NZ Performance Car

What a solid break that was! Hope you lot managed to get some solid R&R over the holidays. I sure did — put the camera down, shut the laptop, even parked the keys for a bit, and just spent time at the beach, explored our unreal backyard, and used the absolute shit out of the barbecue instead of being glued to cars. And you know what? Sometimes you need that reset. As crazy as it sounds, stepping away from cars for a minute makes you appreciate them even more when you come back. When your nine-to-five is all about cars, your weekends are spent at events, and even your spare time is lost in Facebook Marketplace doom scrolls, it’s easy to get sick of it! But once the break was…

When Deven asked me to write this piece, it really got me thinking. It’s been almost 13 years since I was invited to start contributing to sister publication NZV8 magazine, and a couple of years after that, Marcus — editor at the time of NZPC — offered me a gig to do a shoot for them. It’s been an amazing journey, one that has given me the opportunity to not only shoot some of the country’s best cars but also to meet the owners. Personally, I’m not brand loyal or fixated on any particular type of car — I love ’em all. Be it a big block–powered HQ or a quad-rotor Mazda, they all have a story to tell, and I guess that’s why I enjoy doing this — hearing…

As we went to print, the results came in from the double-header round held at Taupō via our contributor and now-returning D1 host Warren Sare. Teng Tools stepped in as naming rights sponsor for the rounds, and day one for Pro saw the first-ever all-Australian final, with Brodie Mahar edging Luke Fink in a messy final, and Dave Steedman finishing in third. Day two’s reverse layout was won by Team DSR’s Adam Davies, with Fink again in second, and the first-ever tie for third between Connor Halligan and Steedman (due to a one-more-time [OMT] call and time-certain finish). Pro-sport day one went to Guy Maxwell over Deane Young, with Corbyn Wilson in third. Wilson then took Sunday’s win over Kurtis Lilley in his first podium appearance, with Young in third.…

D1NZ has announced that, alongside regular Australian guests Luke Fink and Brodie Mahar, a number of other international drivers will be heading to New Zealand for different rounds of the 25th season. Australian Ben Odgers has shipped in his 2JZ-powered S15, fresh from an appearance at the International Drift Challenge. He brings plenty of state competition and Japan Matsuri experience and will be here for the full season. Ben is also part of the team sponsoring the Japan Drift Tour prize for the Pro and Pro-sport winners. American Formula Drift (FD) driver Jeff Jones will have probably competed at the double-header round one and two for JDM Racing by the time you read this, and he is a possibility for more rounds, schedule dependent. A yet-to-be-announced FD Pro champion is…

Hayden Kirkwood and his team have achieved a major milestone, returning from Summernats with a trophy in hand — taking out first place in the 4 & Rotary Open Class. The 13B methanol-powered Cosmo joined the Downtime Downunder Australian Burnout Tour alongside Shaun ‘BARELY’ Jury and Hayden ‘NUTOUT’ Wilby. All three drivers secured their entries via Autofest, with BARELY and NUTOUT qualifying as Pro Burnout Series finalists, while ‘MRRLPH’ made the cut as a wild card. The Kiwi machines aren’t heading home just yet — all three cars are staying on until June, competing in various Australian state comps, with BARELY already locking in a wild card for Summernats 38. As we went to press, Shaun had just achieved another solid result, making the top 25 of 120 at Burnanza.…

Drift League Tasmania boss and Australian National Champion Brodie Maher has become the first international in a long time to ship his personal competition car to New Zealand for a full-series campaign. The appropriately named ‘SRplenty’ has landed on New Zealand shores, ready to unleash its full 1000hp from a billet 2.4L engine. Maher is known as an absolute animal behind the wheel — always on the door, even in practice — and his car packs serious power and grip. Having built it himself, he knows every inch of it. Once he gets dialled in, he’ll be a real threat to the national title heading offshore.…