Tasman Motorsports Group gathers

Arrangements were made with good friend and Vector Arena owner Stuart Clumpas, who took care of the necessary details and the get together was held during mid-May, which saw some heavy hitters from the business fraternity gathering to have a bite to eat and share some ale while discussing the V8 SuperTourer racing series.

Some readers may not be aware of kiwi born Steve Horne’s motor racing pedigree, but one of his highlights was as team boss in the winning 1986 Indy 500 team, along with a host of other well-known international events that should make him more well-known in New Zealand outside the motor racing fraternity than he probably is.

Having spent years coming back to New Zealand for holidays, he says he finally persuaded his wife to return permanently to these shores with the intention of easing into retirement mode. Horne’s relaxation didn’t last too long, and in what he says was the shortest due diligence process he has ever undertaken, purchased a franchise in the V8 SuperTourer series.

Not a person to do things by halves, Horne gathered a specialised team together and worked at finding a complimentary group of sponsors for his just born TMG, initially pitching a concept to them while the racing car was being built. Like a lot of visionaries spreading their mantra, it was not a spreadsheet with potential returns that decided Autotrader marketing manager Cyndi Nola to support the racing team, but Horne’s reputation in the industry.

“As the marketing manager for the Bauer Trader group, which includes Autotrader and Deals on Wheels amongst its titles, I saw the strong ties we could form with being part of the Tasman Motorsports Group. Survey results tell us that the public sees us as a trustworthy business, so aligning with reputable people such as Steve Horne and his team seemed the perfect fit for us”, she says.

It is apparent that one of Horne’s goals for the TMG team is to provide a professional stable platform and mentorship for his drivers to develop their skills to the point where they will be able to take them and further develop their international motor racing careers.

So far it seems that Horne’s expertise is working with 5 podium places out of 16 races so far this season, and 3 wins out of those, making it one of the most successful teams in the V8 Super Tourer series.

After a brief break, the next race will be held on the 1^st September at the Taupo Motorsport Park.

For more information see; http://www.v8st.co.nz/

Autotrader is one of the sponsors for Tasman Motorsports Group, along with Valvoline, Iveco Trucks, Midas and BOC Gases.