would be driving anything other than a V8-powered GM product. Don’t think for one moment that this is a spoilt brat born with a silver…

FOR A FULL RESULTS LIST AND EXTRA IMAGES, SEARCH ‘PORT ROAD’ AT THEMOTORHOOD.COM The annual BurgerFuel Port Road Drags event holds the throne as the Queen of Drag Racing in New Zealand, being the oldest regularly run street drag event in Australasia, not to mention still being held in the very same location in which it started. This year, the Queen was in her 50th year of operation, and, man, was she celebrating. Cam County Hot Rod Club organizes the drags each year. The club’s website – portroad.co.nz — has a great page on the history of the event, and NZV8 also ran the history in its last issue. However, for those who missed it, here’s a quick summary. A bunch of guys who worked at Todd Motors back in…

Neither Eddie nor Josh Trybula is a stranger to the quarter-mile action, but now the pair have a new toy to play in. Eddie’s business, All Fleet Services, recently took ownership of the former Grant Rivers / Tony Johnson Vauxhall Viva that was well known around the country during the 1980s. Previously sustained accident damage was repaired while the car was under the ownership of Jamie Hessell. The All Fleet Services team have returned the car to its earlier livery, complete with period-style graphics and airbrushing to bring it back to its former glory. As it was purchased minus motor, a 402ci big block Chev has been built for it, which should see the pair have plenty of fun at street meets such as Port Road as well as at…

The well-known Price family have been busy building Stacey Price’s top alcohol funny car for a few years now, and after much anticipation the (almost) completed vehicle has been unveiled to the public. The unveiling took place at the headquarters of PPG, which supplied the paint for the amazing Warren Houston (Customs Department Airbrush Art) airbrush work that now adorns the carbon kevlar Chevrolet Monte Carlo body. More than 300 hours went into the Countess of Monte Carlo’s highly detailed casino theme, which really needs to be seen in person to be appreciated. The car itself is a 125-inch wheelbase 2014 model S&W Race Cars chromoly chassis, which has been assembled by the Price Motorsport team. Power comes from a 521ci BAE Hemi with a PSI blower and four-port magnesium…

There’s nothing in the world quite like nitro, and Meremere Dragway has announced a date for the 2017 Mount Shop Nitro Drags — February 25, 2017. To shake things up even more than usual, the PremiAir Racing top fuel dragster piloted by Peter Xiberras is to be brought over from Australia, to go head to head with the Mount Shop top fuel dragster driven by Anthony Marsh — New Zealand’s quickest and fastest drag racer. The event also takes care of the Comp Meeting No. 4, allowing spectators to view an exciting array of drag racing classes, from Super Street to Top Comp. Gates open at 8am, and admission is $30 per person. Additional information can be found at dragway.co.nz.…

If you bumped into Mike Carlton at the supermarket, you would probably be left with the impression that he’s a neat bloke who likes a laugh. You wouldn’t be wrong. But what you probably wouldn’t get would be the fact that he owns a street-legal Corvette capable of nine-second quartermiles. Loud, angry, and absolutely savage, the Corvette is the perfect opposite of the good Mr Carlton. If Mike were Dr Jekyll, his Corvette would be Mr Hyde — and, just like Dr Jekyll in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, things were never meant to go this far. “When I was an impressionable teenager in the late ’60s and early ’70s, the Corvettes of the era left an indelible mark on my psyche,” Mike remembers.…

As you’ve read in the article about Dave Burt’s Plymouth GTX, he pushed it into the corner for a few years to focus on his other love, a 1960 El Camino, but that build was only ever a stopgap. Here’s his real plan for the slick hauler: “I have been throwing around ideas for this car. I bought it a few years ago with the intention of seriously modifying it, but it had a rotten floor. After fixing that and restoring the old Blue Flame six, I lost the appetite to cut it up, but my original concept still nags at me. “It needs to be seriously lowered and seriously tubbed, so I’m thinking an Art Morrison chassis could be the way to go, as, that way, it’ll handle nicely…

