Tim Miles honoured
Having been a massive part of the Kiwi motorsport landscape, Tim Miles has been honoured by a new trophy at the New Zealand Grand Prix.
The Tim Miles Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the winner of the Formula Atlantic event held during the 70th New Zealand Grand Prix at Highlands Motorsport Park on January 30 to February 1.
Miles helped Kiwi racers both home and abroad and was a prolific driver himself, but recently tragically passed away.
The memorial trophy will be the culmination of the two-event Formula Atlantic New Zealand Grand Prix held during the Repco NextGen Championship each summer.
Kiwi motorsport figure Andy McElrea believes it is fitting Miles will be honoured.
“It’s appropriate to have the trophy named after Tim given, he had so much fun at Taupo earlier this year – he even beat Murph!” He said.
“He had waited a long time to get into that car, and he drove brilliantly and loved the experience. It’s very fitting and his family are absolutely thrilled to have the trophy named in his honour.
Tim Miles was part of the Formula Atlantics at Taupo. Image: TAYLER BURKE
“There will be a lot of people very keen to win a trophy named after Tim, I can assure you!”
In addition to the New Zealand Grand Prix, the Formula Atlantics will also again feature at the Taupo Historic GP where it made a splash this year with more than 25 cars.
It was won by Kaleb Ngatoa and featuring a broad array of cars from the New Zealand Grand Prix era from 1977-93 that saw the likes of Keke Rosberg, Roberto Moreno, Paul Radisich and Craig Baird take centre stage.
Kiwi racing legend Greg Murphy feels the Formula Atlantics and the Tim Miles Trophy is a good combination.
“It’s an incredible addition to the summer of Motorsport in New Zealand and couldn’t be more appropriate,” he said.
“Atlantic cars at Highlands are going to be a great sight and the competition will be fantastic; it will really add another element to the 70th New Zealand Grand Prix.
“Tim was passionate about the cars and the competition and for his first time in the car, drove superbly. It’s great he will be remembered through something he truly loved and by something that will put on an incredible show for fans at the New Zealand Grand Prix early next year.”
Repco NextGen NZ Championship CEO Josie Spillane said it was only right to honour Miles.
“Tim was a much-loved member of the New Zealand motorsport family and the tributes to him since his passing have been both appropriate and an incredible nod to the legacy he has left our sport,” he said.
“We wanted to honour that and naming a trophy in his honour to a class of racing that he absolutely loved is our way of showing our respect to Tim and his family.
“We also wanted it centred around a weekend that Tim would have loved, – friends, yarns, racing and several ‘lemonades’, all of which we will have in spades.
“If Tim is going to have a trophy named in his honour it’s going to be at the most prestigious event of them all and in a category where it’s achievable that his mates can compete in it.
“Tim was a great mate to Tony Quinn and a mentor to me, and he was instrumental in the role he played in the acquisition of Taupo Motorsport Park in 2021 – this is our way of acknowledging that and the far reaching and incredible impact he had on so many of us in NZ Motorsport.”
Image: Tayler Burke
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