Paengaroa lifestyler and environmentalist Maureen Burgess is busy strengthening her neck muscles after winning a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience a Formula One racing car.
The 61-year-old former councillor will be driven at breakneck speeds around Hampton Downs in a twin-cockpit Arrows AX3 - and she's really looking forward to it.
"I have been a petrol head all my life ... this will be the apex for me," she said.
Mrs Burgess admitted it seemed a little at odds with her passion for the environment, but it boiled down to the irresistible thrill of motor racing. She grabbed the chance to enter when she spotted a competition to win three laps in the V-10 Arrows AX3 during this weekend's first round of the New Zealand Festival of Motorsport.
All she had to do was name the four Kiwis who had scored points in Formula One Grand Prix. She could scarcely believe her luck when festival organisers rang to say her name had been drawn from the hundreds of correct answers.
