From the Mud to the Mic

When you talk about the voices that have defined Baypark, one name rises above the noise — Steve Daniel. Since the stadium’s grand opening back in 2001, Steve has been front and centre, quite literally, as the voice and face of the two biggest motorsport spectacles ever held at the venue:

But his impact goes far beyond just the microphone. A true motorsport all-rounder, all while building powerful connections in both the speedway and drifting worlds — forging friendships and networks with some of the sport’s top names and bridging the gap between two of New Zealand’s most adrenaline-fuelled codes.

Now, with decades of stories, memories, and moments under his belt, Steve Daniel spoke with us to reflect on his incredible journey. From the roar of the engines to the quiet moments behind the mic, this is the story of a man who’s helped shape the sound, soul and spectacle of Baypark.

For Steve Daniel, Baypark isn’t just a stadium. It’s not just a track, a workplace, or even a hobby. It’s something deeper — something spiritual. “As a motorsport-loving Māori originating in Arataki (Bayfair area) and being associated with speedway in Mt Maunganui for almost 40 years, I feel I have a responsibility — in Māori terms, mana whenua — to protect the land and protect the legacy of so many involved with the sport now and before us.”

That connection started in the late 1980s. Steve was just eight years old when he heard a strange roar over the fence at his family’s new home on Matavai Street. His mother — now passed — told him to climb up on the roof and see what was going on.

What he saw changed everything.

“It was Robin Porter’s Eagle Spares, Porter Hire Kenworth racing down the mid-straight of the former Baypark Raceway,” Steve remembers. “I quickly jumped the fence and walked over to see the incredible racing trucks. I’ll never forget the first person in motorsport I’d ever met. He was an older man who found a little friend in this cheeky Māori kid and he quickly learned my name — ‘Hello Steven.’ His name was Mr Hulme. Mr Denny Hulme. The 1967 Formula One World Champion.”

From that moment, the course of Steve’s life shifted forever. “I went from a rugby-playing family to the outcast — this little Māori kid who fell in love with speed and the smell of methanol. I never missed a meeting from that moment on.”

He soaked it all in — from Denny Hulme’s Scania T143M racing truck to Don Grindley’s Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, to a young Greg Murphy taking out the win in 1994 in his Shell-sponsored Formula Atlantic. “I was hooked — hooked to the racing, to speedway, and to Baypark.”

Baypark became more than a racetrack — it became a spiritual place. “Mana whenua isn’t a word I use lightly,” Steve says. “But for me, Baypark was and still is my (other) marae, and speedway is my tribe and family.”

That tribal connection deepened with the opening of the new Baypark Speedway on Truman Lane in 2001. That very night, Steve’s daughter was due to be born. “There were 18,000 people there in 2001 with me expecting my first child. She was two days old when I walked her around the track for the first time. We hadn’t even got home from the hospital — I took her to Baypark first.”

He cheered on his favourite driver, Maurice Cowling, as he won the first-ever race at the new venue. He joined the pit crew of Ben Finemore when, at just 15 years old, Ben won the New Zealand Championship in 2005. “I’ve been there for all the good, the excitement — and also the bad, as we remember Andrew Edwards.”

He’s witnessed it all: “I’ve watched Skinny Colson climb the fence to claim the flag. The biggest crashes, the spills and the thrills. I’ve crewed on Saloon Cars, Super Saloons, Sprintcars, Ministocks, and even tried my hand at Stockcar racing — admittedly, I was terrible, but I gave it a go.”

Steve’s love for Baypark doesn’t stop at the fence line or pit gate. He spent many years on the speedway committee, sponsored race cars, and earned over 1 million views on YouTube, the majority from Baypark content. For over a decade, he was part of the commentary team — known to many simply as “The Voice of Baypark.”

Off the track, Steve worked for Bay Venues Ltd for close to 10 years, serving in the Audio-Visual Department. His involvement stretched well beyond speedway — he was the voice of New Zealand drifting for 12 years, including at D1NZ’s Grand Finale at Baypark. He played a production role in the Jet sprints, was on the infield with mic in hand during Bay of Plenty Rugby’s Ranfurly Shield defence against Waikato, and even front and centre during the now-infamous Monster Truck event.

“Baypark clearly means a great deal to me — as a hobby, a place of employment, and a place of memories where history was and is made.”

Yet as discussions emerge around the uncertain future of speedway at Baypark, Steve is clear-eyed. “I’m the first to say there is no future living in the past. But I also believe we have a responsibility to acknowledge the immense efforts of the pioneers who rallied together, found the piece of land next to the dump, and looked to the future — building a world-class multi-purpose piece of terracotta.”

He honours names like Ray Duncan, Phil Buckland, Barry Andrews, Gary Finemore — people who worked tirelessly to build Baypark into what it is today. And above all, the man who made it all happen: Bob Clarkson.

“A great man. Clarkson could see they needed help and personally funded the construction and rebirth of Baypark, before essentially gifting the venue back to Council for a fraction of its value.”

From that vision came not just a speedway — but a city-defining venue. “The venue would go on to grow the Council Controlled Organisation Bay Venues Ltd and the Mercury Arena with nine sports courts, a concert venue, corporate and hospitality suites, and the 500 events a year they now hold.”

Steve’s keen to point out how many jobs and local gains have come from Baypark’s creation: “The Bay Venues board of directors wouldn’t be where they are, along with the senior leadership, catering company, IT department, audio-visual department and approximately 100 staff. Events like the Home Show, AIMS Games, and the $20 million injected into the local economy — none of that may have happened if it wasn’t for the blood, sweat and tears of the names mentioned and the gamble of Clarkson, in conjunction with the passion of the committee, drivers, pit crews, sponsors, and friends of Baypark who refused to stop until they’d built something special.”

It’s a generational legacy for Steve, whose grandfather VB Cunningham served as the Town Clerk (CEO) of the Mount Maunganui Borough Council for 37 years. “He was responsible for building everything from the 4WD track on Mauao, Mt and Omanu Golf Clubs, the Mt Hot Pools, and was part of the original meeting that agreed to build the Port of Tauranga — in Mt Maunganui instead of Whakatāne, where they’d originally considered. My grandfather spent his life building Mt Maunganui.”

That legacy is why Steve speaks up. Why he feels compelled to protect and preserve the future of speedway at Baypark.

“The legacy of those before us is why I feel responsible for speaking out — to keep the past as part of a growing future.”

And when asked what he’d say to Tauranga City Council, to decision-makers, to young fans and racers?

He pauses, then smiles:

“Speedway. The mana whenua of Baypark. Well — that’s this Māori’s humble opinion.”