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ISSUE FIVE. 2015
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EARL BAMBER: MOTORSPORT PLUS INTERVIEW
In a Motorsport Plus exclusive, we talk to the comeback kid & Porsche Works driver, Earl Bamber.
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Motorsport Plus gets an insight into the We get access to the workshop of one Isle of Man documentary run by Open of speedway’s legends. Justin Insley Wheel champ, Cliff Field. Fabrication.
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Motorsport Plus talks to New Zealand Speedway icon, Michael Pickens on his journey to Sprint Car stardom.
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We talk to former TR86 champ, Jamie McNee on his 2014/15 season and beyond.
12 NEWS KIWIS 17 TT Q&A WITH CLIFF FIELD.
PLUS FEATURE 18 MOTORSPORT JUSTIN INSLEY FABRICATION PLUS FEATURE 22MOTORSPORT EARL BAMBER. PLUS Q&A 26 MOTORSPORT MICHAEL PICKENS PLUS Q&A 30MOTORSPORT JAMIE McNEE
COVER SHOT:Earl Bamber/Porsche Press.DE EDITOR Ayrton Brant abdesigns@slingshot.co.nz INSTAGRAM: @Motorsportplus_Ayrton DESIGN + IMAGING Ayrton Brant ADVERTISING COORDINATOR(S) Gary Brant sales@motorsportplus.co.nz CONTRIBUTORS Porsche Press.DE, Victoria Pickett/Impact Photographix.com, Justin Insley Fabrication, Cliff Field, Jamie McNee, Michael Pickens, IndyCar, NZMotocross, NZ SBK, Mark Baker/ Toyota NZ. PUBLISHER Motorsport Plus Ltd (09) 239 3495 PRINTERS PMP MAXUM Ltd. (09) 928 4200
Disclaimer MotorsportPlus Ltd. has a copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission of the publisher. Neither editorial opinions expressed or facts stated in advertisements are necessarily agreed to by the editor or publisher. Whilst all efforts are made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility will be taken by the publishers for inaccurate information or for any consequences of reliance on the information.
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Porsche Motorsport recently revealed their liveries for the season, just before taking out the first official LMP1 test that included kiwi’s Brandon Hartley and Earl Bamber.
PUKEKOHE, NEW ZEALAND
# W H I P S F O R D A Y S
Jay Wilson put on a show at the final round of the NZ Motocross Champs, sealing the championship with one moto remaining. The atmosphere, the crowds, the pitlane professionalism was certainly an eye opener. We look forward to witnessing the 2015/16 series for sure!
HAMPTON DOWNS, NEW ZEALAND
F O C U S E D
2014/15 Formula Ford Champ and former Motorsport Plus Feature, Taylor Cockerton prepares for the qualifying session that would set him up to, in the end, dominate the final round of the series at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park.
MEREMERE, NEW ZEALAND
CALM BEFORE THE STORM
At the recent IHRA Nationals, held at Meremere Dragway, New Zealand - the duel between Fish Family Racing and the team at Mount Shop/Marsh Motorsport continued. Driver of the Fish Family Racing Top Fuel machine, Reece Fish, prepares himself prior to warming up his nitro fuelled beast.
MARSH MOTORSPORT RESETS NATIONAL RECORD. AGAIN By now, you may have heard the milestone that was achieved at Meremere Dragway recently. The father-son combination of team boss Tony and driver Anthony Marsh made history again by being the first Kiwis to break the 300 miles per hour barrier over the quarter mile in the Mount Shop/Marsh Motorsport Top Fuel Dragster. Earlier in the year, the Marsh’s were the first to go under five seconds, another of a number of drag racing records and feats they possess. “It feels very good,” Anthony explained. “The crew were absolutely ecstatic.” “It’s a lot of weight off our shoulders. The four-second pass was the big thing. We knew once we’d done a four-second pass, the 300mph would come easily, which it did. We knew what we had to do. We always knew we’d get there, it was whether we’d get there first.” There are only two top fuel dragsters in New Zealand, with the Marsh’s competing against Auckland’s Reece Fish, of Fish
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GP2 star Mitch Evans will make his Le Mans 24 Hours debut this season having secured a deal to join British LMP2 squad Jota Sport. The opportunity will represent the first foray into sportscar racing for the New Zealander, who will dovetail the commitments alongside a third season in Formula 1’s feeder series, GP2, with Russian Time. Evans is scheduled to join Jota Sport for the FIA WEC round at Spa in May before making his debut at the prestigious French endurance classic in June. The 20-year-old will drive the Jota Sport Gibson-Nissan 015S alongside British GP3 driver Nick Yelloly and Jota Sport regular Simon Dolan. “I’ve never raced a sportscar and only drove one for the very first time last month but I don’t see this an issue,” said Evans. 12
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Family Racing. The 300mph mark was achieved in the first of three passes at the meet, and was enough to give Anthony his first national title. “300mph is more important by a mile,” he says. “I would rather lose the meeting and do the 300mph.” However, in the final run, an engine malfunction caused major damage. “We have a lot of sore parts now. We’ll be working seven days a week to pay for a lot of wrecked gear.” The next notch on the tool belt to tick off is reaching 500 kilometres per hour (311mph). “In drag racing, 300mph is a big deal. 300mph is more important than 500kph. But people in New Zealand [outside of drag racing] have no idea what 300mph is.” “That’s why the 500kph would be a nice barrier to break. The rest of the world understands 300mph. Go over 500kph and no one will care, apart from in NZ.”
