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A premier New Zealand car racing driver has been charged with armed robbery and police have accused him of using his alleged haul - almost $200,000 - to fund his motorsport campaign.
Police claim the driver robbed security guards with a knife and an imitation sawn-off rifle at two ATM machines in central Wellington late last year, running off with $190,000. The man faces two charges of aggravated robbery and one of money laundering.
The driver competes in a top New Zealand motorsport class and would have featured at the Taupo A1 Grand Prix meeting this weekend - if he wasn't in jail.
He cannot be named because his lawyers sought last-minute name suppression when they discovered the Herald on Sunday was investigating the case. A judge initially refused name suppression, but the man's lawyer has appealed that decision.
According to police, the man used the proceeds of the alleged crimes to fund his motorsport campaign, depositing the cash in numerous bank accounts across the country.
The driver's alleged crimes have shocked other racers, who say he is a talented and intelligent driver.
"He's a down-to-earth sort of guy. For that sort of thing to happen was quite a bit of a shock," said a fellow racer. "It's still very hard to come to terms with. I've raced against him. He knew how to take his lines. He was a calculating thinker - he was thinking about what he was doing. He was getting a reputation as someone who was starting to overtake people."
The man's alleged offending began at 9.25am on August 25 last year. Three ADT security officers, who were putting tens of thousands of dollars into an ANZ ATM in Cuba Mall, Wellington, were held up by a man armed with a knife and an airgun, sawn off to look like a shotgun.
The officers put $115,000 cash into a bag and the man fled.
Another two ADT security officers were held up at 7am on December 1 at a National Bank ATM on Victoria St, just 500m from Wellington police station. The armed robber made off with $75,000.
Following information from the public, police swooped on a Wellington apartment on December 13, finding a sawn-off air-rifle, a knife, and $66,000 in cash.
While shocked at the driver's alleged actions, other racers said motor-racing was a drug and competitors would do almost anything to get a fix.
"We all talk about it being an addiction and a drug you've got to get out of your system," said a racing team manager who knows the driver. "You try to walk away from it because it pisses you off but we never can. It's not a chemical addiction but the thrill you get of being involved in the sport is pretty compelling. Real jobs just don't compare."
The man is due to appear in court in the next few weeks. The maximum penalty for aggravated robbery is 14 years in jail.
