NZ4WD will have a stand inside at this year’s CRC Speedshow at the ASB Showgrounds over the weekend of July 23/24, as well as an outside display area where we are hoping to have Winch Challenge competitors’ vehicles, as well as our Re-Arrange extreme Range Rover and our Project 8K Jeep Cherokee project vehicles.

In addition this year’s Speedshow will feature a wide array of top 4WDs from the Counties 4 Wheelers club in a special interactive display area, with demonstrations in front of the Speedshow crowd with an obstacle course which includes a see-saw, axle twisters and drop-offs.

It is hoped to have around 10 4WDs involved to try and cover all the classes involved with trials competition.

The Speedshow runs from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday and 9 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

A special treat at the show is that following Shane van Gisbergen’s historic first race win at the ITM 400 V8 Supercar event in Hamilton earlier this month, the Kiwi racing star is now confirmed as a special guest at the Speedshow.

Van Gisbergen’s appearance marks the first time the talented Kiwi driver will have attended the show in his role as a top-rated V8 Supercar driver with Stone Brothers Racing.

"Shane’s achievement, winning his first V8 Supercar race in Hamilton, takes his profile to a whole new level and we’re absolutely delighted to have confirmation from Stone Brothers Racing that Shane will be a very special guest at CRC Speedshow in July," says Speedshow’s developer and organiser Keith Sharp.

"We know Kiwi V8 Supercar fans will make the most of this opportunity to meet ‘The Giz’ and to test their talents against his during some of the exciting interactive challenges we have planned for this year’s show."

Van Gisbergen was a driver guest at the first Speedshow in 2007 where the then-teenage driver signed autographs and chatted with fans alongside a Team Kiwi Racing car.

"Now Shane has three increasingly strong seasons with Stone Brothers Racing in the #9 SP Tools Racing Falcon behind him and it’s clear to see that this talented young man has more successes to come. Having had Shane appear at our first Speedshow in Manukau, it’s particularly nice to welcome Shane back to the ever-more-popular CRC Speedshow in this, our fifth year," says Sharp.

From his base on Australia’s Gold Coast, van Gisbergen commented: "I’m excited to be joining the CRC Speedshow this year. Any excuse to go back home for a visit will do, but my co-driver Johnny Mac [three-time New Zealand V8 champion driver John McIntyre] who will join me again for the V8 Supercar endurance races this season, has told me how much the show has grown so I can’t wait to check it out!

"I’m pretty competitive by nature so I’m looking forward to having a go at some of the interactive challenges and meeting plenty of V8 Supercar fans there in July."

V8 Supercar fans can indulge in a true blue SBR Ford fever as Speedshow has also secured one of Van Gisbergen’s former FG Falcon V8 Supercar race cars to go on display alongside a full range of SBR/SP Tools Racing merchandise from The Blue Oval Store, Citizen Watches and Baron Leathergoods, and top quality SP Tools products.

"We have Alan Kemp, aka ‘Kempy’, to thank for the opportunity to display the genuine Stone Brothers Racing Falcon race car. It’s not every day we have the chance to see these exciting race cars up close, so this is going to be a great feature for Speedshow fans this year," says Sharp.

"We extend our thanks to Ross, Jimmy and Anna Stone of SBR for helping ensure Shane’s availability for CRC Speedshow in July, and also to Alan Kemp for allowing us to display one of Shane’s race cars. The whole SP Tools Racing exhibit is going to be a fantastic draw-card for motorsport fans all over New Zealand!"

This year’s Speedshow will be the fifth and again it’s promising to be New Zealand’s all-encompassing celebration of the best, fastest, most powerful and coolest cars, bikes, 4WDs and racing cars.

News, competitions and show information is updated on the show’s Facebook page, Twitter feeds and website, www.speedshow.co.nz, on a regular basis.

We’ll have more news on the event closer to the time.