Julian Ford once worked in the late Possum Bourne's pit crew.
Now, he is enjoying "what he [Bourne] saw", by competing in races organised by the Queenstown Car Club, of which he is president.
Mr Ford, in his racing-equipped Toyota Starlet, will compete in the Coronet Peak Hill Climb and the Tuckers Beach Gravel Hill Climb this weekend in Queenstown.
The races are the first in the Motorsport New Zealand National Hillclimb Championship series of tarmac and gravel races throughout New Zealand.
Having been a member of Bourne's pit crew in the 2002-03 seasons, working for various rally teams in New Zealand before that and now owning and operating a car-wash business in Queenstown, Mr Ford said he was fulfilling a dream by racing.
While working on the right rear corner of Bourne's Subaru, Mr Ford recalled being told presentation was everything.
"Possum wanted it to look like a new car every day.
"Presentation is big, because if you're wanting to get money [for sponsorship] from people, it has to look good."
Although the budget he worked with in Australia was in the millions, he was now out to prove "you can do it on a budget".
"I'm very lucky with the sponsors I have."
After racing on the tarmac up Coronet Peak on Saturday, he would change the tyres to specialised gravel tyres which were wider and had more tread for the gravel race on Sunday, he said.
The races would be individually raced and timed, and with the Motorsport New Zealand status came extra publicity and "big names".
"Everything complies under Motorsport guidelines ... we're not just out there being clowns."
