Category: Sports

Go behind the scenes at the National Motor Racing Museum as part of the Ultimate Bathurst Prize

Go behind the scenes at the National Motor Racing Museum, as part of the ultimate Bathurst prize

The winner of this year’s Ultimate Motorsport Prize will be treated to an exclusive tour of the National Motor Racing Museum as part of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that has been built around the Repco Bathurst 1000 on October 6-9.

The incredible prize that has been put together by the team at Pirtek includes travel, accommodation, VIP tickets, and much more, all in support of its long-time charity partner, the St Vincent’s Hospital’s Peter Duncan Neurosciences Unit.

The prize also includes the chance to wave the green flag to start the race, a meet and greet and tour of the Shell V-Power Racing Team pit garage with the legendary Dick Johnson, access to the grid, a tour of race control and event TV compound, a lap of the track in the Supercars Safety Car, a helicopter ride, a visit to Pirtek Victory Lane to meet the race winners, and a lot more.

During the museum visit, the winners will have the chance to get up close and personal with some of the country’s most famous two and four-wheeled machines, including Allan Moffat’s 1977 Bathurst-winning XC Falcon, Tony Longhurst’s 1988 race-winning Ford Sierra, Peter Brock’s 1984 VK ‘Big Banger’, and Bob Morris’ 1976 LH Torana.

The now-defunct Bathurst 24 Hour is also represented with the 7.0L Holden Monaro 427C driven to a win in the 2002 event by Garth Tander, Steve Richards, Cameron McConville, and Nathan Pretty.

A list of motorcycles is headed by the 1987 world 500cc championship Rothmans Honda of Wayne Gardner and five bikes of Gregg Hansford, who had Bathurst success on two and four wheels.

Some new additions to the museum include the 1995 and 2000 Bathurst 1000 winning cars, as well as both the 24 Hour Monaros, plus the 2013 and 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour winners (Mercedes SLS and McLaren).

The winners will also have their photo taken with the famous Peter Brock statue at the museum entrance.

Last year’s winner of the Ultimate Motorsport Prize, Ross Greenup, said the VIP experience was something special that brought back so many memories.

“Brad (the National Motor Racing Museum Coordinator) made us feel so special throughout the tour and even gave us the opportunity to sit in a few cars which I know isn’t allowed when you are just a general visitor,” he said.

“The collection that has been put together is second to none and seeing some of the cars just brought back so many memories from watching the races growing up.

“While the whole prize was great, this element of it was outstanding, just because of the way Brad went about it and the collection of items is honestly something to behold.”

Piterk has worked together with his friends in the motorsport industry to put this wonderful prize together and with only a limited pool of tickets available, fans are encouraged to get in early to avoid disappointment.

The tickets are just AUD $20 each with and all proceeds will support St Vincent’s Hospital’s Peter Duncan Neurosciences Research Unit.

Fans can buy their ticket for a chance to win this fantastic experience at www.ultimatemotorsportprize.com.

The VIP tour of the National Motor Racing Museum will be hosted by museum coordinator Brad Owen who is looking forward to hosting this year’s winner.

“The prize on offer, as the name suggests, truly is the ultimate motorsport prize,” Owen said.

“Last year’s winners, Ross and Morgan, came through the museum and I made sure that they really did get that VIP experience. We’ve got some great pieces here and no matter what age you are, there is something for everyone.

“Like last year, I’ll give the winner and their guest an after hours personal tour where they can ask questions and get that little bit closer to the exhibits than would be normally possible.

“We don’t offer this opportunity very often and with the whole prize being raffled and not auctioned, everyone has a chance of winning.

“The best part of it all is that it’s going to be a great cause.”

The total prize includes an amazing list of ‘money can’t buy’ experiences including:

• Return trip to the 2022 Repco Bathurst 1000 from the winner’s nearest Australian capital city
• 2 nights accommodation
• Wave the green starter’s flag for the Bathurst 1000
• Ride around Mount Panorama in the Supercars’ Safety Car
• 3-Day Supercars Paddock Club access
• Presentation of the Pirtek Pit Stop Challenge trophy on Friday Night
• Meet the race winners in Pirtek Victory lane
• Behind the scenes tour of Mount Panorama – including visit to the top of the mountain and the podium
• VIP (After hours) tour of the National Motor Museum at Mount Panorama
• Change a wheel on a Supercar in an exclusive pit stop experience
• VIP tour of the Dick Johnson Racing pits
• Helicopter flight around Mount Panorama
• Access to the grid before the race for the national anthem
• A personal tour of the Supercars TV compound
• A photo taken with the Peter Brock Trophy on the podium
• A visit to Race Control
• A signed photo with the race winners
• Pirtek Merchandise pack

Cricket great Ross Taylor says he edited sections of racially insensitive comments out of his new autobiography to protect the identity of some current Black Caps players.