With the popularity of the Enzed Central Muscle Cars, there’s now more new cars being built for the class than ever before. Unfortunately, this brings complications with it, as each new builder tries to push the rules and take advantage of any ambiguity within them. While the rules have not changed, a few loopholes within them have been tightened recently, and that obviously has had an impact on cars in the build or yet to pass scrutineering. The committee has made it clear that all new vehicles must comply 100 per cent with the rules before they will be accepted to race. This compliance now includes a full tech inspection by the class’s technical committee. With the aim of fairness, all existing vehicles will also be made to comply with…

Richard ‘Danger’ Moore bounced back from a challenging first round in the Porter Group V8 Utes to win the second round at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Parkafter beating championship leader Paul ‘Auto’ Manuell in the final ‘winner takes all’ race on Sunday. Manuell won the first race on Saturday, thentook eighth in the second race, but second behind Moore in the final race just wasn’t enough to win the round. What his weekend did do was strengthen his position at the top of the points table before the Christmas break and the new year, when the championship series heads to the South Island. A superb weekend of racing for the V8 utes saw Elton ‘Toon’ Goonan take his first win in the series after a faultless drive in the 12-lapper on…

Culture — Backstreet Car Meet is an unusual event, not least because it presents a totally different flavour from the usual car shows. It was created to be a relaxed and comfortable event that caters for the kind of vehicles that don’t quite fit in anywhere else, and that’s something that the inaugural event — held on December 3 at the big Harcourts car park in Hamilton — did very well. Organized and run by members of the Carnales low-rider club, a laid-back atmosphere was guaranteed, as was a solid turnout of low-riders of all styles and vintages. Make no mistake, though — this was not intended as a low-rider show, and, although they were certainly the most common vehicle in attendance, show entry was pretty open. Low-riders, hot rods,…

CHECK THEMOTORHOOD.COM FOR REGULAR NEWS UPDATES We all know there’s a Mustang for everyone, from those afraid of power through to those who crave it. Now, Ford Performance has released one for those who are absolutely addicted to it. The Shelby FP350S is built with those who love track days in mind and is totally not street legal. Like most other Shelbys, the cars run a 5.2-litre flat-plane-crank Voodoo V8 engine. While nopower figures have been released as yet, the road-going versions are rated at 526hp and 429lb·ft torque. The cars are FIA compliant off the showroom floor, thanks in part to a six-point roll cage, race seats, and harnesses being part of the package. At this stage, no sales or pricing info has been released, apart from the fact…

Over the past few years, Masterton Motorplex has earned itself a reputation as the place to race, and, for the recent NZDRA Central Nationals, that held true. The more than 140 vehicles entered ranged from Nigel Dixon’s new Ford Falcon doorslammer, making its debut, through to well-campaigned junior dragsters, and everything in between. We couldn’t fit coverage into this issue, but you can check out the highlights by searching ‘Central Nationals’ at themotorhood.com. We’ve also got all the action from Haltech Grudge Kings NZ including profiles on the Australian cars that were brought over for the event. Search ‘Grudge Kings’ to check it out.…

Hi Todd, At Christmas last year, I received a subscription to NZV8, and, over the past year, I have loved it, with its world-class articles and amazing photographs. Recently, I attended the Auckland ITM SuperSprint for the first time and was amazed at the atmosphere at the event [and] also how open and friendly the drivers are, and I stopped to have a conversation with a few. The other key thing I noticed was what good shape our motor sport is in, with the CMC class and Toyota GT86 series. I thought it was a great atmosphere for them to move up the ranks, especially in GT86s, and that, although they are not the fastest thing on the track, the racing is really exciting. Thanks to you and your team…

