Pete Dickson sadly passed away in September 2022, aged only 34, after an 18 month battle with cancer. Pete leaves behind his wife Lucinda and daughter Dakota, who was just 9 months old at the time. Pete was a 2 time New Zealand Super Saloon Champion and still the current 1NZ at the time of his passing. He will not be here to defend the title in 2023, but will forever be a Champion to all those who knew him.
Peter’s passion for motorsport saw him reside and race all over NZ before landing in Tauranga. Peter was lucky enough to be both working and racing for the Cowling Motorsport team, who have won multiple championships throughout NZ.
Originally from Invercargill, Peter’s time behind the wheel started at a young age in the Karting scene, which eventually progressed into drifting and competing in the Drift South Series, before ultimately deciding to follow in the footsteps of his father and enter speedway racing in 2014.
Making his mark early on, Peter competed in the Modified Sprint class, where he lapped the entire field at his first race meeting; a short 10 lap race. One year and a move to Cromwell later, Peter was working with Hypermac Racing, which enabled him to build his first Saloon car. Later that year, Peter went on to claim 2nd Place at the 2015/16 NZ Saloon Car Championship.
After the success of the Saloon Car title, Peter was given the opportunity to race a Super Saloon at the 2015/16 NZ Super Saloon Championship in Napier. With no track time or experience and a strong field of over 45 cars, Peter finished a very credible 5th position overall. After an immediate realisation that Super Saloons were the future for him, Peter sold his 2NZ Saloon to build a Super Saloon. On his very first attempt in a self-built Hypermac race car, Peter stormed the field, landing both Top Qualifier and Top Points Scorer, before going on to win the 2016/17 NZ Super Saloon Car title.
Following the win, Pete spent the next 3 years developing a new Super Saloon, taking inspiration from the American Late Model design and tailoring it to comply with the New Zealand rule book. The sacrifice paid off with him once again claiming the NZ title for the 2020-2021 season.
Pete went on to win a number of major events, including a clean sweep in the South at the end of the 2020/2021 season, where he took out the Daryl Ainsley Memorial, the Otago Super Saloon Champs and the South Island Super Saloon Champs, before receiving a cancer diagnosis 9 days later.
