Trophy named in honour of ‘instrumental’ Tim Miles

The former Supercars team co-owner, Australian-based businessman, and racer tragically died in a road cycling accident in July.

Now, organisers of the Repco NextGen NZ Championship have announced the Tim Miles Memorial Trophy.

Formula Atlantic competitors will race for the trophy, which will be awarded to the winner of Sunday’s race at the NAPA New Zealand Grand Prix at Highlands Motorsport Park in 2026.

That race is part of a double-header for the historic single-seaters, beginning at Taupo Motorsport Park on January 16-18 before heading to Highlands on January 31-February 1.

“It’s an incredible addition to the summer of motorsport in New Zealand and couldn’t be more appropriate,” said Greg Murphy.

“Atlantic cars at Highlands are going to be a great sight and the competition will be fantastic; it will really add another element to the 70th New Zealand Grand Prix.

“Tim was passionate about the cars and the competition and for his first time in the car, drove superbly.

“It’s great he will be remembered through something he truly loved and by something that will put on an incredible show for fans at the New Zealand Grand Prix early next year.”

Miles competed at the Taupo Historic Grand Prix this year in an ex-Jos Verstappen Swift Formula Atlantic car.

Miles’ best mate Andy McElrea, well-known for his McElrea Racing team, said the memorial trophy will be a popular addition to the Highlands event.

“It’s appropriate to have the trophy named after Tim given, he had so much fun at Taupo earlier this year – he even beat Murph,” said McElrea.

“He had waited a long time to get into that car, and he drove brilliantly and loved the experience. It’s very fitting and his family are absolutely thrilled to have the trophy named in his honour.

“There will be a lot of people very keen to win a trophy named after Tim, I can assure you.”

NextGen NZ Championship CEO Josie Spillane said the weekend would be celebrated in style.

“Tim was a much-loved member of the New Zealand motorsport family and the tributes to him since his passing have been both appropriate and an incredible nod to the legacy he has left our sport,” said Spillane.

“We wanted to honour that, and naming a trophy in his honour to a class of racing that he absolutely loved is our way of showing our respect to Tim and his family.

“We also wanted it centred around a weekend that Tim would have loved – friends, yarns, racing and several ‘lemonades’, all of which we will have in spades.

“If Tim is going to have a trophy named in his honour, it’s going to be at the most prestigious event of them all and in a category where it’s achievable that his mates can compete in it.

“Tim was a great mate to Tony Quinn and a mentor to me, and he was instrumental in the role he played in the acquisition of Taupo Motorsport Park in 2021.

“This is our way of acknowledging that and the far-reaching and incredible impact he had on so many of us in New Zealand Motorsport.”

The cars were an iconic part of the single-seater racing scene from the 1970s to the 1990s under the Formula Pacific, Formula Mondial, and Formula Atlantic banner.

So popular were the cars that it attracted the likes of Keke Rosberg, Roberto Moreno, and Verstappen to compete Down Under in the New Zealand Grand Prix.

Some of New Zealand’s best raced the cars too, including Greg Murphy, Paul Radisich, and Craig Baird.

International travel subsidies are being offered for prospective overseas competitors.

Internal freight options are also available from the North Island to the South Island.