Its not every day Christchurch gets to play host to one of the most popular motorsport series in this part of the world. In fact, to have the Australian Supercars Championship in this part of New Zealand for the first time was a masterstroke. The series which made the likes of Peter Brock, Allan Moffat, Dick Johnson, Mark Skaife, and our own Greg Murphy and Jim Richards racing legends overnight was finally in the South Island.
At long last, South Island based Supercars fans would be able to see their heroes from Ford, GM and now Toyota compete as part of the Supercars ITM Christchurch Super 440 at Ruapuna Raceway.
The build up for this event has been happening for several weeks as cars and drivers all made their way across the Tasman to race at Taupo, before arriving in Christchurch and setting up shop at Ruapuna.
General Motors have been Supercars Championship regulars (formerly known as the Australian Touring Car Championship) from the beginning in the guise of Holden, naturally. After the sad and unfortunate demise of the Red Lion, GM has continued in the Gen3 Repco Supercars Championship with the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 since 2023.
One team currently running a pair of Camaro ZL1s is Team 18 with drivers David Reynolds and Anton De Pasquale. Blackwells GMSV, the renowned dealership for General Motors Specialty Vehicles in Christchurch, invited me along for a fun evening to launch this historic weekend with the drivers themselves.
Long time Blackwells customers and staff from what was once Christchurch’s home of Holden rubbed shoulders with the current generation of the Blackwells GMSV team, all while the latest GMC Yukon SUV, Chevrolet Silverado and Corvette Z06 basked in the aura of a great night out.
The evening of guest speakers started with 18-year-old Caleb Byers, a young Kiwi who is rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with in New Zealand Motorsport. Caleb’s recent achievements include becoming the first ever NZ TA2 series Champion and currently holds the TA2 NZ lap records for both Hampton Downs and Taupo International Motorsport Park.
He also gave us a chance to have a close look at his championship winning AC Delco and SP Tools sponsored Chevrolet Camaro TA2 car. With a GM crate V8 engine producing 525hp, a spaceframe chassis and a fibreglass Camaro body, it is very NASCAR in appearance and Caleb says it is “awesome to drive.”
Next up was a man who needed no introduction, Craig Lowndes. The seven-time Bathurst Winner and three-time V8 Supercars Champion held the floor and talked about the weekend, his thoughts on the Ruapuna circuit, his long career at the forefront of the sport, and his involvement with Team 18’s Wildcard programme. Here Lowndes steps in as mentor and promoter the next generation of Supercars Championship drivers, just as the legend Peter Brock mentored him in his early days.
Finally, David Reynolds and Anton De Pasquale gave us their thoughts on the upcoming race and soaking up the sights of Christchurch and the greater South Island. There were also a few laughs and plenty of banter, more proof these drivers have a camaraderie which runs deep. At evening’s ends, fans and Blackwells customers had the chance to get driver autographs, take photos and swap stories. A raffle was also held with prizes including hot laps in a new Corvette around Ruapuna with Lowndes, a double pass for the weekend’s racing and a selection of AC Delco merchandise.
All in all, Blackwells GMSV put on a fabulous evening celebrating the long-awaited arrival of a legendary series of motoring racing to one of the most motoring racing obsessed parts of New Zealand. It was a lot of fun and a terrific way to get us all in the mood for some epic racing at Ruapuna. Thanks team.
