22/10/2026
Ch*****ne Gives You Wiings
Business lady bosses swap the boardroom for the race track!
The chaps can have their leisurely stroll around the golf course and midlife crisis. These ladies have hung up their golf clubs, slapped on a patch and will take the race track, foot flatish, with a glass of bubbles waiting at the end.
On 31 October, eight middle aged woman will line up at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell for the Motorsport Mega 9 to 5. They race as team Ch*****ne Gives You Wiings, and most of them have never raced before.
The team is the idea of Josie Spillane, who has quite a bit to do with Highlands, Hampton Downs and Taupo International Motorsport Park Josie has done plenty of business at the tracks, just never from the driver's seat. So she rounded up a girl gang of lady bosses for a different kind of meeting: one that runs from 9 to 5, at speed.
For most of the team this is a big leap of faith, taken purely for fun. That's the point. You don't need years of experience or a big budget to get on track, and entry-level events like the Mega Motorsport NZ9 to 5 at Highlands are built for first-timers.
It's a great day out with old mates and new ones, and a better place to build business relationships than any boardroom.
The team includes business owners and people from Design Windows Star Insure Repco New Zealand and TD Plastics.
Rocking up to the start line the team has the Self Appointed Team Leader, Josie Spillane, Sponsorship Manager, Gabrielle Byfield - it was Carmen Hancock, but she has been moved to Team Beverage Supplier under a team restructure, Litisha Finlayson is the team styler, Katie Nicholas and Kerryn Beck are dual team Rosters, having been the only ones who have raced before, Elizabeth Cox came up with the name so is the creative director and G*i Pardekooper is the secret weapon. Honorable mention goes to Kristan Yu who has to be on catering as she can’t drive a manual or reach the pedals.
The team is also using its powers for good. Ch*****ne Gives You Wings is backing The Tony Quinn Foundation Street Smart the road safety youth initiative, and the entry has already raised over $5,000.
What the team says
Josie Spillane, "I've never raced on a track before. Am I nervous - 101% however, I'm pretty confident that I will set a new lap record, for the slowest driver!"
Katie Nicholas, TD Plastics: "I started on the sidelines watching my husband race. Last year I was the only woman on the grid. Scary, exciting and unforgettable."
Carmen Hancock, Design Windows: "Motorsport is focus, precision and adrenaline. I'm here to push my limits and enjoy the camaraderie."
Kerryn Beck, "I first got in a race car in my forties. Turns out a midlife crisis works best on a racetrack."
Event: Mega Motorsport 9 to 5 at Highlands Date: Saturday 31 October 2026 Venue: Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell
Spectators are welcome. Come and cheer them on.
Fine Print : The team has an abundance of commonsense, so naturally will not be enjoying the bubbles until they are no longer driving.
