Start your engines

On a wet Friday at Hampton Downs racecourse, several intrepid Summerset residents enjoyed a day out with a difference. The final round of the 2024 GT Championship race weekend took place at the famous Waikato racecourse, and residents accompanied driver Brock Gilchrist on a hot lap around the track in a McLaren 570S GT4.

Our residents were in expert hands, for not only is Brock the 2023 champion in the Toyota 86 class, he has a scholarship for the Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia and is also the fully funded recipient of the Giltrap Motorsport scholarship, driving the full season in the McLaren. As primary sponsors of the Championship, Summerset was delighted to offer this unique opportunity to residents living in Auckland and Waikato villages. Summerset Scene caught up with Brock’s co-drivers.

For Summerset at Heritage Park resident Tricia Burns, the chance to hop into a supercar is now one item she can tick off her bucket list. A keen motorsports fan, Tricia knows her way around a racetrack. Her daughter Ali and her son-in-law Marty compete in car rallies, and she has always dreamed of speeding around the track herself. “I have never been in a really, really fast car before,” says Trish. “The run was so exciting! Despite the wet track causing a slower run than the norm, we achieved almost 200km/h on the straights and about 120km/h on the tight corners.”

For Trish, wearing the required safety gear led her to happy reminders of her previous career in the British Army. “Pulling on the overalls and helmet took me back nearly 60 years, when I was just trying parachuting and helicopter flying. Not sure what I can do next that would match those three things!”

For Summerset at Monterey Park resident Barry Reyland, the memories also came in thick and fast, as Barry is a self-confessed petrolhead. “I used to go to Pukekohe a lot in my youth to watch the races,” he says. “I’ve taken part in a few rallies in my day.” Barry has a keen appreciation of cars. “I have mucked around with them all my life,” he says. “I had a ’47 Studebaker, a ’47 DeSoto, ’52 Ford Twin Spinner, and a ’67 Mustang. My two-door Chrysler Valiant Regal was pretty special, as was my 1967 Mustang.” Barry’s love of grunty American cars hasn’t diminished, as he still drives a Mustang. “I used to always have two cars; something to drive to work, and then something good to drag about in on the weekends!” Barry loved being on the track. “It was great. I wish it wasn’t raining so we could have gone even faster! We were well strapped in and it was a comfortable ride!”

For Summerset by the Park resident and hot lap winner Maureen Lowe it was too good a prize not to gift to her husband, Mike, who took her place in the passenger seat. “This has been an absolutely wonderful day!” says Mike, who was delighted that his wish of racing in a McLaren came true. “I really enjoy motorsports. Our son races cars in the ‘Lemons’ division, where a car is bought for a maximum of $1,000 and any amount can be spent doing it up. He has a Hyundai that he races at Hampton Downs several times a year, which we always try to attend.”

Maureen may not have raced herself, but she enjoyed another treat – reuniting with her former work colleague Tricia from Summerset at Heritage Park. “What a small world, meeting up at the racetrack of all places!” she said. “We both worked at the C.A.B and haven’t seen one another for five years. I didn’t even know she had moved into Summerset!”

Cambridge resident and hot lap winner Helen Keen developed her interest in motorsports through her late husband, James. “He had a love of all types of motor racing. This often involved getting up to watch the televised events in the wee hours of the morning! He was a motor mechanic and built and raced his own go-kart for many years.” Helen found her McLaren ride truly exhilarating. “It was the most fantastic experience, one I will never ever forget,” she said, her eyes shining. “I could not believe how fast he went into the corners! I admit I was a bit worried about the wet surface of the track, but the grip was amazing.”

Our Summerset residents were not the only ones who enjoyed a hot lap; four netballers from Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic also joined in the fun, zooming around in a Porsche, and then had an impromptu game of netball with the drivers.

This is an article from the Winter 2024 edition of Summerset Scene magazine

Click here to read the full issue