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“I’ll use my single-seater experience to get to grips with the LM P2 sports-prototype as fast as possible. I’ve followed sportscar racing for many years and Le Mans has always been on my ‘bucket list’. “My aim at Spa will be to learn this new style of racing and gaining experience with driver changes. For Le Mans, the goal will be to help JOTA win LMP2 again. “I visited Le Mans for the first time last year and honestly didn’t realise the size of the event – in terms of the track itself and the spectacle as a whole. “I’d watched it previously on television but you cannot appreciate the magnitude of the event until you actually visit the place. “I can’t wait to experience my first laps around there at the test in May. I am so excited and can’t wait to get started.” ALSO ONLINE @ ISSUU.COM/MOTORSPORTPLUS
BAMBER ON THE PACE IN DEBUT
Kiwi driver Earl Bamber has finished seventh overall at the Sebring 12 Hour over the weekend. Despite their strong performance with the 911 RSR, the Porsche North America works team went home empty-handed. Right up until the last hour the team held onto the lead, but were unable to repeat last year’s victory at the oldest long distance race in the United States. “We had a winning car today,” commented Bamber. “The handling was very good. The team had found an excellent setup for the 911 RSR on this difficult track.” Heading into the race from pole position, the #912 Porsche 911 RSR helmed by Frédéric Makowiecki (France), Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) and Earl Bamber (New Zealand) took the lead. On the legendary airfield circuit in the heart of Florida, notorious for its bumpy surface, both 911 RSR turned by far the most laps in the lead. Regardless of the conditions, they maintained a consistent pace: during the day the thermometer climbed to 35 degrees Celsius, after dark the temperatures dropped noticeably. In the midday heat, the track surface temperature hit a record 50 degrees Celsius.
Thanks to top performances from all drivers as well as perfect pit stops, everything ran according to plan. Every time the interim results were displayed hourly by the stewards of the meeting, the 911 RSR held the lead of the GTLM class – up until the last hour. Then things began to unravel: The leading Porsche 911 RSR with the starting number 911 ran into gearshifting difficulties. Beforehand, the second-placed #912 sister car had been held up in the pits with the crew unable to get the left rear wheel off. In the end, Nick Tandy, Patrick Pilet and Richard Lietz were flagged off in fifth place, with their teammates Earl Bamber, Jörg Bergmeister and Frédéric Makowiecki in seventh. In the fiercely-competitive GTD class, the Porsche 911 GT America fielded by Seattle/Alex Job Racing put in an impressive performance. With former Porsche Junior Alex Riberas and his teammates Mario Farnbacher and Ian James sharing the cockpit, the American squad scored their first win of the season in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship. Although the trio had at times dropped down the field, they refused to give up and fought their way back to the front to bring home victory in the last lap.
TAYLOR COCKERTON. FORMULA FORD CHAMP.
Taylor Cockerton has wrapped up the 2014/15 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship title over the weekend with a dominant performance at the final round at Hampton Downs, North Waikato. The 17 year old took maximum points from the sixth round, qualifying fastest and winning all three races including the Ron Frost Memorial Trophy feature race. “I can’t believe it,” exclaimed Cockerton. “It seems surreal that we have won the title. I can’t thank the team enough for their work and belief in me. It has been a great weekend; we were the fastest on both days and we have accomplished what we set out to achieve.” The St Paul’s Collegiate student won 12 of the 18 championship races held over the summer but only after a shaky start six months ago. “We had three ‘did-not-finishes’ taking no points in the first six races which left us wondering what was to be.” ALSO ONLINE @ ISSUU.COM/MOTORSPORTPLUS
“We weren’t thinking about the title back then. It was almost beyond our grasp. But we knew we had the speed and the confidence to keep going.” In each race over the final weekend Cockerton was again able to take control of the race, creating a gap on the following pack and enabling him to focus on consistent fast laps until the chequered flag. “Both Aaron Marr and Michael Scott were able to pressure me at the beginning of each race. However I always had confidence in our car speed and was able to drive away.” Now it’s back to the school books for Cockerton while the team reviews the season and looks ahead to the path that will take him to V8 Supercars. This may involve a number of Australian Formula Ford Championship rounds in order to get to know the tracks and get noticed by the right teams.
