NZ Army Automotive Technicians gain value from extraordinary Supercars experience

From keeping New Zealand Light Armoured Vehicle (NZLAV) and armoured Bushmaster personnel carriers in prime shape, through to heavy vehicles, generators and chainsaws, Automotive Technicians are the problem solvers to keep the Army machine running smoothly, whether that’s in workshops at camps and bases or in challenging field conditions. 

Four NZ Army Automotive Technicians recently got to test their training and skills in a different environment, linking up with V8 Supercars outfit Matt Stone Racing Team for the two New Zealand legs of the championship. Two of the technicians joined the team for the first leg held at Taupō 440 International Raceway and the other two joined last weekend at Ruapuna Raceway in Christchurch.

Lead NZ Army Automotive Technician from 2nd Combat Service Support Battalion, Lance Corporal Miguel Orejuela-Triana said the extraordinary experience showed just how fast and coordinated a workshop team can be.

“It felt very similar to Army deployments — everyone has a job, a timeframe, and works seamlessly together.

“I didn’t expect it to feel so familiar to how the Army operates. Everyone knew exactly what they were doing and when to do it.”

Lance Corporal Orejuela-Triana said a lot of their role was hands-on support — moving tyres, pushing cars across scales, and setting up in the tyre bay.

“It was about keeping things moving and being ready to help wherever needed.”

“You had to be fast handling tyres during pit stops — getting the new ones in and old ones out of the way – there was very little room in the pit area.”

The cars use a bottled ethanol-based fuel manufactured in Australia and Lance Corporal Orejuela-Triana said they were refuelled by quickly swapping out the bottles as both cars came in.

“We were shown how to use the handheld refuelling system — connecting the 30-litre fuel bottle to deliver fuel to the car.”

When the car is stationary and no air is flowing, heat builds up rapidly as they rely on forced induction from high speed movement to push air through the radiators and brake ducts.

“The cars also don’t have room for their own built in radiator fans, so we helped operate the cooling fan, placing it on the car during stops to bring temperatures down and assisted with basic maintenance and cleaning where needed.”

The opportunity came about following a strong relationship between the team at Matt Stone Racing and members of the Australian Defence Force, with recent efforts expanding to New Zealand servicepeople. 

“The collaboration with military auto technicians is incredibly mutually beneficial —there’s a great deal both our crew and the Army technicians can learn from each other,” said Matt Stone, owner of the team. 

“The Automotive Technicians who have joined us in the garage at the Taupō 440 and at Ruapuna in Christchurch, have consistently proven to be a tremendous asset. They integrate seamlessly into the team, and our mechanics always speak highly of the skill, professionalism, and contribution they bring across the race weekend.” 

Lance Corporal Orejuela-Triana said it had been a fantastic opportunity to develop their professional skills in a high-performance environment.

“The efficiency and coordination is very similar to how the military operate, but what really stood out for me was how efficient and structured everything was and the pace of the environment – everything happens extremely quickly.”

He said it was a rush to experience the ups and downs of a Supercars race weekend and the team were really happy with the result. In Taupō one car finished in 18th position after starting at 21, and the other in the top 10, finishing 9th after starting further back. In Christchurch the team did even better with one car finishing 7th and the other placing 12th. 

Lance Corporal Orejuela-Triana said he’d absolutely recommend it if others get the chance to do it. 

“It’s a great experience to see everything up close and adds real value. I was so grateful for how open the team was in sharing knowledge and explaining things.”

“You get a lot of learning out of it — the more questions you ask — the more you take away.”

“It showed the importance of clear communication to work effectively and stay coordinated, and trusting your team to do the job. I plan to take that all back with me into the workshop and field.”