Racing rivals rally round to show support for young driver initiative
Friday 2nd November – A group of Supercar racing rivals teamed up to show their support for a programme aimed at
enhancing the all-round driving skills of young Kiwi motorists.
The rare group appearance comes ahead of this weekend’s ITM Auckland SuperSprint and features motorsport icons from Red
Bull Holden Race Team, Erebus, Brad Jones Racing, GRM, Walkinshaw and Tekno with one message: you’re never good enough
to stop learning, and the best place to hone these skills is in a safe, controlled environment.
The drivers are supporting the Holden Street Smart programme, which is dedicated to improving driver safety and raising
road awareness for young Kiwis.
Supercar icon and Holden Street Smart Ambassador, Greg Murphy, says the group appearance advocates the importance of
teaching people how to learn skills to prepare them for a variety of situations they encounter on the roads.
“Safe driving is something we all feel passionate about and it’s so important to start with our young drivers and make
sure they learn good driving habits from early on.
“Holden Street Smart has a very specific purpose, and that is to provide a practical learning situation for such drivers
to upskill themselves and become better, more aware road users.”
The hands-on driving programme, which takes place across the country each school holiday, provides young drivers with
the opportunity to carry out emergency braking, crash avoidance and low speed manoeuvring.
“Having the chance to experience these situations first-hand is invaluable and it’s imperative people never stop
learning how to drive better, anticipate unusual situations and be aware of their surroundings.
“It’s only learning through doing which enables people to improve their driving, which will in turn make them safer
drivers and go some way to reducing the likelihood of them being involved in an accident or fatality.”
In addition to Greg Murphy, current drivers including Shane Van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup were amongst the group,
along with Brad Jones Racing, Walkinshaw, Tekno, Erebus and Garry Rogers Motorsport.
The complete list included:
Jamie Whincup
Shane van Gisbergen
Tim Slade
Nick Percat
Tim Blanchard
James Courtney
Scott Pye
Jack le Brocq
Anton de Pasquale
Garth Tander
James Golding
To find out more about Holden Street Smart, and to book a spot, visit: https://www.holdenstreetsmart.co.nz/
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