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Whilst being one of the smaller nations of the planet, New Zealand has excelled in many aspects, from business to science, agriculture to invention, and of course sport. One particular sporting category that it seems to have embraced is the Motoring kind. However with this love, this desire, this passion, inevitably comes drama.

story by cRaig loRd

photos by ned dawson

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story by cRaig loRd

photos by ned dawson

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V8 SupErTourErS

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There are seemingly two common and major problems in motorsport and they are

common because they are worldwide issues...The building of Empires, the controlling of them and the financial returns created by them. No matter what the sporting code, these issues exist. The question is how to remove them and stop them from arising again, the problem is history shows us that achieving a solution is unlikely.

In the uSa for example, the biggest event that confronted those problematic entities was the open wheel racing format now known as Indycar. The construction of the earlier Champ series had created over time, riffs and issues in both finances and control, and there was seemingly only one solution to remedy this – the creation of a ‘rebel’ breakaway series.

In simple parlance, the rebel series was just a branch cut from a particular tree, and as the years went by, the original tree had withered to the point where reviving it was going

to be highly unlikely. There were a couple of options available to the growers, let it die or maybe rip it up and replant it again. another option was to graft branches from this old wood and place it onto the break-off one that had grown bigger and stronger. Since the newly planted one was now producing fruit it made sense to join them back together in

the same paddock and we all know the ending to that story.

This similar scenario has now happened in a country that cannot however seemingly sustain two trees at all, let alone two very similar trees in a very small paddock. It has come about in a small island nation with proud motorsport roots, but with only so much fertiliser to sustain them

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both. planting the second one was bound to take nutrients away from the original though, because there is only so much to go around.

The thing is, the branch that was taken was immediately planted, and within its first season in the sun, it had produced a crop which was enough to feed the people that wanted a new and tasty product. Granted, the cost of production was above the initial expectations, and there were a few broken limbs here and there, but in all fairness that happens more often than not with any new entity no matter what their format or function may be. It also had its problems in the way of bugs

and disease, but thankfully they were relatively minor and there was and is the ability to remove all of those.

Because of this successful planting, and because there was the ability to produce a crop so quickly, the question was then being asked, “what would happen to the other tree”? It was a tree that over time had become controversial, difficult to maintain and had past its used-by date.

To try and ascertain how the future growth will go for either tree, you would need to look at the basic fronting facts, the facts that can openly be seen on the shelves. 1. The new tree has produced better

fruit than the old stock i.e. The Drivers with the new Cars.

2. The new tree has sprung up so well that fertiliser and nourishment is now being applied from outside sources.

3. The old tree is waving its leaves asking everyone to look because it is about to sprout with brand new branches i.e. a brand new car design in a similar ilk to what the other tree has already produced.

4. Currently the old tree only has small fruit available in the way of a driver base that generally the public don’t know, might sample, but are unlikely to continue buying for regular sustenance.

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V8 SupErTourErS

However it was such a good looking tree from day one with so much potential to provide the racing public with a better product, it bloomed immediately in the format of a successful racing series.

This blooming was aided by the fact that the top crop of drivers from the old series went into the new paddock, washing their hands of the old regime and systems, outwardly glad to be a part of something new and fresh.

available racing in its category – it was often because it was the only racing in its category.

Behind the shed though, there were the issues listed earlier in regards to control and money, and the issues had grown so big that pruning was needed.

That was the basic reasoning behind the branch coming off the old tree and being replanted in the form of the NZ V8 Supertourer Series – a ‘rebel’ series if you like.

With those simple facts of course comes plenty of debate, but after all the back and forth arguments are given, those facts are clear and remain.

The old tree was and still is, the NZV8 Touring Car Series. from its creation till the end of last season it was a series that utilised the ford and Holden V8 Sedans, modified to a point where they could race. They were commonly known as the ‘Taxis’ and whilst they produced the best

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The growers of the old tree tried embarrassingly to stop the new tree from being planted in the form of legal papers with various arguments, but in the end it was all in vain. The new series had commenced, with a four round, 3 races per weekend schedule that proved itself to be of exactly the right sweetness.

