Dixon's Indy car arrives for Speedshow; unique McRae to go on display
Monday 15 September 2008, 7:55AM
By The Expo Group
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The Indy racing car used by Scott Dixon during the just completed Indy Racing League (IRL) season, which he has won for the second time, has arrived in New Zealand ready for its starring role at this year’s GT Radial Speedshow.
The motorsport expo takes place at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland over the weekend of 20 and 21 September and Speedshow organiser Keith Sharp was on hand at Jenners Worldwide Freight as the 650hp V8 Honda-powered Indy car was unpacked from the shipping container.
“It’s just fantastic to see Scott’s car here,” enthused Sharp. “It’s the first time I’ve seen an IRL car up close and it’s a really stunning race car.”
Jenners Worldwide Freight and Honda New Zealand provided financial assistance to ship the car to New Zealand, and Jenners’ director Jeff Crawley was equally as enthusiastic as Sharp as the car was unpacked.
“These are really serious race cars with tremendous power and down-force. We’re in total agreement with Keith that having this Target Chip Ganassi Racing car will prove a very popular draw-card at Speedshow. To have one of Scott’s cars here in New Zealand for fans to see in the very year that Scott has won both the Indy 500 – arguably the world’s most famous motor race – and taken his second IRL championship title. We think it’s absolutely brilliant for Kiwi racing fans to have this opportunity to see Scott’s car,” says Crawley.
Also being unpacked at Jenners the same day as the Dixon IRL car was a unique race car, a GM1 built by New Zealand 1970s racing star Graham McRae. In its original format as a Formula 5000, McRae drove the car to victory in the 1978 Australian Grand Prix. It then went to the US where it was owned by movie star Burt Reynolds and film director Hal Needham, and others, and at some point was converted to a centre-seat CanAm-style race car, which is how it remains today. It has been bought back to New Zealand by its new owner Roger Williams, who has kindly made the McRae available to go on display at the GT Radial Speedshow.
“What a machine!” exclaimed Sharp after seeing the McRae Formula 5000 car. “It’s magnificent and it’s absolutely brilliant to have a car with this unique heritage at Speedshow. We really appreciate Roger being so willing to share the car with fans.”
Speedshow is open to the public on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September from 9am to 6pm both days at the ASB Showgrounds on Greenlane West, Greenlane, Auckland. Tickets are only available from the gate with one-day adult passes priced at $15, students (with ID) $12, children 15 years of age and under $10 each and family passes for two adults and two children $40. Full details can be found on the website www.speedshow.co.nz.