Thames mechanic Barrie Richards battles big-budget racers with grit, horsepower, and his 1971 HQ Holden. KELLEY TANTAU reports.
For Barrie Richards, punching above his weight in one of New Zealand’s most competitive motorsport classes all comes down to passion.
Behind the wheel of his 1971 HQ Holden, the Thames mechanic has proven that even against big names and big budgets, confidence and drive can go a long way.
After only two competitive seasons, Barrie has raced his way to a second-place finish in this year’s Napa Central Muscle Cars Group 2 class, with only seven points separating him from the winner.
Pride is the prize, and Barrie, who owns Barrie Richard Autos down Thames’ main drag, said he was thrilled with how his foray into competitive circuit racing has gone so far.
“I’m pretty stoked with how it went,” he said, “considering I hadn’t really done anything at that level; nothing on that kind of stage.
“You’ve got some big names in there like Angus Fogg and Andy Knight, and some real race car drivers with lots of experience. I mean, some of the cars are worth half-a-million dollars, so I chucked myself in the deep end a bit.”
Barrie said getting behind the wheel required confidence because stakes were high and the risks were real.
“I try to be sensible about it because there’s a lot at stake financially, and risk-wise as well. You don’t have car insurance on a motorsport track; you don’t have life insurance… You’re putting a lot on the line a lot of the time.”
Central Muscle Cars was formed in 2003 by a group of like-minded enthusiasts who wanted to create a class catering to classic competition muscle cars.
The series caters to production vehicles manufactured from 1958 to 1978.
Barrie said contenders raced “for a chocolate fish” – highlighting that it was never about the money, but rather his love of old cars and ‘heaps of horsepower’ that drove him to compete. However, while the 2025-2026 calendar is already in development, Barrie said he’d likely be sitting the next season out.
“Financially, it’s really expensive, and it’s a massive commitment time-wise as well, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen after this, but what’s happened so far has been really cool.”
He wanted to thank the sponsors who had come on board to make this season such a success: Leach’s Quarry, Kōpū Tyres, and Kōpū Engineering.
“I couldn’t have done it without them.”
DETAILS: For more info on the race, visit centralmusclecars.co.nz
BY KELLEY TANTAU