Taylor has revealed, in Ross Taylor Black & White, that he was a victim of casual racism and inappropriate comments around race during his iconic cricket career.

He grew up learning about his Samoan and European heritage but Taylor always saw himself simply as a Kiwi.

But he admits he was looked upon differently, at times.

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During the editing process for Ross Taylor Black & White, co-written by Paul Thomas, Taylor removed some stories involving racist comments for two reasons.

“I didn’t want it to detract from a lot of the other good stories that are out there,” Taylor told Sky Sport, in an interview with Laura McGoldrick on Thursday.

“But at the same time, a few of the stories involved a few of the players who are still in the team, so I didn’t want it to compromise them or put them in a compromising position because they’ve still got to have their careers.”

Taylor said of racially insensitive comments: “You are subject to it at different stages. The changing room banter, as I talk about, is almost the barometer.”

In the book, Taylor wrote: “A teammate used to tell me, ‘You’re half a good guy, Ross, but which half is good? You don’t know what I’m referring to. I was pretty sure I did.

“Other players also had to put up with comments that dwelt on their ethnicity. In all probability, a Pakeha listening to those sorts of comments would think, ‘Oh, that’s okay, it’s just a bit of a banter’.

“But he’s hearing it as a white person, and it’s not directed at people like him. So, there’s no pushback; no one corrects them.

“Then the onus falls on the targets. You wonder if you should pull them up but worry that you’ll create a bigger problem or be accused of playing the race card by inflating harmless banter into racism. It’s easier to develop a thick skin and let it slide, but is that the right thing to do?

“Maybe not but that’s the way I dealt with it at the time.”

Taylor noted the New Zealand team management had also unwittingly touched a nerve.

“Not long after Mike ‘Roman’ Sandle became Black Caps manager, he said to Victoria (Taylor’s wife) that, when he was manager of the Blues rugby team, he’d observed that the Māori and Island boys struggled with managing money,’ so if Ross wants to talk about it…’

“Victoria laughed it off, and it probably didn’t take Mike long to realize that, however well-meaning, he’d been a bit hasty in his assumptions.

“When I came back into the team after the captaincy drama, I found myself sitting next to (coach) Mike Hesson in the Koru Lounge at Dunedin Airport. He’d come straight from his house from him. ‘My cleaner’s Samoan,’ he said. ‘Ella She’s a lovely lady, hard-working, very trustworthy’. All I could say was, ‘Oh cool’.

“I have no doubt that Roman and Hess and the guys who engaged in the ‘banter’ would be dismayed to learn that their remarks landed with a thud.

“Let me be clear: I don’t think for one minute that they were coming from a racist perspective. I think they were insensitive and lacked the imagination and empathy to put themselves in the other person’s shoes.

“What to them is a bit of harmless banter is actually confronting for the targets because it tells them they’re seen as being different. Instead of the message being, ‘You’re one of us, mate,’ it is, in effect, ‘You’re one of them’.”

Players, including teammates, would ask questions about Taylor’s ethnicity, especially given the fact he had a European-sounding name.

He told Sky Sport: “Knowing my name was Luteru, was something … when you start flying internationally and you get to your room as it’s Luteru Taylor and your teammates are going ‘who is this guy’?”

Taylor said talking about racism, when he first burst onto the Black Caps scene 16 years ago, might not have been frowned upon but would not be as well received as what it is today.

“We’ve moved on a lot that I can even talk about, I think,” Taylor said in the interview.

Growing up in Masterton, Taylor said there weren’t many Māori children playing cricket, and even fewer of Samoan heritage.

One of the country’s greatest ever batters, Taylor has now called on New Zealand Cricket to “put more resources into the Polynesian community”.

Cricket in New Zealand is a pretty white sport. For much of my career I’ve been an anomaly, a brown face in a vanilla line-up. That has its challenges, many of which aren’t readily apparent to your teammates or the cricketing public,” Taylor said, revealing people assumed he was Māori or Indian.

Taylor noted that former All Black and league star Sonny Bill Williams felt young Māori and Pasifika who were held back by a lack of confidence and their personal circumstances, and therefore didn’t fulfill their potential.

“I know from personal experience how true that is,” Taylor wrote.

“I’d hope that one of the takeaways from my career is that good cricketers can emerge from a Polynesian background.”

He admitted cricket gear could be expensive compared to other sports “which probably puts some Polynesian parents off the game”.

“But maybe New Zealand Cricket should be putting more resources into the Polynesian community because there must be more where I came from.”

New Zealand Cricket said initiatives were under way in this area and Taylor, with his experience, was involved in these.

“Ross has been a fantastic player for the Black Caps; his contribution to cricket in New Zealand has been immense, ”a NZC spokesperson said.

“He currently sits on an NZC working group aimed at improving the game’s engagement with Pasifika communities, and we greatly value his input.”