Chris Pither is aiming high in his final home Supercars event at Pukekohe Park Raceway as the circuit’s closure looms.
Pither is one of three Kiwi drivers in the Repco Supercars Championship, with this weekend’s ITM Auckland SuperSprint carrying an extra layer of significance.
That is because, after six decades, Pukekohe Park will cease motorsport operations in April 2023.
Pither has experience at the Auckland venue in other categories, though last raced a Supercar there in 2016.
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The PremiAir Racing driver, who hails from Palmerston North on New Zealand’s North Island, travelled across the ditch early to spend time with family before the event.
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“It is good to be back in my home country,” said Pither.
“I’ve missed a few family milestones, like Gran’s 90th, and my daughter Audrey will share her second birthday with family who are yet to meet her.
“This is the first time home since COVID-19, so that will be special.
“I am definitely excited to race at Pukekohe, being my home event.
“My first Supercars experience was at Pukekohe in 2001, where I raced in the Formula Ford support event.
“There I watched home hero Greg Murphy dominate the round, and that is where my passion and desire to race Supercars grew.
“I raced at Pukekohe regularly in my junior years from Formula First to HQ Holdens.
“The track is certainly a favourite – it is fast, it requires big commitment and always creates exciting racing.
“Given it is the final time Supercars will race at Pukekohe, I feel grateful to take part and I am aiming high.
“I’ve got a lot of support from my fellow Kiwis, so I look forward to putting on a good show.”
PremiAir Racing recently confirmed the signing of veteran engineer Geoffrey Slater for the remainder of the season.
While Slater has previously worked with Pither in his two one-off appearances this year, he will shift across to engineer the #31 Subway-backed entry of James Golding in New Zealand.
Sheldon Auhl, who has engineered Golding lately, is expected to be absent from Pukekohe and the Bathurst 1000.
Speedcafe.com understands Simon Hodge, a race engineer from Triple Eight’s Super2 squad, will work on Pither’s car this weekend before the team assesses what it does for Bathurst.
“We are only a new team, so it is important to experiment with different things to find what works best in elevating the whole team further up the grid,” said Golding.
“In saying that, I would like to thank Sheldon Auhl for all his hard work as my race engineer to date.
“I am now looking forward to a new opportunity working with Geoff Slater in New Zealand.
“Geoff has a wealth of experience in Supercars, and I can’t wait to learn as much as I can from him to help continue the team’s progression.”
Opening practice for the Auckland SuperSprint begins on Friday at 14:40 local time/12:40 AEST.
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