Our third season of NAC Car Culture is now well and truly underway, but don’t worry if you’ve missed the first few episodes — we’ve been kind enough to upload them to themotorhood.com. This season, the show is locked in to screen at 1pm each Sunday on TV3 and is packed with plenty of the cars you see on these pages, such as Steve Anson’s tough LJ Torana, Luke Orpwood’s ‘GRIM’ Impala, Dan Southall’s Camaro, and more. Of course, the show isn’t just about the cars — it’s the people, the events, and the lifestyle — so reserve your spot on thecouch every Sunday to catch all the action or jump online to see what you’ve missed. Big thanks to NAC Insurance, Teng Tools and Mount Shop for making it…

EMAIL YOUR BUILDS TO EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ Tony Bouzaid’s yellow ’32 coupe was a regular sight on Wellington streets and at Masterton Motorplex over the last decade, clocking up thousands of miles. When Tony decided to give the coupe a bit of a tidy-up, he had an advantage — his son Mark runs MB Minitrucks, which, despite the name, doesn’t specialize only in airbagged Jappas. Mark’s now a long way through the task of giving the coupe a major freshen-up that includes plenty of re-engineering, bodywork repairs, and a full repaint. At the time of print, the team at Airflowe Panel and Paint were just about to start coating the body, while the chassis has already been completed and the underside of the body sprayed with Line-X. Considering the popularity of the…

EMAIL YOUR INFO TO: EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ JANUARY 21–22 JACK DANIELS KUMEU CLASSIC CAR & HOT ROD FESTIVAL 2017 The biggest West Auckland car event has just gotten a little more ‘west’, having secured Jack Daniels as a naming rights sponsor! It’s still being held over the weekend of January 21–22, 2017, at the Kumeu A&P Showgrounds, and is still going to be a cracker of a weekend out. With a whole bunch of new cars on display in the main show shed, the people’s choice power is once again in your hands, and you know that the car show and swap meet will both be as big as ever! In addition, the pin-up competition provides a chance for the ladies to get into the hot rodding spirit, with Miss Kumeu open…

The Davison family’s Upper Hutt Glass Drag Racing Team narrowly missed out on being ready to return to the track for the recent NZDRA Central Nationals. In the two seasons since the team’s dragster last hit the strip, it’s undergone serious changes, now measuring in at 271 inches long thanks to a 21-inch chassis extension by Graham Berry Race Cars. The major reason for the extension was to allow the installation of the ex–Tim Watkins Hemi engine — a motor that pushed Tim’s funny car to a best of 5.79s at 249mph. The engine was bought without the PSI supercharger, so the team elected to purchase a 14-71 Roots-style Superman supercharger. They also purchased the Lenco threespeed transmission from the funny car, and Dave Green has been assisting with its…

Mike Wilson’s wild Capri has benefited from the recent addition of an 8-71 supercharger, having run an 8.32 at 152.24mph at a Comp Meet held at Ruapuna. “It was the first time out with a blower on, and the accelerator suddenly turned into an on/off switch!” Mike says. The Capri was built by Roger Binnema, and runs a blown and methanol-injected 383ci small block Chev, built around a factory cast block with Scat crankshaft and Manley internals by Evan Were atEngine Reconditioning Services. With a Powerglide transmission and Winters 31-spline nine-inch rear end, the mechanical package sounds like a tough one capable of rattling off consistent eight-second passes. At the same meeting, Mike ran a number of 8.40s with a fair bit of pedalling, saying that he feels he “needs…

Meet ‘Tom Slick’. No, he’s not one of the greying guys on the last page. Tom Slick’s a car, but not just any car — it’s a car that’s a significant part of the lower North Island’s hot rodding scene. If you’re thinking to yourself right now that Tom’s not the best looker nor in show condition, well, you’d probably be right, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who disagreed with you. But what the car lacks in aesthetics, it more than makes up for in character. “Even back when Shady started building the car in 1969, it was made with old parts,” states one of the car’s three current owners. The ‘Shady’ referred to is well-known Wellingtonian Colin ‘Shady’ Lane, who passed away in July 2013 and who…

