Young racecar driver finalist in awards
Locally-raised motorsport athlete Faine Kahia has been announced as a finalist in the Young Achievers category of the 2016 Matariki Awards.
The Matariki Awards celebrate extraordinary Maori talent across a broad range of fields and industries. The awards take place at the Auckland War Memorial Museum on June 26.
The 19-year-old impressed the motor racing world at the AsiaCup last year, where he secured two second placings.
Following this success, Kahia was selected to race in the Formula 4 South East Asia championship in August. Drivers competing in the F4SEA stand a chance of being drafted into the Formula One if they do well.
Kahia flies to Malaysia next week to continue testing in the Renault Powered F4 car, preparing for the championship.
The former Taupo-nui-a-Tia College pupil said he hopes to impress Renault Sport with good pace.
‘‘I’ll be working hard towards my goal of securing a spot in the Renault Sport Development Academy.
‘‘It all starts here – whether testing or racing, every single opportunity on the track counts and I’ll be making the most of it.’’
Although motor racing is expensive, Kahia recently secured sponsorship from Giltrap Group, which has 12 car dealerships across the country, as well as Taupo.
‘‘To join the Giltrap family of drivers is a hugely important milestone and one that means the world to me because of the high calibre of their drivers,’’ Kahia said.
Giltrap Group has previously sponsored drivers like Scott Dixon, Jim Richards, Earl Bamber, Brendon Hartley, Mitch and Simon Evans and Hayden Paddon, as well as previous greats like Larry Perkins, Denny Hulme, Danny Sullivan.
This weekend, Kahia will swap his fireproof race suit for a tidy black suit. The Matariki awards pay homage to the seven stars of Matariki with seven award categories: business and innovation, arts and entertainment, te reo and tikanga Maori, health and science, youth achiever, sport, and education. Other finalists include Cliff Curtis, Stan Walker and Lisa Carrington.
Maori Television will broadcast the event live on Sunday June 26 from 8.30pm.