Ruapuna Speedway

Story

Formerly known as Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park and now known as Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Ruapuna is a permanent motor racing circuit owned by Canterbury Car Club Inc. It is located at 107 Hasketts Road in Templeton, 13km west of Christchurch, New Zealand.The track also features a drag strip, pit garages, racing school, speedway circuit and even a radio controlled car circuit. There are a number of configurations of the circuit with licences from FIA Grade 3 to National grades 1, 2 and 3.The circuitThe track surface is hot mix bitumen and runs for 3.33km in a counter-clockwise direction with many fast sweeping corners. It rewards smooth and tidy drivers.Maps of the various layoutsHistoryThe track was opened in November 1963. The circuit was a fairly simple sealed surface road course, at just a mile in length and comprising essentially a flat tri-oval with an extended main straight down to a hairpin bend. In 1976 the main straight was widened and a staging area added to allow drag racing to take place. The biggest change in the circuit's history came in 1993 when it was extended to 3.3km, along with other renovations.EventsThe circuit hosts both 2 and 4 wheeled events. The "Skope Classic" is a major annual event held at the track. The two-day-event includes practice and racing on Saturday and racing in classes on Sunday for classic and historic cars. It is one of the events of Southern Festival of Speed.The track hosted the New Zealand Grand Prix in 1998 and 1999. New Zealand born driver Simon Wills won both races in his Reynard 94D Holden.