Torque talk: Motor racing royalty

Per head of population, New Zealand has produced more big names in the world of motor racing than perhaps any country in the world.

Kiwis have achieved fame in every theatre of motorsport. Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon, Denny Hulme, Kenny Smith, Jim Richards, Greg Murphy, Scott Dixon, Hayden Paddon, Scott Mclaughlin, Brendon Hartley, Emma Gilmour, Liam Lawson, and Shane Van Gisbergen, to name a few, are all household names from past and present.
The latter, for example, won his debut race in NASCAR only last month, with noticeable news coverage of the event.

Sadly, for a long time, such worthy achievements were not given coverage in mainstream media, with some people believing that racing cars for a living does not constitute sport.

Things are changing. The general public is starting to understand the fitness, endurance, and stamina, required to drive a racing car professionally.

Cornering at 140km/h for lap after lap, or braking from over 300km/h repeatedly, is not for the faint-hearted. These men and women are athletes through and through.

New Zealand is finally realising that we are more than a nation of rugby players.