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Last weekend 14/15 October saw the running of the inaugural “Quality Hotel” 4 Hour, with all the major motorcycle distributors represented. This bodes well for the up coming season, a summer jammed packed with exciting motorcycle road racing from one end of the country to the other.
This year sees, Road Racing and it’s Championship, go back to a format successfully used in the past.
A four round Championship, with the NZ Tourist Trophies and Grand Prix Titles being contested at two stand alone meetings.
December 16/17 at Pukekohe Raceway sees the contest for the NZ Tourist Trophies.
The TTs were first run in 1931 over 20 laps of a 6.75mile circuit on Waiheke Island. The TT Races have been run every year since except for three between 1942 and 1945. The event was held at a series of venues such as Seagrove Airfield, the famous Mangere and Ardmore circuits, before moving to Pukekohe Raceway on it’s completion in 1963.
The New Year sees the Championship begin in earnest.
Round One Teretonga January 20/21
Round Two Ruapuna January 27/28
Round Three Manfeild March 31/ April 1
Round Four Pukekohe April 7/8
April 14/15 (Easter Weekend) sees the road race circus back in the South Island, at Ruapuna Park for the running of the NZ Grand Prix.
This event is also steeped in history.
The first NZ Motorcycle Grand Prix was running over 150 miles of unsealed roads, on the outskirts of a small Rangiora Township called Cust in 1936. It too was run continually (with the exception of the war years 1941 to 1946) until the Canterbury Auto Cycle Club negotiated to take it to the newly built Ruapuna Park in 1966 where it has been run continually ever since.
The classes to be run this season are:
Formula Three (including the 125 cc Cup)
Formula Two
Superbikes
Sidecars
600 Sports Production
Open Sports Production
Prepared for MNZ\'s Road Race Commission
