“I managed to get a really good start and I pretty much went bat out of hell right from the start, which made up 10 places in one lap and that set us up for the win,” Teki said.
“It came down to the last couple of laps, trying to fend off the really fast Aussies. There were two of them right there, we just had to push hard, don’t open any doors and go as quick as we can.”
It was “pretty cool” to emerge victorious and learn that he was the first overseas driver to win the Trophy Race.
“We didn’t think we’d be front-runners, to be fair, we just went to have a good time and learn the track but managed to pull one off,” he said.
Teki placed third overall for TCM New Zealand, which is based on the cumulative placings across the weekend.
He said the overall experience was great, with more than 200,000 people in attendance and 5.5 million worldwide viewing the racing.
“Not many people will ever get to race there, it’s the biggest event there is,” he said.
In the Trophy Race, the Rivers placed 12th and Eden came 13th.
Because the Rivers shared the drive, they had to start at the rear of the grid for each race.
Teki said the Batmobile was in good nick after some difficulties at Bathurst.
“We did all our prep on Sunday so she is ready for Sandown – we fly back in four weeks and do it all over again,” he said.
Teki, the Rivers and Michael Eden will now prepare for the Sandown 500 in Melbourne on November 14-16.
All three cars will remain in Australia until then.
Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
