Steve Cox will soon get the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of some of his Kiwi racing heroes.
Next week, Cox will substitute West Auckland for the awe of Mount Panorama as he takes on the Bathurst 6 Hour.
“Competing at Bathurst has been a dream of mine for many years,” he says.
“It is extremely exciting to think I can get to do what my heroes such as Shane van Gisbergen and Scotty McLaughlin do.
“Dreams do come true.”
Cox is racing an R8 Holden Commodore for the production car enduro. Sharing the ride with him is Australian racer Peter Bray.
Together, Cox is confident he and Bray could pull a top ten overall result out of the hat if all goes to plan.
“The plan is to win our class but not do anything stupid.
“Bathurst has broken many hearts. With the walls and many elevation changes, it will be a challenge.
“A top ten finish would be absolutely fantastic and not at all impossible.”
While Bathurst will be a first for Cox, his 59 years of youth have seen him race up and down New Zealand in various machines.
He’s done his fair share of rallying, Super Saloon racing and even competed in the 2K Cup.
Fellow 2K Cup competitor Mark Mallard is another grassroots Kiwi racing set to live out a childhood dream at the Bathurst 6 Hour.
Cox and Mallard are in the same class for the race, meaning there might be a bit of Kiwi-to-Kiwi banter between the two rivals.
Once back home after Bathurst, Cox doesn’t intend to slow down.
He plans on entering a race meeting with his replica Ferrari F40 he built in the early 2000s.
On top of that, he’s keen to finish another ongoing garage project, which is a tribute car to the short-wheelbase Audi Quattro.
If all works out, Cox will have the Quattro out and about for the World Rally Championship’s return to New Zealand later this year.
All while loaded, of course, with Bathurst memories he will never, ever forget.