Veteran racer promises he’ll be back

Everyone got a big fright when a local racer collapsed during the annual long weekend meet at Taipa Speedway shortly after lunchtime on Sunday.

Having just finished racing in the C-grade, Dave Cortesi was getting a drink from the food caravan when he collapsed. Medics were called and the 68-year-old C-grade veteran was rushed to Kaitaia Hospital. He was later diagnosed with pneumonia after the doctors discovered an infection on his lungs, and discharged at lunchtime yesterday at lunchtime. Certainly not as seriously ill as many of his family, friends and racing associates had first imagined, Cortesi was told he will now need to use an inhaler daily for the rest of his life.

The Kaikohe Speedway life member said he had just finished completing racing in the third and final round of C-grade racing of the first day’s card (held over to Sunday after rain had cut proceedings short on Saturday afternoon) where he finished in second place.

Afterwards he remembered putting a new battery in his car, taking off his prized Craig Bear racing gloves and walking towards the food caravan to get a drink before blacking out.

Well known in Far North speedway circles as a bit of a character, Cortesi showed the incident had not diminished his spirit. He said speedway was in his blood and promised he’d be back in the thick of it next season.

“I”m going back, nothing’s going to stop me!” Cortesi grinned, although the main message from the numerous wellwishers who flocked to his bedside on Sunday and Monday was to tell the veteran driver to relax.

The incident came on the second day of the Taipa Speedway’s annual two-day extravaganza, the Percy Poharama Memorial Queen’s Birthday Weekend Meet.

In a message on Facebook, event organisers gave a big shout out to Cortesi recovering hospital: “Take it easy mate and we wish you a speedy recovery!”

And singled out for special praise were the track committee who persevered in the face of the wet and testing conditions to ensure the two-day event finished as a success.

“After all the rain Saturday night the guys were out early on the track sweeping, packing with tractors etc to see if we could get the track back to race on and they did! After completing over 30 races Saturday, we carried on from race 36 and completed the whole programme just before dark, a total of 60 races in one day was just phenomenal work.”

More will feature in Thursday’s edition.