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D B R A C E C A R S TA K E I H R A TO P D O O R S L A M M E R
After the long haul from Upper Hutt, the team at DB Racecars would be stoked they made the trip, as the team left 2015 IHRA champions. The DB chassis, built in the team’s shed, would reset their own PB of 6.51 @ 218.83 mph during the weekend as a sign of things to come, with the new powerplant doing what it said on the box. They would go onto make the Top Doorslammer final against Ross Taylor, with a nail biting finish seeing them separated by mere hundredths at the line – as the DB Racecars machine coming out on top. “Well, what a weekend!” the team later explained on social media. “Just want to thank a few who helped ensure it was an
excellent event for us and all involved. Huge thanks to Meremere the track crew for a great meeting and getting everyone through before cyclone ‘Pam’ hit. Can’t say enough about our crew who work tirelessly both at the track and between meetings. Big thanks too, to those who have helped with sponsorship and other support; Chris and Lisa at ChildsPlay, Bert King Powder Surfaces, Shane and Shona at Mendoza Mechanical, and Paul at Upper Hutt Glass.” Look out for a full feature on the team in an upcoming issue of Motorsport Plus Magazine.
D I XO N , P OW E R O N TO P D U R I N G I N D Y C A R T E S T I N G
Chevrolet-powered drivers ruled practice for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park – posting eight of the Top 10 times including the fastest six. But Honda’s James Hinchcliffe wasn’t panicking.
“It’s a little deceiving, I don’t think it’s as bad as it looks because eight of those cars were Penske and Ganassi,” said Hinch after posting the 10th quickest time of the afternoon session in his Schmidt Peterson Motorsport Dallara-Honda. “We’re a couple tenths behind and you’re never sure if it’s the aero kit or the engine but we’re all trying to learn the characteristics of something brand new. I messed up a shift at the end or I would have been up there behind Graham [Rahal] and I’m encouraged for only our third test together.” Will Power’s morning lap of 1:07.311 in the Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet was the best of the 2,832 laps turned over the two day test on the scenic, 2.3-mile road course that hosts IndyCar next month. That was a tick quicker than Scott Dixon’s top time of 1:07.399 in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing entry at
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the end of the day. But the driver who really turned heads was rookie Stefano Coletti. The 25-year-old Monegasque, who won five races over the past two seasons in GP2, was third fastest overall in the KV Racing Dallara-Chevy despite never having seen the track until Monday. “It’s another Dallara [like the GP2 car] with more power and heavier but I like it,” said Coletti, who grew up idolizing Alex Zanardi. “I’ve always had my eye on America because I wanted to stay in single seaters and figured I didn’t have enough money for Formula 1.” Helio Castroneves and new teammate Simon Pagenaud were fourth and fifth fastest overall for Team Penske, while Sebastien Bourdais was sixth in the other KVSH car. Rahal, driving in one of the two single-car entries left in the series, was the quickest Honda driver at 1:07.620. “We’re still trying a lot of different combinations with this aero package but I’m pleased with our progress,” said the son of three-time IndyCar champion Bobby Rahal.
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NEW CHAMPIONS CROWNED IN NZSBK 2015 The New Zealand Superbike Road Race Championship signed off at Taupo Motorsport Park recently and by the end of the meeting new champions were crowned in all seven classes. Jaden Hassan took the Superbike title. Not to be overlooked are the six other class winners. The dominant performance of Alastair Hoogenboezem in winning the Supersport Championship should not be forgotten. The twenty two year old Canterbury rider won eight of the fourteen races in the championship including race one at Taupo to seal the championship. He also took pole position three times over the season. On the weekend Alastair had three very close battles with Aucklander Toby Summers, who took two wins from the three starts and claim runner up in
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the championship after going in to the last round in fourth. Alastair’s older brother James dropped back in the points but still managed to hold on to third in the championship after dominating round one in Christchurch. The Superlite championship went to Kiwi International Avalon Biddle who claimed three pole positions and seven victories in the series. The Orewa racer took pole at Taupo and two seconds and a third. Oamaru’s Zane Agate and Auckland’s Gavin Veltmeyer kept the pressure on throughout the series with Agate taking three victories along the way. Taupo saw Leigh Tidman take a third and two firsts in his only outing in the championship.
