Keith Turner pictured with the 2022 replica of his original Stockcar, which made him the holder of the first Whanganui New Zealand Stockcar title.
Keith Turner pictured with the 2022 replica of his original Stockcar, which made him the holder of the first Whanganui New Zealand Stockcar title.
Whanganui has bid farewell to a stockcar racing legend with the passing of Keith Turner.
Turner made history in 1979 as the winner of the first two-day New Zealand Stockcar Championship ever, held in Palmerston North.
He was also the first Whanganui driver to win the official New Zealand Stockcar title.
And it wasn’t just his achievements on the track that made him so popular. He was also a great friend and supporter of car enthusiasts within the speedway fraternity, as well as those who loved classic and vintage cars.
He was a dedicated member of the Wanganui Vintage Car Club for 24 years, serving as club captain and chairman during his long service. He was often a member of the organising committee for Whanganui Vintage Weekend and he was there to lend a hand in January this year.
His friend and fellow speedway enthusiast Tony Stuart was in the stands to see Turner’s spectacular win at Palmerston North in 1979, and said it remained a memorable moment in stockcar racing history.
“Keith didn’t have an enemy in the world,” Stuart said.
“He wouldn’t have had a clue about how well-liked he was by so many people because he didn’t do things to be liked. He did them because he was Keith.”
Until a couple of years ago, it seemed that Turner’s 16V championship-winning car was lost forever and, like many original stockcars from the era, it had probably ended up in a wrecker’s yard.
In 2022, however, Turner got to drive the next best thing - a faithful replica built by fellow Whanganui racers and enthusiasts Shane Hobman and Ross Barnaby.
Stuart described the project as a “labour of love”, with a Ford gearbox linked to a Mk 4 Zephyr independent rear, a front-end beam axle with transverse springs and a Ford Falcon steering box keeping the wheels pointed in the right direction.
Like the original, the body is an orange-painted cut-down Austin A40 Farina.
Keith Turner out in front behind the wheel of the replica stockcar at Oceanview last year.
Hobman, who was inspired by Turner’s achievements and saw him as a father figure, said he and Barnaby wanted to honour Turner’s 1979 achievements to help him keep his rightful place in Whanganui stockcar racing history.
“We wanted Keith’s input and support, but he didn’t think we’d be able to get all the parts used to build the original car,” Hobman said.
But they did.
Hobman said the aim was for Turner, who hadn’t raced since the mid-90s, to drive the car, and he got to do that when the machine was completed a year ago.
“Keith advised us every step of the way, and we even found the guy who had sold him the original car. He got quite emotional when I put the roadrunner sticker on the replica,” said Hobman.
“I hadn’t realised that his father had placed an identical sticker on the original car, so that meant a lot to him.”
Keith died from heart failure in Wellington Hospital on April 13. He is survived by his wife Toni, children Andrew, Michelle and Lisa, stepsons Connor and Hamish, and he was Grandad Keith to Madison, Maxwell and Elizabeth. He was 73.
A service to celebrate his life was held at Cleveland Chapel on April 18.
The service was followed by a final lap of the Oceanview Speedway track in his trusty Valiant wagon, followed by two of his vintage cars.
A number of notable Whanganui vehicles were parked in the infield area to salute a driver who made Whanganui proud.
Hobman said Keith Turner would be remembered every time the 16V replica was driven around the track.
“Ross and I will be driving it in Keith’s memory to remind everyone of his great achievement,” said Hobman.
