On Thursday evening, the race weekend had kicked off with another awesome PPG V8 Drivers Night which saw around 140 customers take the unique opportunity to rub shoulders with star drivers from the Supercars Series. Once again, PPG’s refinish headquarters at 5 Vestey Drive, Auckland, provided the venue for the hugely popular pre-race event but this year it, too, was on show. In early 2019, the PPG Auckland Training Centre housed at the address had opened its totally revamped facilities, including a new booth, double prep bay, tint / mixing room and other state-of-the-art equipment. Many customers arrived early and took the chance to have a closer look. While everyone came away very impressed with the excellent new training resources, what they really came to see was their Supercars heroes.
And it was not just Scott McLaughlin. He was joined by his teammate, Fabian Coulthard (DJR Team Penske) and 11 other drivers from teams who choose PPG paint to protect their cars and keep them looking great in the rough and tumble of racing – Nick Percat and Tim Slade (Brad Jones Racing), Simona De Silvestro and Andre Heimgartner (Kelly Racing), David Reynolds and Anton de Pasquale (Erebus Motorsport), Todd Hazelwood (Matt Stone Racing), Scott Pye and James Courtney (Walkinshaw Andretti United) and Cameron Waters and Chaz Mostert (Tickford Racing). Where else do you get to hangout with 13 star drivers all in one spot?
The evening began with a buffet dinner at 6.30pm, before the drivers arrived at about 7pm. After spending time mingling with the crowd, chatting and having photos taken, they were invited up on stage for an amusing and informative Q&A session with event MC, Craig Lord. For anyone red blooded motorsport fan it was the perfect start to a memorable weekend!
For more information on PPG training courses or to book a course, speak to you Territory Manager, your Training Manager or call (NZ) 0800 477 487.