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JOSIAH NATZKE
JAY WILSON . MX1 CHAMP, CODY COOPER
2015 NZ MOTOCROSS CHAMPS CROWNED JT RACING NZ MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS
On an overcast day in Auckland, the 2015 New Zealand Motocross champs were crowned. Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper won the MX1 title, Australia’s Jay Wilson collected the MX2 class crown and Hamilton’s Josiah Natzke took the 125cc class title in the JT Racingsponsored series. These results really raised no eyebrows, with the scene being set for this outcome at the previous round of the series near Rotorua a week earlier, Cooper, Wilson and Natzke all needing just safe and solid rides at Sunday’s fourth and final round to secure their respective titles. “I was quite relaxed today,” Cody Cooper explained. “I knew I didn’t have to do much to win the title. I’d really set myself up with the results from the earlier rounds,” said the 31 year old afterwards, his 1-2-2 score-card at Pukekohe more than enough to seal the title. In the MX2 class, Jay Wilson scored a hat-trick of wins to again dominate, but Takaka’s Hamish Harwood managed to defend his spot at No.2 in the class thanks to his 2-3-3 results at Pukekohe. Amberley’s Micah McGoldrick was again solid with 8-4-4 results at Pukekohe and so held on to his position at third overall in the class. In the 125cc class, Waikato’s Natzke was in sublime form, scoring another hat-trick and making it 11 wins from 12 race in the series, on Sunday.
FINAL STANDINGS:
MX1 (450cc) 1. Cody Cooper 263 points 2. Kirk Gibbs 239 3. John Phillips 216 4. Kade Mosig 211 5. Brad Groombridge 182 MX2 (250cc): 1. Jay Wilson 290 points 2. Hamish Harwood, 240 3. Micah McGoldrick, 206 4. Scotty Canham, 172 5. Hadleigh Knight, 164 125cc 2-stroke: 1. Josiah Natzke, 288 points 2. Cohen Chase, 231 3. Benjamin Broad, 227 4. Courtney Duncan, 225 5. Kurtis Lilly, 200
Positions changed behind him with Taupo’s Cohen Chase doing enough with his 3-5-3 results to leapfrog Ngatea’s Ben Broad and snatch back the No.2 spot, Broad finishing 8-3-4 and forced to settle for the third step on the national championship podium.
“I KNEW I DIDN’T HAVE TO DO MUCH TO WIN THE TITLE. I’D REALLY SET MYSELF UP WITH THE RESULTS FROM THE EARLIER ROUNDS,” - CODY COOPER. 2015 MX1 CHAMP
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KIWI AIMING TO BRING TT LEGENDS TO YOUR TELEVISION Every year, motorcycle enthusiasts gather on a small island in the Irish sea for what many consider to be the toughest road race in existence, the Isle of Man TT. New Zealand has a rich history at the TT and Aucklander Cliff Field wants Kiwis to know about it. The former Formula First champion’s roots are in car racing, but he’s long held a fascination for the TT. We sat down with Cliff recently to talk about his latest project, a documentary called TT Kiwis. Given that your background is in car racing, what possessed you to start the TT Kiwis project? Cliff Field: I’ve been a TT fan for a long time, but I never really paid it too much attention, that is until a few years ago when I was looking through the achievements of Bruce Anstey. It blew my mind somewhat that Bruce could, in all likelihood, walk down the streets here with very few people recognising him, yet here’s a guy who has won the toughest, most dangerous road race in the world multiple times. Thinking about that further, I started to research New Zealand’s involvement in the TT and it very quickly became apparent that there is an awesome story to be told. So what is the story you’re hoping to tell? Essentially, I want to get into the heads of the Kiwis who compete at the TT. I want to know what motivates someone from little ‘ole NZ to travel half way around the world to risk their lives racing a bike over a hill. You often hear the casual spectator saying that the competitors must be insane, or that they must have a death wish. What I’ve found since starting this project is that the reality is almost the complete opposite. The people involved are calculating, well prepared individuals who realise that what they are doing carries a potentially high price. But there’s so much more to it than the dangerous side of it.
