V8 Supercars

3 MinutesBy NZ Trucking magazineNovember 24, 2016

Freightliner recently hosted 50 of its most valued customers and two of its best network staff at the New Zealand round of the Virgin Supercars at Pukekohe Park.

While having its name on the side of the bright red 14 Holden Commodore is an important part of promoting the Freightliner name in New Zealand and Australia, hosting key customers at the race meetings is an equally important part of the racing programme said Freightliner senior manager, Pieter Theron.

“It‘s all about giving our customers a ‘money can‘t buy experience‘. The customers who have attended our racing activities have absolutely loved it.”

The VIPs spent much of the day in a corporate hospitality marquee above the top of pit straight, which meant they had a perfect view of several Supercar drivers who lost control as they powered around the final bend.

However, the highlight for many was the tour of the pit garage. Freightliner racing team manager, Chris Clark, showed the guests around the pit garage, giving them an up-close look at the Commodore race car. They were able to peer into the high-tech race car, much of which is custom-made at the team‘s base in Albury, Australia.

A highlight of the pit tour was the wall of screens that the race engineers use to monitor the telemetry from the race cars. Clark went into great depth about the various readings and explained how these enabled engineers to work out exactly what the driver and car were doing at any moment.

That night, the Freightliner guests were treated to a special evening in downtown Auckland, during which driver Tim Slade and team owner Brad Jones spoke about their experiences in the world of racing. They were also able to race Tim and other team members on Hyper Stimulator race simulators around a virtual Pukekohe track.

Two Freightliner dealer staff were there as a reward for outstanding service and received a certificate from Freightliner Australia/New Zealand director, Stephen Downes. Allen Whitaker, from TRT, was praised for his great customer service and willingness to go the extra mile, while Brent Jones, from PCV Invercargill, was acknowledged for his commitment, leadership, work ethic and customer focus. 

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