September 4, 2010 is a date not easily forgotten by Cantabrians and will be etched into their minds for the rest of their lives. On this day, at 4.35am, the Christchurch landscape was changed forever, when a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck south of the city, causing widespread damage. The event will be written into the city’s history as a very tormented time. As bad as it was, people began putting their lives back together, unaware that the force of Mother Nature still had more in store for them. The worst day came on February 22, 2011 when, at 12.51pm, the city was shaken by a 6.3-magnitude quake. Not only was this more destructive than the September quake, it was also responsible for the loss of 185 lives. There wasn’t a house…

Spec 2008 SHELBY GT500 ENGINE: 468ci small block Ford, Dart block, Callies billet crankshaft, Callies rods, JE pistons, ATI Super Damper harmonic balancer, custom roller camshaft, modified CNC-ported Nascar D3 heads, titanium valves, single-plane high-rise manifold, Braswell-built Holley carb, K&N filter, Nascar belt-driven fuel pump, XRP in-line fuel filter, switchable MSD HVC Blaster coils, MSD twin-feed distributor, four-into-one headers, twoinch primaries, 3½-inch exhaust, two Flowmaster mufflers, Fenix radiator, Bob Drake water pump, dry-sump oiling, Jones Racing power-steering pump, boot-mount Peterson oil breather, remote oil filter, AN fittings, braided lines DRIVELINE: HGT five-speed sequential manual, Tilton flywheel, Tilton triple-plate clutch, alloy modular nine-inch, 3.25:1 diff ratio, Peterson oil breather, Driveshaft Shop carbon one-piece driveshaft SUSPENSION: JRI Motorsports external reservoir coilovers, JRI Motorsports front knuckles, custom chromoly lower control arms, adjustable threelink…

At the Taupo round of the BNT New Zealand Touring Car championship series, Simon Evans continued his season’s unbeaten run by overcoming challenges from Nick Ross in his Nissan V8 and Jason Bargwanna in his Toyota Camry V8. Evans was challenged in the final race of the weekend by Australia’s Bargwanna, who was looking to strike back after mechanical problems with his Toyota Camry plagued much of his weekend. A slick pit stop by Evans’ Smeg Racing team propelled the championship leader up theorder during a race of very changeable conditions and he managed to hold off a hard-charging Bargwanna, who had a slower pit stop due to problems when changing a wheel. “Big thanks to my guys on the team; they did an awesome job in that pit stop…

Hampton Downs circuit manager Elton Goonan proved he isn’t just an expert at his own workplace, surprising the Porter Group V8 Utes and the motorsport community with a standout race win during the first event of the Speed Works Motorsport Championship at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park. Goonan — who also drove the Hamilton Asphalts– backed Ford at the ITM Supercar event — didn’t have a great start to his weekend and struggled for grip during test sessions on the Friday. However, come Saturday morning, and a set of new tyres, hewent five seconds quicker, suddenly trading times with champion Paul Manuell in the qualifying session. He was forced into a recovery drive in the first race after being spun around early on, but started the full reverse-grid second race from…

DECADE AGO ISSUE NO. 21, FEBRUARY 2007 BUY THIS ISSUE ONLINE AT MAGSTORE.NZ It was as rough as guts and tough as nails, and, 10 years on, Mike ‘Minga’ Dean’s ‘HMROID’ Challenger is still the toughest car we’ve ever featured. There are cars that are quicker, cars that make more power, cars that are better finished — but, for sheer brutality of presence, none can hold a candle to it. HMROID was built tough by Barry Keach, with a 6-71–blown 498ci Hemi and the intention of running nine-second quarter-miles. That never happened, unfortunately — although Minga did improve on the aesthetics by having it painted a factory Mopar shade, ‘Plum Crazy’,before the Hemi detonated itself and he sold the Challenger on. The top end was pulled off the block, which…