Well what a WET weekend we were all served up in Christchurch for Round Two of the Championship series. However, despite it being wet and cold, the show went on!
I arrived late Friday afternoon and checked into the Sudima Hotel Christchurch Airport for what was another fantastic stay. I had the pleasure of hosting one of our sponsors - Jason Monopoli - from Orange Dog, and his son, who joined us on our KPH adventures. We had a lovely meal at the restaurant and I was lucky enough to make friends with a gorgeous wee boy with the longest eye lashes you can imagine and a beautiful smile! I think you made my weekend wee man :)
My mate John Miller picked me up at 9am and we drove out to Ruapuna. John gave me a hand with the group all day and took photos for us too! Thanks John!
We waited at the gate for the kids and their parents with tickets thanks to The Motorsport Company, we all introduced ourselves and the kids all got into their Project KPH tees supplied by our awesome tee sponsor Embroidery Works.
We had seven KPH kids chomping at the bit to get in amongst the action, all with varying special needs and ranging in age from five through to thirteen. We also hosted our fourth girl out of a total of what is now seventy KPH kids. Nice to see another girl enjoying such a cool sport.
As the rain persisted we cruised down to see Simon McLennan who is running in a 996 Porsche this year and shows his support to Project KPH by having the logo on his car. But more than that - the kids were all surprised to see their names under 'Support Crew' on both rear sides of his race car!!! The kids and parents alike were all super impressed and had photos taken beside their names with Simon and while they had a sit in the drivers seat as well. Colin and Simon challenged the kids to a 'Wheel Off' where they use the rattle gun to take the wheel off, and then put it back on again. Some of the kids obviously have a natural hidden talent and I think were being eyed up as potential new crew!!! We were shown both inside and outside of the car and explained to about the engine after the kids discovering it is in the boot!!! We were lucky enough to spend about forty five minutes here and after autographs on tee shirts and the cool caps they were given, we moved into the cafe around the corner for a hot drink.
We all huddled around the table sipping at hot drinks and some choosing to have some morning tea as well. Some of the kids and parents then popped up onto the bank to catch some of the action on track before we shot down to see Johnny Mac and his team at JMR. Johnny signed posters for all the kids and explained to them what had just happened with his car and what the team had to do to repair it. By now the rain was quite heavy and the ground was seriously soggy. Back to the cafe it was!
Lucky for us such a facility exists as some of the kids immune systems are not as good as their peers so being able to keep warm and dry was paramount.
The clock seemed to move very slowly for us all as we looked forward to our BBQ lunch with Triple X. Finally, lunch o'clock chimed and we were off like a pack of robbers dogs. Mike Morton hosted us and explained to the kids all about the data print outs they had and what they meant as well as other facts and figures about the cars. The crew put on an AWESOME lunch for us all and boy did we appreciate it!!! Once everyone had filled their tummies Mike set down a challenge for the kids where they all had a wheel to clean. Gloves and rags were supplied and the timer was set. We needed three Dads to compete as well to make up numbers and along with the kids they all set to. They were into it!!! And, they all did a great job too with guidance from the Triple X team. Time was called and we had a winner - Matt & Jordan. Nice work guys! All the kids were given cool caps and posters and had them signed by Craig Baird, David Reynolds and Daniel Gaunt who were all great with the kids. Was a real highlight of the day for the group.
It was around half past one and it had got very cold; the weather was staging a vigil.
We had a group meeting and made the decision that the kids and parents were able to head for home if they wished as some of the group were getting quite cold by now. And given their tickets were for both days, they were all planning on bringing their friends and family back the next day and catch up on the racing.
The kids and parents all said their goodbyes. It is so cool to see the big smiles on these kids faces - this is what it's all about. Lovely kids, lovely parents - what a cool group. I noticed some of the Dads swapping phone numbers as well so it looks like the kids (and Dads) have made some friends which is awesome.
All in all, the weather was not enough to stop the smiles on the kids faces and we all had a great time.
A very special thank you to the following for helping create these smiles for these kids:
* JMR
* The MAD Butcher
* The Sudima Hotel Christchurch Airport
Now we decide on where we get to next, depending on what we can deliver for the money. We have so far committed to the Manfeild Round next February and the Hamilton 400 next April with groups well underway.
We are looking at Timaru as an addition to the calendar, with Teretonga in Invercargill a possibility. Teretonga is the most expensive round (to get to) hence the omission last season - but we will let you know in the next couple of weeks by posting the schedule in the Events part of the Project KPH website.
Meantime, Shake 'n' Bake!!!
Leah xo
