June 2023: Welcome
I’d love to thank our subscribers and followers for their readership and kind messages of support and praise over the month. It really is a motivator to hear how well the content from our fist issue has been received.
Before we get into it this month, I’d like to issue an apology for a couple of delays. Our last issue was on time to print and our distributors but was unfortunately delayed in making it to the end user, by the vagaries of NZ Post.
This month, we are slightly behind schedule, largely due to an untimely dose of Covid which hit me hard over the days before the deadline.
I’d would like to commend Allan Batt for his contribution this month; ‘When God Raced in Paradise”, an in-depth piece of writing reviewing the great AJ Foyt’s visits to New Zealand. As you’re aware, we’re still new to this gig and this was a welcome addition through educating us with some history.
There’s a lot of love for the Superstocks in this issue following teams competitions at Waikaraka Park and Huntly since we last went to print. It’s only fitting our feature focuses on one of those teams, the Kihikihi Kings. It’s been awesome to chat with Euan Means, Matthew Picard and the great Gav Taniwha for this article, and I thank them for their time. I hope I’ve done your team justice.
We’ve also included an opinion piece from Jody Scott discussing the NZ title rotation system, which we took to Speedway NZ to get a response. Their reply is on the pages following his piece.
I’d also like to take the time to emphasise the points made by Speedway New Zealand President Ricky Boulton in the middle of the magazine.
May 2023: Welcome
Writers and photographers from around New Zealand are who have helped make this possible, changing a blank canvas into something worth reading.
Even in the last-minute scramble to send it off for printing, we had people coming in clutch, providing us with those last-minute details to put everything together truly. You can see the work of those people here, including Daryl Shuttleworth, who provided fantastic recaps of South Island events. We welcome Daryl’s input to the magazine and his contributions to the sport through his media presence. James Selwyn has also been of great help, having the images we sought in a sensational back catalogue that dates back to 2007.
You can see some of those in the Michael Pickens feature I wrote in the pages that follow. I hope you like it. The contributions of Jody Scott, Natasha King, Allan Batt, Tony Stuart and Rob Arnold have gone a long way, not only in providing reading material but also in helping share a story and documenting history in the process. Then there are the photographers, who are so willing to help with contributions that they want to share with everyone. A picture paints 1000 words, which is definitely the case here.
Special mention must also go to S.B. O’Hagen Photography and Graham from Sportsweb Photography, who provided last-minute photographs to us when we were in need. As you can see, it’s these people who make this possible. Behind the scenes, there’s also Alex Schultz, who has worked so hard to work on a layout and come up with the design, ultimately putting everything together once the edit had been done. This wouldn’t go to print without him. Then, of course, there’s Mark Petch, NZ Dirt Track Racing’s new owner as the founder of Autonews Limited.
That portfolio includes velocitynews.co.nz, and New Zealand Autocar magazine, two further publications that help spread the good words of anything with wheels and an engine. I’ve been lucky enough to work for Mark for nearly a year and believe his passion for the sport will help this magazine thrive and grow to unprecedented heights. We’re here to share the stories of the people, cars and races which help make our sport great. We welcome any feedback on how we can improve and what you’d like to see more of. In the meantime, we’ve tried to split the love evenly and cover as much as possible. We’re 100 per cent committed to this magazine, and with the support we have and the contributions we receive, anything is possible. Enjoy the read; it’s been quite the learning experience, but as they say, onwards and upwards.
Thank you for reading and thank you for your support. Until next time.
