NZV8 No 195 August 2021
NZV8 Magazine was conceived when the passionate muscle car scene was in need of an authority. Thanks to a large population of baby boomers, muscle car and V8 culture is booming in New Zealand. NZV8 is not only riding that wave, but leading the way by providing a world class magazine that features the cars, events, like the annual Beach Hop and people that make the scene so exciting. NZV8 covers an extensive range of high-performance V8-engined vehicles. Wherever the local ground shakes to the beat of a tuned eight-cylinder machine, from a drag race meeting to a car show, NZV8 is there and bringing you all the action.
in this issue
well earned
If you flick forward a few pages, you will see a news piece about Noddy Watts — the main driving force behind Beach Hop — having been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Noddy received the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the community and charity fundraising. Anyone who has attended the Saturday prize draw at Beach Hop will be aware of the charity element to the event, with charity auctions taking place, but many will be unaware of just how significant the combined contributions from the five days are. Take this year’s event, for instance. The Beach Hop crew were able to donate a total of $100K, with $60K of that going to local emergency services, $25K to CanTeen and Hamilton’s Cancer Society’s Lions Lodge, and the…
heimgartner scores first
Some six years since his first race start in the Supercars ranks for the 2014 Bathurst 1000, Kiwi Andre Heimgartner has landed his first Supercars victory, while also ending a winless drought for the Ford Mustang this season. Heimgartner, who joined Kelly Racing in 2018 (now Kelly Grove Racing) even copped a five-second time penalty during the race for a pit-lane collision with Jamie Whincup. “When we had contact I was like, ‘Oh geez, that just made it a lot harder for myself’, and I knew I had to get five seconds,” Heimgartner said. “On the last lap, it was 4.5 seconds [spare], so I just knew but they didn’t tell me.” The win was the first for Kelly Grove Racing, and the first since the team switched to the Mustang. The…
stream it
We’ve now passed the halfway mark of the eighth season of Repco Muscle Garage, and, while the 1pm slot on CRC Motorsport on Three gives us all an excuse to kick back on the couch on Sunday arvo, the realities of modern life mean that sometimes we’ve got other more pressing matters to attend to — like er, the lawns. That’s why the entire season so far, and all previous seven, can be found on The Motorhood or YouTube for you to watch any time, anywhere. Stream on your phone, tablet, or on the big screen in the shed. The show is made possible with the help and ongoing support of Repco New Zealand, Meguiar’s, Love My Car NZ, and Mount Shop.…
star-studded superstock line-up
Paradise Valley Raceway in Rotorua will play host to some of the biggest names in New Zealand motorsport this December for the Valvoline Superstock Charity Invitational event, with all proceeds going towards Starship Hospital and Ronald McDonald House. The line-up includes Hayden Paddon, Greg Murphy, Richie Stanaway, Avalon Biddle, Aaron Slight, and Chris van der Drift, with two more to be added. For many of the drivers, the chance to drive a super stock was too good to turn down. “Receiving an invitation to wheel the beast of a machine that is a super stock is one that I could not turn down,” Paddon said. “To race with some of my racing buddies in a contact class will get the adrenaline pumping.” For former Supercars driver Stanaway, it will see him returning…
noddy gets the nod
It’s not every day you hear about a hot rodder being honoured by Her Majesty the Queen, but included among the honourees in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list was our very own Noddy Watts for services to the community and charity fundraising. Noddy was bestowed with the New Zealand Order of Merit, which will be presented to him officially at Government House in Auckland later this year. Anyone who knows Noddy or has had anything to do with Beach Hop, will be aware that the event gives back to the community in a huge way. This year’s event alone raised $60K for local emergency services, $25K for CanTeen and Hamilton Cancer Society’s Lions Lodge, and $15K for Whangamata Area School — a staggering total of $100K — so the contribution…
murph and stanaway wild card
While not the only Kiwi duo featuring on the grid for ‘The Great Race’ this October, you can bet there will be plenty of interest with the return of No. 51 to the mountain following the announcement that retired Supercars drivers Greg Murphy and Richie Stanaway will make a return as a wild card entry for Erebus Motorsport and Boost Mobile. The idea was first floated on social media by Boost Mobile’s owner Peter Adderton back in April and has been growing in momentum. “Originally, the idea was a bit tongue in cheek, but the fan reaction has been incredible, so I wanted to make this team happen for them [the fans],” Adderton said. “I got on the phone to Greg and Richie, and, although they initially weren’t interested, it didn’t…
