NZV8 — February 2018

A

host of superstar drivers from the 1970s, ’80s,

and ’90s will be hitting Hampton Downs for the

Festival of Motorsport, which will have a Bathurst

theme in 2018 — the event is the 4Guys Autobarn

Legends of Bathurst, over the weekend of

January 13–14, celebrating all things Bathurst, with

legends including Jim Richards, Greg Murphy, Paul

Radisich, John Bowe, and Steve Richards. Many

will be getting behind the wheel of a car they raced

in their heyday, and the public will have plenty of

opportunities to meet with their heroes. While it’s

been a while since many of them raced, we can

expect the same competitive spirit that saw them

conquer Mount Panorama many times.

When it comes to Bathurst, the Richards family will

have divided loyalties, and will leave it all on the

track. With 11 wins in the Bathurst 1000 between

them, you can bet that the Legends of Bathurst

festival is a big deal for both Jim and Steve. Jim

will be driving the Peter Sturgeon–owned, ex–

Frank Gardner Group C BMW 635 CSi, while his

son, Steve, will climb behind the wheel of a former

Gianfranco Brancatelli / Johnny Cecotto BMW E

M3, also owned by Sturgeon.

“Pete’s a lovely guy who is passionate about his

cars, and I’m just grateful that he’s handing me the

keys to drive one of the cars that are his pride and

joy,” says Steve. “The last time I raced against Dad

was in 2008, in the Touring Car Masters in Australia.

I drove a 1971 Ford Escort and Dad was in a 1966

Mustang. The Mustang had the legs down the

straight but the Escort was fantastic through the

corners, so we had a very good scrap.”

Another highlight of the festival will be the

Bathurst Revival, which will be a chance for

cars and drivers that have a connection with

Bathurst to race on track, while the two feature

categories, Archibalds Historic Touring Cars and

Enzed Central Muscle Cars, promise to deliver

outstanding racing all weekend. Tickets are

available at ticketmaster.co.nz — make sure to stick

the date in your calendar.

THE LEGENDS ARE COMING

(^14) themotorhood.com
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RIGHT-HAND-DRIVE CAMAROS
A
ustralia’s only remaining performance car
manufacturer, HSV, confirmed the news
that we’ve all been waiting for: right-hand-drive
Camaros are coming! At this stage, HSV has only
confirmed the 2SS model, but we’re confident
that there’s a lot more to come yet.
The 2018 HSV range will also see the introduction
of the Colorado SportsCat (ute) and the Silverado
in different sub-models, the majority of which are
packed with a 6.6-litre Duramax diesel motor.
HSV states that the Camaros are due to land on
New Zealand and Australian soil in mid 2018, and,
with the local success of the Ford Mustang, we’re
sure that the Camaros will be greeted with equal
enthusiasm.
Despite not being the top-of-the-line Camaro
offering, the 2SS is still packed with Chevrolet’s
6.2-litre Generation V LT1 engine, rated at 330kW
(443hp), and backed with an eight-speed, paddle-
shifted automatic transmission. This power is
harnessed through four-pot Brembo brakes at
both ends.
At print time, no pricing had been announced, but
you can be assured that we’ll bring you all the info
as soon as it is released.