Hulme, McLaren, Riley, Oxton, Millen. For a tiny nation that is thousands of km from anywhere, New Zealand has produced a consistent stream of world class – and world champion – race drivers.
With Kiwis at Speed, writer Steve Holmes has produced a significant account of what our racing idols experienced and achieved. More tellingly, he has told their stories with a decent wedge of first-hand interviews with drivers who forged New Zealand’s international racing heritage.
It was tough back in the 1960s and 1970s, with an economy stuttering through fuel crisis and the decline of our lucrative sheep meat trade with Great Britain.
Drivers like Brett Riley struggled to find backing to advance his racing career.
“I had enough money to put petrol in the car and put tyres on it… and that was about it.”
Riley had almost stumbled into motorsport by accident, and went on to a Formula Atlantic single-seater career in the UK. He later won the New Zealand Touring Car Championship for BMW.
A humble Datsun 1600 propelled ‘Racing’ Ray Williams into a lifelong race career with standout success in the national touring car series.
“My brother found this high mileage Datsun… so we drove down, bought it, drove home and… won the championship by one point.”
Not many drivers can successfully transition between top level national motor racing and WRC rallying. Reg Cook has been winning races since 1969.
“I never had any money. I built all my own cars, engines, gearboxes, diffs, everything.”
He was ‘Mr Datsun’ in the 1970s and 1980s, racing Datsun Sunnies in the Shellsport series and then rallying Bluebirds and later the 240RS group B car.
Backed by Nissan to drive the factory 240RS, he was first Kiwi home in the 1984 Rally of New Zealand.
‘Cookie’ is still building competition engines and is the driving force behind a string of land speed record attempts, recording speeds of up to 527km/h.
Steve Holmes has put together a book that appeals on different levels. For anyone who is simply interested in motor racing, it’s a cracking read and a unique chance to know what these racers experienced as their careers developed. Then for readers ‘of a certain age’, it’s a chance to revisit motor racing in its formative years. In both cases, Kiwis at Speed delivers an insight into the racing way of life and the Kiwis who have dedicated their lives to competition.