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We know of Bruce and a few others, but how many TT Kiwis have there actually been? It’s really difficult to get a definitive number as some of the records don’t exist from certain years. When I started this project I could name maybe 10 or 11 Kiwi riders myself but the numbers are closer to 100 - perhaps over. A gentleman by the name of Charles Lamb collated some information for a paper he did in 2007 and at that time there had been a total of 122 riders from New Zealand compete at the TT. Some of those were repeat riders who competed across decades, so the exact number of individual riders is hard to determine. A neat story I have been made aware of is that we had a competitor at the TT as early as 1910. Unfortunately he crashed in practice and lost a leg, so couldn’t compete. It’s amazing stories like this that make this project so interesting. So the TT is fast approaching, how is the documentary going? It’s been great so far. I’ve had the privilege of working with a few sidecar crews who are competing at the TT this year and I’ve been following them throughout their National Championship campaigns. There’s already been some amazing moments, some sad moments and a fair share of unexpected happenings, but all in all, it’s been fantastic. I can’t answer this question without extending a huge thank you to the Carl Cox Motorsport team for allowing me to work so closely with them
in the lead up to the TT. I’m also looking forward to working with some true legends of the sport such as Graeme Crosby and Hugh Anderson, who have both very graciously agreed to be part of the project. I’ve met so many people who have all been very helpful - there’s a lot of passion out there for the TT. Excellent. So when can we expect to see the documentary? I’ve planned the documentary as a two year project with visits to the TT this year and next. At this stage the details for the release are not yet finalised so I can’t say when and where the documentary will air. But you’ll be the first to know! Thanks Cliff, we wish you the best of luck. Thank you. For more info, check out Facebook.com/TTKiwis
“ I STARTED TO RESEARCH NEW ZEALAND’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE TT AND IT VERY QUICKLY BECAME APPARENT THAT THERE IS AN AWESOME STORY TO BE TOLD.” FACEBOOK.COM/MOTORSPORTPLUS
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MOTORSPORT PLUS FEATURE JUSTIN INSLEY FABRICATION
The title of this story pretty much sums up everything about the legend that is Justin Insley. Initially, rolling to the quiet confines of Insley Fabrication, near Waimauku – I was pretty nervous. As, to me, there’s always been an aura surrounding the King Chassis. Maybe it was knowing that they were handcrafted, with nearly every millimeter adjusted for a victorious outcome. Or maybe it was Insley himself, who I hold in such high acclaim, that only a few will reach on my proverbial hero wall. Either way, entering the headquarters of King Chassis HQ changed my perspective forever. After being greeted, the metal fabricator by trade was shocked to find we were actually there to talk about himself, not about one of the many success stories that have been associated with his work. While a majority of his work consists of general fabrication, including stainless steel hand rails to exhaust manifolds, with nearly 20 years of racecar fabrication under his belt, the Insley ‘brand’ translates to nothing but success. “[These days] we cater for practically anything we need to do, in- house. Everything from the carbon fibre work to engine programs, we do here” explained Insley. “We used to do this as pretty much a family orientated thing and if anyone was interested, we could sell cars as well – but we have never really pushed to get into the big market” Insley went on to say, when asked about the current King chassis numbers.
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But with the recent success of the2014/15 United Truck Parts POWRi series in the 39USA King, Insley has garnered some interested parties. The 2014/15 Spec King Chassis was almost a class of its own, taking seven out of eight international feature wins, including the iconic fifty lap derby with ‘the Bullet’, Bryan Clauson behind the wheel. “I spent a lot of time thinking about that car, before I even built it. A lot of lying awake at night thinking about it. The best thing about it was, it paid off” Insley explained. “The reason we built that car was we thought it could be better and it was. The good thing about the United Truck Parts team is the owner, Brian, had a lot of faith in my brother Shaun and I, which was really good.” But, humbly as ever, Insley countered this, telling us his idea of staying low-key as he can. “I’m currently deciding on choosing the right direction for King. I don’t want to be a big company, I just want to be a one man band.” “Ideally, it would be great to have a team in America and look after them, but the problem is you’ve got to keep them happy with support etc. So you’ve just got to stick to what you know, here and Australia.” When it comes to personal motorsport highlights, the Insley name is synonymous with success, including Justin himself claiming the 1997 World 50 Lapper and his brother Shaun taking the New Zealand Midget Car title in an Aggressor chassis which at the time was his brand. This, plus four Magic Man 34’s in a row (one of the richest midget car races in the world, remembering the Western Australian Midget car driver Michael Figliomeni). “Michael was one of my hero’s growing up and one of the people that inspired me to build racecars,” explained Insley. The list could have been endless. But the real pride, is in his work, “The part I’m most happy with, is seeing your product go well – and witnessing people come and appreciate the product is really cool. We put a lot of hours into detail on the cars and it’s good that people can recognise that fact.”
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With all his latest achievements, the sole employee of Justin Insley Fabrication ended our time there with a statement that sums it all up pretty well, “We build the product the way we think it should be and at the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding I guess.” They say you never meet your heroes, but in the case of Justin Insley, it’s fair to say he was one of the exceptions. For more information on JI Fabrication, check out Facebook. com / Justin Insley Fabrication.
