Veteran motorsport racer Michael Draper has last run
It was the
familiar rush from behind the wheel that got an 80-year-old man with
Alzheimer's back on the race track.
It's been
more than 40 years since award-winning furniture designer and ex-racecar driver
Michael Draper put on a racing helmet.
On Saturday, his
mind was sharp as he slipped back into his racing kit for one last burn
around the iconic Pukekohe Park circuit.
While it
wasn't the Fiat 125 saloon Draper once drove, he was at ease in an i30 Hyundai
as it breezed round the track.
This was
veteran driver Draper's old stomping ground.
He paced
between V8 Holden Commodores, a Subaru WRX and some grunty rigs for a
few laps of the open circuit.
He was one
of the first drivers on the track when it opened in 1962 and he raced for more
than 10 years.
This was
the last chance to feel the speed before he would no longer be able to drive
the car himself.
"It
all came flooding back, it was amazing actually," Draper said.
"What
we could have done was do the speeds we used to do," he laughed.
Speed was
Draper's hook into motorsport, a passionate hobby he got interested
in back in his home country, Northern Ireland.
He also
enjoyed helping build engines for cars, but the power behind
driving them was what gave him a rush.
So much so
he worked on and test drove the world's first pulse jet powered car.
The 1951
Cooper JAP 500 MkV12 was brought out from Northern Ireland and first
demonstrated at Ardmore and Western Springs in Auckland about 1958.
It is
alleged the jet powered single-seat vehicle shattered light bulbs over the
Western Springs track and could be heard from Penrose, more than 8 kilometres
away.
Although
Alzheimer's has taken its toll on Draper and his long-time
partner Rowena's life, Draper held on to old racing memories and
was still hooked on motorsport.
"I
haven't done it for so long now but I love motor racing and I love the
speed and I love the technology that goes into it," he said.
"I
don't like any thought of being hurt so I always spent a lot of time and money
on the safety of racing."
After
motorsport, Draper's attention to detail and design forged a
successful career in high-end New Zealand furniture design for more than
thirty years.
His
designs are utilised in the Te Papa and Auckland Museums and the
outdoor seating area at Villa Maria Estates.
But his
days on the Pukekohe Park track were cemented when he was given a book on its
history.
"I
wanted to motor race for the feel of the speed, but not the stop, I didn't
want to stop," he laughed as he pulled off the track.
- Sunday
Star Times