The 2012 New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing (NZFMR) Celebrating BMW Motorsport will be held on consecutive weekends at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park on 20-22 January, and 27-29 January 2012.

As well as marking the significant contribution BMW has made to both New Zealand and international motorsport, which will include cars being sent to the Festival from the BMW Museum in Germany, the NZFMR will also be celebrating the career of one of its countries most gifted and highly achieving race drivers, whose career has spanned more than 40 years and still going strong - Jim Richards.

Richards began his racing career racing a Ford Anglia, and over the years, has raced and enjoyed success in a large number of different cars, including twin-cam Escorts, the Sidchrome Tools Hilman Imp, the Sidchrome Mustang, the Sidchrome HQ Monaro speedway car, a GT-HO Falcon Phase III and XA GT Falcon in Castrol GTX production racing, the Rod Coppins owned L34 Torana Group C car, BDA Escort rally car, Z28 Camaro production car, the Melford Ford XB Falcon hardtop Group C car, the Murray Bunn built XC Falcon hardtop Sports Sedan, the Holden Dealer Team Torana A9X, the Group C and Group A BMW 635CSi’s, and Group A M3, the Group A Nissan Skylines, Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon V8 Supercars, right through to his current Touring Car Masters ’65 Falcon Sprint, plus numerous others.

The organizers are hoping to attract a good selection of JR’s old race cars together for the 2012 NZFMR Celebrating BMW Motorsport as possible, and are putting the word out to members and visitors of The Roaring Season to make contact with owners of these machines, to see if you can help gather a good assembly to celebrate the career of one of New Zealands high achievers in motorsport.

More details on the 2012 New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing can be found on the official website: http://www.nzfmr.co.nz/

Name: Scans_31.jpg Views: 1928 Size: 117.6 KB

Mike Feisst Photo