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arl! It seems only yesterday that were part time racer, part time commentator for the Super League Formula, can you believe the path your life has taken over the last few years? It is hard to believe how quickly I have returned to top level motorsport. While my single seater career produced good results, it however did not automatically give me the right opportunities following that. On the other hand with Porsche, the right opportunities not only opened up, but it also came at the right time and this has helped me to progress quickly. One of the key moments in the path, was to head in the direction of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia – first with Nexus Racing, then LKM. Nowadays this move seems ingenious – but was it as clear cut for you, coming off your open wheel success? It definitely was not a planned move! I was fortunate to come across a group of people that believed in my talent and gave me the opportunity to drive. If the guys at Nexus Racing did not take the risk and help get the budget together for that first season in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, none of this would have happened. 2014 saw you compete in not only the Carrera Cup Asia, but also the Porsche Supercup – thanks in part to the success in the Asian series and the Porsche Scholarship you earned. With the majority of Supercup drivers competing for the factory role within Porsche, was it the competitiveness of Carrera Cup Asia that put you in a good position to run with Porsche’s elite in 2014? If you are at the top of any championship, you have to be doing a good job and some of my hardest races of the season came in Carrera Cup Asia. It was a great place to learn driving a Porsche GT3 Cup Car.
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“IF YOU ARE AT THE TOP OF ANY CHAMPIONSHIP, YOU HAVE TO BE DOING A GOOD JOB AND SOME OF MY HARDEST RACES OF THE SEASON CAME IN CARRERA CUP ASIA.” In addition, I also competed in the first half of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany last year. The extra mileage I got in the car was definitely an added advantage. Obviously, Europe is a bit different to Asia. What was the life of Earl like over there? My understanding is that you weren’t exactly living in spacious apartments throughout Europe? I had a very packed schedule during the season going from one race to the next. My girlfriend and I often drove between the races. Right after the Carrera Cup Germany race in Oschersleben, we drove for 12 hours straight to Monaco for the next race. That was how it was and we are glad that we could always find nice affordable accommodation thanks to AirBnB and we had a lot of fun travelling and seeing the world together in between the racing. After claiming the 2014 Porsche Supercup title in Austin, Texas – your team principal at the time, Mr. Alexander Fach, had nothing but praise for you. How big of a role did Mr. Fach and your support group play in that vital season? Alex Fach had a huge role. His team did a fantastic job to give me the best car on the grid. Our relationship started in 2013 when Alex gave me the chance to drive in the Porsche Supercup for the rounds Hungry and Abu Dhabi. It was in Abu Dhabi where we got our first pole position and podium together. So it was great to continue to work with not only Alex but the rest of the team in 2014 and win the championship together. The engineers that I worked with also played an important role. Since I had a different engineer for each championship, I managed to learn a lot from them. Recently you were announced in a role most drivers dream about, a spot as a works driver for one of the biggest names in the automotive industry. Can you describe the feeling when the ultimate goal comes to fruition? It was a real dream come true. When I started in 2013 with Carrera Cup Asia, this was the goal I had and it was amazing to achieve it. I just did not think that it would happen so quickly. This also shows that Porsche believes in its motorsport pyramid as my progression was based on that. Being a works driver is definitely a dream come true and I am definitely grateful for all the opportunities and help that has helped me to achieve this.
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What’s the plan for you in the Porsche GT3 RSR machines? Are there certain races the team will be targeting in 2015? For 2015, I am currently competing in the Tudor United Sports Car Championship in America. As if the announcement about a works drive wasn’t enough, then along comes the news you’ll be a part of the third 919-H team at Le Mans. With testing underway already, do you feel you have something to prove? What is great about most of the Porsche factory drivers is we have all come from the same place which is the Porsche Carrera Cups or Porsche Supercup and have been champions of these championships so we have nothing to prove between each other. Everyone has the common goal which is to win for Porsche. I also see this opportunity as a way for myself to develop as a driver. So I do not even see the need to prove anything but to learn as much as I can from the experience. But this does not mean that I will be taking a ‘Sunday drive’ during the race. What advice would Porsche Works driver and two time Carrera Cup Asia champ Earl Bamber say to the 16 year old, 2006 BMW Asia series champion Earl? This is a good question. Go GT car racing and forget about Formula 1. Finally, is there anything you want to say to your fans/sponsors? Here is your chance! I would like to say a huge thank you to my sponsors LKM and Giltrap Group as they have been great for the last two years. I would also like to mention it is great to see so many Kiwis at the top of international motorsport. We have become a real powerhouse recently.
