Haydn Mackenzie

10/04/05

PROCTOR COMES TO MACKENZIE'S AID

NZV8 competitor, Clark Proctor, who drives the Metalman Falcon in the Parker Enzed NZV8 championship, has come to the aid of young fellow competitor, Haydn Mackenzie (22), by offering Mackenzie his spare Falcon V8 rolling chassis to use at the final round of the Championship at the V8 Supercar meeting at Pukekohe on April 21-23.

Last week, Mackenzie announced that he was withdrawing from the championship as a result of substantial damage to his own Repco/Castrol Falcon at the previous Taupo meeting and the need to conserve funds for building a new car for next season.

“I heard about Haydn’s problem and decided to offer this young driver some practical support, since I had a spare racing shell. It is tough for a young driver when a serious accident happens - especially when it is not his fault – and I recognize Haydn’s talent and enthusiasm for the sport so I am pleased to be able to offer him this assistance,” said Proctor, a former speedway Stockcar champion.

Mackenzie was absolutely thrilled to receive this help.
“I really appreciate this generous offer. I thought it was all over for me this season. My team now has a few long nights putting my engine etc into this shell and then painting the car which will be in Metalman colours as a thanks to Clark for making this gesture,” said Mackenzie.

02/04/05

NO PUKEKOHE FOR MACKENZIE

NZ V8 driver, Haydn Mackenzie (22), has had to pull out of the final round of the Parker Enzed NZV8 championship at the V8 Supercar meeting finale meeting at Pukekohe on April 21-23.

MacKenzie’s Repco/ Castrol Falcon was inadvertently involved in the multiple accident that eliminated several cars in the third race at the Taupo meeting in March, the penultimate round of the Parker Enzed NZV8 championship.

“I don’t know what it is about Taupo, but every time I have raced there I have been involved in some kind of accident,” said Mackenzie. “The incident in the third race at Taupo was a disaster for me and my small team. “It wasn’t anything to do with me, but I got caught up in other people’s problems and all the dust, ending up with a car that was so badly damaged that it simply isn’t worth the effort and cost to try to repair it in the time available.”

“I have already stated that we have negotiated to build a new car for next season, and the cost of trying to rebuild my car cannot be justified. “I would love to be there at the Pukekohe final meeting, with everything that is involved with the publicity and big crowds for that V8 Supercar meeting, but I cannot justify spending the huge amount of time and money to rebuild my car for that one meeting, when I have committed to a new car for the 2006/7 season.

“My goal for this season was to finish it in the top 15. We finished the first round in 14th place and remained at around that position right through the championship until that third race at Taupo where, because I didn’t finish it, we dropped to fifteenth. As far as I am concerned, we achieved our goal for the series and, with a new car for next year, I’m looking forward to achieving higher placings.”

“I really do want to thank my major sponsors, Repco and Castrol for their support and understanding of my situation,” said Mackenzie.

11/03/05

NEW CAR FOR MACKENZIE

22 year old NZV8 driver and team owner, Hayden MacKenzie, will have a new Ford Falcon BA for next season’s NZV8 championship.

MacKenzie’s current chassis is now not up to Tier one standard but it will be re-caged and converted to a distance-race chassis which MacKenzie will use in the long distance races in the North and South Islands during the winter of 2007.

After five rounds of the Parker Enzed NZV8 championship, MacKenzie is holding 14th place as he heads into the penultimate round at the lengthened Taupo circuit on March 18/19.

A series of incidents at each of the previous three rounds – especially in the last race at Teretonga - resulted in plenty of damage to the Repco/Castrol Falcon and a big dent in the young driver’s bank balance – especially as MacKenzie is still a university student. “During the last race at Teretonga, I was tagged from behind during a hail storm, spun off and was sitting there undamaged when another car also spun off and slammed into my Falcon. “It spent four days at a panel shop in Timaru having repairs to panels and the chassis, and the diff was bent like a banana,” said MacKenzie.

Despite the huge effort, testing at Timaru was a struggle with the car lacking grip out of corners and proving difficult to find a set-up that worked. “All I really wanted to do was finish all three races and get some more points, but unfortunately a tangle of wheels in turn six on the first lap of the third race, broke the steering rack and sent me into the wall, ending my weekend,” said MacKenzie.

Manfeild was much the same with the steering rack being damaged in race two.

The young Aucklander is hoping the new track at Taupo will bring a change of fortune for him, especially as the old Taupo track was the first track he raced on in his Nissan Sentra Cup car in 2001 – even though it has not been kind to him in the past with various incidents, including his bonnet flying up at 180km/h, smashing his windscreen and damaging his bonnet and roof.

“We’ll be trying to turn things around at Taupo and then at the final round at Pukekohe, but the car has had too much of a battering to engineer it to respond properly to set-up tweaks, so I am looking forward to a new car for next season,” said MacKenzie.

10/01/05

YOUNG DRIVER AT HIS SECOND HOME THIS WEEKEND

21 year old New Zealand V8 Touring car driver Haydn Mackenzie will feel very much at home this weekend when he participates in the racing at Teretonga. Southland is where the Mackenzie family roots are.

Haydn is the great great grandson of former New Zealand Prime Minister Sir Thomas Mackenzie. Sir Thomas was the long-serving Member of Parliament for Southland and also served as the New Zealand High Commissioner to London. Haydn is extremely proud of his heritage and hopes to do well on 'home soil' in his Ford Falcon BA.

"Last season was my first visit to Teretonga as a V8 Touring car driver and I enjoyed the experience immensely," said Haydn. "The people of Southland were very friendly and welcoming and as a result we had a great time in Invercargill. I don't know what it is but the place just feels like home. It must be the family thing."

Haydn is looking forward to improving his current standing in the series at Teretonga this weekend (January 14 and 15). "We are hoping to improve on our current 14th overall placing at Teretonga and also doing well at Timaru the following weekend. The car has been performing well in practise so we are confident going into this intensive two weekends of racing."

The 2005/2006 season is Haydn's 5th year of racing. Prior to entering the the V8 Touring car series in 2003/2004 he was the New Zealand Super GT Champion driving a Wilkinshaw Commodore at the tender age of 18. He is studying at Massey University on Auckland's North Shore and also works in the family motoring business which is one of New Zealand's leading motor vehicle franchise operations. Haydn also enjoys tennis, motor bikes, MotoX, snowboarding and 4X4 driving.

08/01/05

HAYDN MACKENZIE PURCHASES TIER ONE FRANCHISE

New Zealand V8 Touring Car driver Haydn Mackenzie has added a Tier One New Zealand V8 franchise to his motor racing stable.

Until purchasing this Tier One franchise Haydn had been leasing a franchise. In making the move to purchase his own franchise he can now firm up future plans for the New Zealand V8 Series. Included in these plans is building a brand new car.

"The current car is now four seasons old so it is time for a change," said Haydn. "The Falcon BA has been a great car to kick off my New Zealand V8 Touring career but I am looking forward to building a brand new vehicle and taking the next step up the ladder with the added performance that comes with the absolute latest technology."

Haydn, 21, who is studying at Massey University, is looking forward to racing at Teretonga this weekend (January 14 and 15). "We are hoping to improve on our current 14th overall placing at Teretonga and at Timaru the following weekend. The car has been performing well in practise so we are confident going into this intensive two weekends of racing."

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