Tickford Racing driver Thomas Randle’s No.55 Castrol Racing Ford Mustang will sport a tweaked livery for this weekend’s Auckland SuperSprint, in part paying tribute to the final Supercars round at Pukekohe Park Raceway.
The iconic silver fern, emblematic of New Zealand’s national identity, has been added to the sides of the Castrol Racing Mustang, as has the message “ngā mihi, Pukekohe”, the Te Reo Māori phrase for “thank you, Pukekohe.”
This comes as a tribute to the historic Pukekohe Park Raceway, which first opened in 1963 and was recently confirmed to cease motorsport activities in April 2023.
The Pukekohe name itself is an abbreviated Te Reo phrase, translating to “hill of the kohekohe,” which is a tree native to the region.
Jan Willink, Brand & Product Marketing Manager of Castrol ANZ, is thrilled to add the silver fern to the “green machine,” as the Supercars Championship returns to New Zealand for the first time since 2019.
“Castrol has a century of history in New Zealand, so we are delighted to add a special NZ tweak to the Castrol Racing Mustang for this weekend in Auckland. Motorsport is in Castrol’s DNA, so we also felt it was important to pay tribute to the heritage of Pukekohe and the memories it has provided so many over nearly 60 years.
As we all know, Kiwi race fans are extraordinarily passionate about their motorsport, we think the local crowd will love the new look on the green machine, and we hope they’ll back Thomas and the Castrol Racing crew throughout the weekend’s racing.”
Though he has never raced at Pukekohe, Randle has happy memories racing in New Zealand, where in 2017 he joined the likes of Nick Cassidy, Lance Stroll, and Lando Norris when he won the highly-competitive Castrol Toyota Racing Series, a five-week single seater series which has long served as an attractive offseason competition for the world’s best up and coming drivers.
Coming off of his pair of top 10 finishes at the Sandown SuperSprint last month, Randle is looking forward to hitting the track in his new-look Castrol Racing Ford Mustang.
“I’m certainly excited to head to New Zealand and hit the track in the new-look Castrol Racing Ford Mustang,” Randle said.
“Pukekohe has such a rich history of motorsport from over the years, and while it’s sad that this will be our final race there, I’m thrilled to get to race a Supercar there, especially with this awesome livery aboard the Castrol Racing Mustang.
It’s a great tribute to New Zealand motorsport, the country is just mad for motor racing and the Supercars race is always packed there, so I’m really looking forward to being a part of it.
I’ve never actually raced at Pukekohe before, but I have some great memories in New Zealand from winning the Castrol Toyota Racing Series back in 2017, hopefully we can replicate that success when we head across the ditch!”
Thomas Randle will drive the new-look No. 55 Castrol Racing Ford Mustang this weekend as Supercars returns to New Zealand for the first time since 2019. The Auckland SuperSprint takes place September 9-11 at Pukekohe Park Raceway, south of Auckland.
*All times AEST*
Practice 1 - Fri 12:40
Practice 2 - Sat 9:35
Three-Part Qualifying Race 27 – Sat 12:00
Race 27 – Sat 14:40 (41 Laps)
Qualifying Race 28 – 8:45
Qualifying Race 29 – 9:05
Race 28 – 10:55 (41 Laps)
Race 29 – 14:10 (41 Laps)