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First off, let’s get your rundown on the recent New Zealand Midget Car title, held at Ruapuna Park Speedway in Christchurch. Things didn’t quite go to plan for you and the team? Unfortunately no, we had a really good run going, we qualified on the front row for the A-Main, however 2 laps in we had a fuelling issue which ruined any chance of defending our title. It was gut wrenching, especially as I had many loyal supporters, friends and family watching me. However I’ve been lucky enough to win it 6 times before, and look forward to having another shot at it next year. A few seasons back, the headline news was that Midget car sensation Michael Pickens running his own Sprint Car programme. A few years later, how has the transition been for you? 28
Do you feel on target for the goals you were looking to achieve with the Sprint Car? The transition has been as expected, I’ve made a few mistakes but have also had some great successes along the way. I think we’ve had about 5 feature wins so far, so we’re getting there. I’ve actually been out of the seat for a while this season, only recently racing for the first time in two months where we picked up 3rd in the North Island Sprint Car Champs. The Sprint Car is definitely a different style of driving with the huge amounts of down force, but that makes it challenging, which is what I really enjoy with the Sprint Car. I definitely plan on continuing with the Sprint Car programme. It’s a shame the Sprint Car numbers at Western Springs are declining – hopefully that will improve for next season. I’ll also look
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at heading to Australia to gain some more experience, the calibre of drivers over there is world class. The 2014/15 POWRi series will go down as one for the history books, with competition between some of America’s elite and the New Zealanders getting ever closer. You had a series full of peaks and troughs, how important is the mental game knowing your personal performance is on form but minor troubles continued to keep you away from victory lane? I’ve been driving long enough to understand that’s just part of the game we play. The competition over the international series is always the toughest you’ll find, and we were up for the challenge, we just had a few issues which let us down. Mentally I’m always up for taking on the best, which is a
real driver to win. I’ve never let the pressure of big races affect me, in fact it’s kind of the opposite, the bigger the better.
“IT WAS REALLY NEAT GETTING BACK TOGETHER WITH TIM CLARK, WE’VE WON A LOT OF RACES TOGETHER IN THE PAST AND WE ALWAYS SEEM TO CLICK”
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When the New Zealand leg of the series wound up, you got a chance to step into the team run by Mr. Lines and the legendary Tim Clark. You and Tim have history together, how was it getting the band back together as such? It was really neat getting back together with Tim Clark, we’ve won a lot of races together in the past and we always seem to click. Although I was driving a new car over there, we managed consistent podium finishes in every race except the last, where we had a comfortable lead in the A-Main with a few laps to go when our right front tyre popped off the bead. It was nice to be able to show up over there and only have to worry about driving and nothing else, and I’m glad we had some strong results. I’d like to say a huge thank you to Terry and Vernon & Vazey for the opportunity.
Speaking of legendary people, the Rusty Kunz/ Joe Dooling run team at the Chili Bowl is in many people’s eyes, one of the ultimate spots in Midget car racing. Is it still surreal getting the phone call to run in such an elite team alongside some of the modern day legends? Yes, it’s been a privilege running for Rusty Kunz and Joe Dooling for the last two years, Rusty has won races with some of the best drivers in the world. If you haven’t experienced the Chili Bowl, it’s definitely a must see and an atmosphere like no other – pretty cool to be a part of. Let’s talk about ‘that’ B-Main at the Chili Bowl. Sitting in a room in West Auckland full of fellow competitors and drivers alike, watching your every move on a random internet stream, the sight of the 63NZ on it’s
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side sent the place into complete silence... There’s never a moment where you’re just cruising at the Chili Bowl, and unfortunately we were in a position where I had to push as hard as I could to transfer out of the B-Main, and made a small mistake which ended our chances. I’m hoping to go back and give it another shot next year (although my girlfriend is currently trying to talk me into going to a wedding at the same time over here, so we’ll see!) Do high level performances such as the Chili Bowl, or your duels in the POWRi series fuel you to continue hunting for a ride abroad? What are the plans for Michael Pickens post-NZ speedway season? My focus is definitely Sprint Car racing, though I love midgets and I’ll always run the big shows if I can. I’d also
love to be able to race Sprint Cars in Australia sometime in the near future. I rely heavily on my local sponsors which make my Sprint Car deal possible in New Zealand, and I hope to reward them with many more wins in the future. Sponsorship is a pretty big deal in motorsport, here’s your chance to help the many that support you. Thank you for supporting me going Sprint Car racing Century Batteries, Auckland Ssangyong, Hose Shop. co.nz, Edge Parts, Addis Containers, The Drop Shop, Lucas Oil, Bays Car Painters, TheEngineHeater.com, Carters Tyres and everyone else involved. For more on Michael Pickens, check out Facebook.com/ michaelpickensracing
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MOTORSPORT PLUS Q&A
JAMIE McNEE TA L L E Y ’ S / T Y R E P L U S / V O D A F O N E T R 8 6
The name Jamie McNee has been synonimous with success within the motorsport circles, claiming vicotries over many an elite series throughout the years. Motorsport Plus was fortunate enough to catch up with the 2014/15 TR86 Runner up.
