F1 star reunited with NZ
CHAMP RETURNS AS A MENTOR
At 23, Roberto Moreno was whisked across the globe to compete in the New Zealand Grand Prix.
In a short space of time, the Brazilian had gone from being a talented but somewhat embattled driver in England. He had won the national Formula Ford title and hotly contested Formula Ford Festival in 1980, but a lack of funds meant he had to pull out halfway through his first season of Formula
3 the following year.
But by the time he had arrived in New Zealand, Moreno’s stocks had skyrocketed via a crushing
1981 Australian GP victory where he thrashed Alan Jones, Nelson Piquet, and Larry Perkins. A onerace 1982 Baypark deal quickly became a deal to run the Kiwi full season — one that helped set him up for a career in Formula 1.
“It was a fantastic atmosphere, people were friendly, the series was competitive. The same is true now,” Moreno tells Driven.
Though the sport has evolved extensively since 1982, some things have remained the same. Moreno’s former manager Greg “Pee Wee” Siddle of Australia, the man who helped guide him to New
Zealand, continues to broker deals for international stars to race here.
“[Siddle] called me up, I found a way to get over here, and we were set to do one race, which I won, but then we had no money to continue.
“I did an interview with a journalist, and the headline was ‘The winner of Baypark goes home with no money’,” he laughed.
He won three out of the four local events, including the NZ Grand Prix. The 65th running of the NZGP will take place this Sunday at Manfeild, one of only two national Grand Prix events that run globally outside of the Formula 1 calendar (the other being the Macau Grand Prix).
Moreno returns some 38 years after he last won it.
Having enjoyed a colourful CART, IndyCar, and Formula 1 career (ranging from second place on debut with Benetton, to being teammates with “Black Stig” Perry McCarthy at Andrea Moda — one of the worst teams in F1 history), the 60-year-old returns as a mentor to fellow Brazilian Igor Fraga.
Fraga sits second in the Castrol Toyota Racing Series points, eight points adrift of defending champion and series leader Liam Lawson from Pukekohe on a weekend where 90 points are up for grabs.
Like Moreno in the early 1980s, the duo is fighting for Super License points, as they prepare to take on FIA European Formula 3.
“Igor comes from the same background as I did — no money, a lot of enthusiasm and focus, nothing else is important in life other than what he’s focused on,” says Moreno.
“Racing for me was a challenge in itself, and that’s why I see Igor and his father and I try to help them as much as I can.
“I’ve been through the tough times that they’re going through, and I know how much willpower Igor has to try to win.”