Lawson will ride hot laps for charity at Highlands Motorsport Park on December 23.
The Racing Bulls Formula 1 driver is offering three rides in a V12-powered Aston Martin Vulcan Supercar — the only one in the southern hemisphere, and valued at $4.2 million when Highlands owner Tony Quinn bought it in 2016 — with proceeds from an auction to go to Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
One of the three rides in the Vulcan will be claimed by a lucky winner, as Shaw and Partners Financial Services will donate the money otherwise raised in the auction.
Lawson will also do 20 hot laps in a Lamborghini for punters who quickly snapped up tickets for $400 after Highlands made the announcement this morning.
The effort to raise funds for breast cancer research comes after Highlands chief executive Josie Spillane lost her close friend, former Otago Daily Times journalist Louise Scott-Gallagher, to the disease earlier this year.
Lawson was the first ambassador of the Tony Quinn Foundation and recently met a large group of Highlands members at the Singapore Grand Prix in early October.
“I caught up with Josie and TQ in Singapore and in passing said that I’d love to drive the Vulcan,” Lawson said.
“Josie didn’t even let TQ respond — it was an immediate yes, and we locked in the date and the idea that we could do something special for charity then and there.
“The Tony Quinn Foundation and everyone associated with it have been great friends of mine and more than just supporters so I try to support them where I can. It’s good for New Zealand and the sport so I like to help, especially when I’m home.”
Spillane was delighted to get Lawson’s support for a good cause.
“Ordinarily, getting a hot lap in either the Vulcan or with a Formula 1 driver would be near impossible but we’re thrilled to make it work and do it for a great cause.
‘‘Tony is super-generous with allowing us to use the Vulcan for charity, and we’ve raised over $250,000 to date for various New Zealand charities.
“This is very personal for me. My friend Lou was just 44 years old when she lost her battle with breast cancer, and I’m so excited that we have been able to pull this together.’’
Spillane said there would likely be an opportunity for all motorsport fans to get a selfie with Lawson or an autograph.
Breast Cancer Foundation chief executive Ah-Leen Rayner was ‘‘absolutely thrilled’’ to have Lawson involved with the charity.
‘‘The chance to experience an exhilarating lap with Liam in a supercar is a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and every dollar raised will directly support breast cancer patients through their greatest time of need.
‘‘With nine women diagnosed with breast cancer in New Zealand every day, we are so grateful to the teams at Highlands and Shaw and Partners for initiatives like this that can drive real change.”