Jamie! First off, give the fans the lowdown on yourself. Although you’re one the elite within the motorsport fraternity, some fans may not know of you yet. So I started racing in Karts when I was 7-8 and won the national champs when I was 10, and did really well throughout my time in karts winning multiple national titles racing against guys like Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy. I moved into Formula First when I was 12 while still karting but couldn’t juggle both because as we all know Motorsport is expensive. Formula First was a great experience and I think that I learnt some of the most valuable race craft with my time spent in Formula First/Ford. I did a couple of seasons in the First and moved into Formula Ford and competed against Mitch Evans and Richie Stanaway where I finished fourth in the championship which was disappointing but still valuable experience. Eventually I moved onto the TRS series and ended up finishing third with a couple of race wins under my belt. Then finally onto my latest venture which has been the 86 series winning the inaugural championship and finishing second in the latest season. Give us the rundown on your latest season in the TR86 series. Although second overall in a championship isn’t bad, I’m sure this wasn’t what you were after. After winning the first round of the championship I definitely expected to take the championship for a second time. However, we struggled from the second round onwards consistently finishing mid field which was unexpected. It wasn’t until the last round when we found that the front left shock was broken and leaking oil causing heaps of understeer. Thankfully I ended up winning the last round to still finish second but I think without the shock problem we would have been very competitive. How about the team behind ETEC Motorsport? Trevor Sheumack’s squad is known for relatively decent results in the TRS, how have they adapted to the saloon car series? ETEC is a really enjoyable team to be 30
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with during the TRS season as everyone there is really dedicated to do the best job for their drivers, and I had a great time with the team in the 86 season as well. I think they did a great job with the car and did their best to figure out what the problem was throughout the season and fortunately found it before the end, which let me show what I could do at the last round. The TR86 series itself has some peaks troughs, with fluctuating entry numbers. With the Australians recently announcing their own 86 Series, do you think this could benefit numbers in New Zealand? Definitely, more exposure for the series will always be good. I think an Australian series would have more numbers than us which would convince NZ drivers to give the NZ 86 series a chance. There would always be a chance for some inter-country competition as well so that would helpful for entry numbers. Recently you also endeavoured in some endurance racing with Elliot Andrew, including an overall victory at Taupo Motorsport Park. How did we find that experience? Elliot and I ran with the team Motorsport Solutions who gave us a great deal to drive a GT3 Cup car, which was an awesome experience. I really like driving endurance races because you get a lot of seat time and the racing tends to be really nail-biting. The team mate side of things is fun because it’s a new experience for me and I like being able to discuss the set-up with another driver. Elliot did a really good job considering we didn’t get a lot of dry testing and fortunately we were able to take the out the overall win, which was a great bonus. Can you talk to us about the differences between the Seat Supacopa you guys peddled at Pukekohe, to the GT3 Cup car at Taupo? Two different worlds of cars really. I had heaps of fun driving both cars and was really surprised at the amount of acceleration the Seat had coming out of corners but a GT3 is a GT3. The Porsche
had heaps of power and was stuck to the ground around the corners so I’ll definitely be looking for more Porsche drives. With experience in both the openwheel and saloon car classes, what do you see as the ideal pathway for a young driver to take? There are a lot of different roads drivers can take to reach the ultimate goal of becoming a professional driver. I would say that Karting is a must, then Formula First and Ford to learn some race craft and wheel to wheel racing. Then I would say saloon car racing could be an option if TRS is out of the budget. If they can afford to go into a Europe F3 series then that would be ideal however that is not an option for most people so I think Endurance racing is a really good step in the right direction. Then try to find something in V8’s either in Australia or New Zealand. And for Jamie McNee, what does the future hold in store? This season I’m going to be trying to drive in the North and South Island Endurance series which hopefully will lead onto some overseas ventures. Time will tell! How about your sponsors? Motorsport isn’t possible without them, here’s your chance to thank them! Talleys, Tyreplus and Vodafone have all made this last Toyota 86 season possible for me. So a huge thank you to them for their previous and on-going support.
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Congratulates
HISTORY 1st in the 4’s / 300mph