Fabian Coulthard: A privilege in more ways than one

Photo / Greg Bowker

Opinion

It will be important to keep my emotions in check in what will be a moving weekend of racing at the ITM 500 Auckland.

I was brought up on the spirit of Anzac after moving to New Zealand as a baby and it seems that each year I get older, I find it more and more poignant to remember just what these thousands of brave young men from Australia and New Zealand - a great many much younger than me - did to protect our country and the freedoms that we now enjoy as a result.

It's really beyond my comprehension the sacrifice they made on our behalf and those who follow.

Therefore it's a real privilege that we get to ply our trade on this special day, in a special competition between the Anzac spirits of Australian and New Zealand motor racing drivers.

And we are all delighted that we can in some way help the RSA as the official charity of the event.

We will be doing this at my home track at Pukekohe Park Raceway, which has been the spiritual home for motorsport in this country for more than 50 years. To think I will be racing on the same track as so many greats before me - like John Surtees, Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Denny Hulme, Peter Brock, Dick Johnson and Jim Richards, among many others - is really something.

Pukekohe is special and unique - it's very fast, very bumpy and most importantly of all, it's my home. I managed to grab pole here last year but am yet to stand on top of the podium. I know the three Kiwi drivers will get fantastic support and we try to emulate the incredible feats of Greg Murphy on this track, and in some small way honour those who have gone before us.

For my team at Brad Jones Racing that is especially poignant. Last year, my teammate Jason Bright took out the overall top points to win the first Jason Richards Memorial Trophy. JR was an incredible New Zealand driver for Brad Jones Racing before he was so tragically taken from us. He was a great mate and we are very proud that his trophy sits in our team base in Albury.

I would like nothing better than to take the trophy back with us for another year - here's hoping the spirits are with me.