34 > NZ HOT ROD AUGUST 2019
ArArtrtitisistst Showcase
IN HIS own words: When I was a
young fella back in the ‘70s, I lived in
Whangarata - not far from the small
town of Meremere – renowned as the
location of New Zealand’s Champion
Dragway. We lived there because my
dad worked at the nearby Meremere
Power Station. I remember, as if it
was only yesterday, the first time I
went to the drags as a 10-year-old.
Within an hour, I was hooked by the
sound of roaring V8s and the smell of
burning rubber. Forty-plus years later,
I still enjoy the roar of a blown, nitro-
fuelled V8 blasting down the track.
There have been some special
moments and memories for me at the
Meremere Dragway. In 1977, when
Pete Lodge set the AA/Altered record
and took out the national title and in
January 2015, when Anthony Marsh
became the first driver to break into the
Tauranga drag racing enthusiast and amateur artist Peter Watson
has discovered the ultimate way to indulge his passions....