Chief executive Josie Spillane has seen some busy days at Highlands Motorsport Park but there is nothing like the appeal of Formula 1 to get people really buzzing.
Highlands yesterday announced New Zealand motorsport star Liam Lawson would be at the Central Otago track to ride hot laps for charity on December 23, and it was not long before interest started building.
Twenty tickets for Lamborghini rides with Lawson at $399 a pop sold out within minutes.
The Racing Bulls Formula 1 driver is also 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.
Spillane said it was always a pleasure to welcome Lawson back to Highlands, where he raced as a teenager before progressing rapidly to the top level of world racing.
"Liam is such an icon for New Zealand motorsport now, and people are really excited about the opportunity to be in Cromwell and come and meet New Zealand’s global superstar.
"It just reinforces he is still a boy from Pukekohe who is so genuine, a really proud Kiwi, super keen to do what he can to help us."
The effort to raise funds for breast cancer research comes after Spillane lost her close friend, former Otago Daily Times journalist Louise Scott-Gallagher, to the disease earlier this year.
She is unsure how much money Lawson’s visit might raise but pointed out the previous high bid for a ride in the Vulcan had been $27,500 for a Halberg Trust fundraiser in 2016.
"Breast cancer is something that has deeply affected many of us, so it’s a wonderful cause. I have very high hopes for some big numbers.
"How often do you get up close and personal with an F1 star, let alone go out in an Aston Martin Vulcan on one of the best race circuits in the world? It’s worth a couple of zeroes, that’s for sure."
Lawson would be a popular figure and there would likely be a public session for motorsport fans to get a selfie or an autograph, Spillane said.
He was the first ambassador of the Tony Quinn Foundation and recently met a large group of Highlands members at the Singapore Grand Prix.
"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."