So what is the mix that seems to have been able to produce such a rapid growth? and how is it that fans have been able to attach

themselves to a series where the vehicles are identical in every aspect under the body shell? Whatever happened to the need for so-called ‘brand attachment’.

for the V8 Supertourers brand attachment is of little value. Half the field have a ford body shell; the others use a Holden (Gm). and do the fans really care? No, not really. Even ford admitted openly that it was of no concern to them that the differently branded vehicles

would run with identical equipment underneath. With indistinguishable parts from front to back including the engine, the series has become a genuine team sport. It is all about the driver and how the team can provide a machine to suit. The fruit from this tree can be made to look like something else if the grower wants – but the taste is all the same. In simpler terms, on the outside, it can look like a banana, an orange, a peach or a pear, but under the skin

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they are all crispy sweet juicy apples. But any series can have fantastic

race cars, or in orchard parlance – plenty of different trees can grow nice fruit - so what made the V8 Supertourers so special in this first season? Quite simply because they had the best growers, the drivers were household names and they had attached themselves to this particular tree, exactly what the fruit eating race fan wants.

Without being derogative towards smaller racing categories, you could arguably put all of these same drivers into mini’s or a little Suzuki and the end product would be of a much lesser significance than what was achieved using the big bangers – there is obviously the need for the right combination. In saying that, the argument could also be reversed, by placing completely unknown drivers into these new cars would surely see

the fans showing a slight interest, but it would be simply because of the machinery and the curiosity would soon waiver. Human nature is very simple, for the crop to be fully successful as a sellable product it needs the tasty crispy combination of both driver and machine.

So what faults did the old fruit have in comparison to the new? In a way not a lot as such, just old technology that was horrendously expensive to sustain competitively. Whilst new production line technology fixes that issue, the major fault that will always be difficult to cure was not with the old fruit itself but with the old tree. It had far too many little blemishes that accumulated itself into a rather sour product. one particular blemish being that the governing body of NZ motorsport is also a marketer and promoter of the old

tree and its fruit – rather than simply being an administrator of the orchard as a whole.

Because of this apparent conflict of interests, the soon-to-be replanted NZV8 Touring Car series is being touted by the NZ motorsport administration and their own promotional company as the ‘Elite’ and ‘Gold’ class of NZV8 Touring car racing. This seems to be because they have a financial interest in it. Should they however? probably not, but nonetheless they do. and naturally this has created friction in all the ranks of NZ motorsport circles. Ego, stubbornness and pride have now rippled through the multiple factions, and it seems as though there will not be a quick or amicable harvesting of all the crops together in the near future.

Both together cannot survive and currently the V8 Supertourers are the

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V8 SupErTourErS

The fruit lovers had a taste over the last few months, a taste of a

brand new creation that has been genetically engineered to make a

fantastic tasting product.

pick of the bunch. This of course is due to the fact – as stated earlier – that they actually have a product on the shelf, and it honestly is sweet. The old series is being re-sown, and there is a lot of big talk from their growers about how their brand of fruit will appear bigger, riper and juicier than the others.

Knowing that New Zealand cannot sustain two orchards for any long amount of time it seems logical that all of those who make the power play decisions should forget about their own agendas and think about the

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goes on the shelf again in September for the first of its three round Endurance Series. and, if the initial sampling of the four round Sprint Series was anything to go by, there will be plenty of food in the stomach for all.

one would also hope that well before then the old tree growers would look over the fence, realise that New Zealand now has something fresh on display, and that there is no need to continue trying to plant any more seeds just because you can. P1

fans and the businesses that want to support the growth.

The fruit lovers had a taste over the last few months, a taste of a brand new creation that has been genetically engineered to make a fantastic tasting product. It seems that after only four rounds the recipe is close to right. But there is no doubt the growers will keep modifying the product to continue its enhancement, making it even more cost effective and healthier for all.

New Zealand will find out how this new crop tastes when the fruit