Pole position for V8 pre-inspection
Two MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) Quarantine Inspectors had an exclusive preview of a fleet of Australian-based V8 race cars recently, but it was all in the line of duty.
Greg Williams (Hamilton) and Rachel Barker (Auckland) were giving the cars and associated equipment a thorough pre-inspection before they were air freighted to New Zealand for the Hamilton V8 races, held in April. Greg inspected the cars coming from Brisbane while Rachel dealt with a shipment from Melbourne.
Apart from some cleaning for organic material that was required, and a small amount of contamination of equipment with grass, there were no quarantine worries for the MAFBNZ staff. There was a security breach of a different kind, however, when it was discovered MAF seals had been tampered with prior to shipment from Avalon Airfield, near Melbourne.
During the unpacking of the freight in New Zealand, it was discovered that driver Greg Murphy's helmet was missing. A hurried trip was made to his Melbourne base to uplift a replacement before the races started, but it was all to no avail – Murphy failed to finish the race, retiring after seven laps. There was one small consolation for the driver, however: the helmet thief was later apprehended by Victorian police.
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Page last updated: 11 July 2008