Ruapuna poised to host Supercars for first time after edging Cromwell

Friday, 11 April 2025

This excellent piece is from The Post. You can read more of their stories here.

Christchurch’s Ruapuna Motorsport Park could be unveiled as New Zealand’s second Supercars venue from 2026 after edging out Cromwell's Highlands Park.

The Press understands Ruapuna is close to being confirmed on the trans-Tasman motorsport series schedule for the first time from next year, joining Taupō. An announcement could be made by the end of April.

Taupō hosts the third round of the 2025 series this weekend at the Taupō International Motorsport Park, after making its debut last year.

The Taupō Supercars event is contracted through 2026 and would run over separate weekends with Ruapuna while the drivers are in New Zealand, if the Canterbury circuit were successful.

Cromwell's Highlands Park also put a bid in, but the Government was not willing to put extra money into Central Otago's economy.

Motorsport magnate Tony Quinn, who built and owns Highlands Park, appeared to let the cat out of the bag last week, admitting in an interview Ruapuna had moved past the Central Otago track as the favourite for a second New Zealand round.

The Supercars have never previously raced in the South Island and the event would be an economic boon for the Canterbury region. Last year’s Taupō round attracted 3000 international visitors, who spent approximately $5.8 million. The race was broadcast to 3.9 million people and its social media content reached an audience of 13.5 million.

ChristchurchNZ confirmed on Wednesday it had submitted a bid to host the championship at Ruapuna, based in Templeton in the west of the city, which is owned and operated by the Canterbury Car Club.

“Christchurch has submitted a bid to host the Supercars Championship and we look forward to hearing official notice from Supercars on their preferred venue,” ChristchurchNZ said in a statement.

“Along with the Canterbury Car Club, we hope for a positive outcome to be announced in the near future.”

In 2022, three-time champion, Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen, endorsed Ruapuna as a future Supercars venue and said the close proximity to Christchurch Airport was appealing.

“Ruapuna probably doesn’t have the facilities, but the layout is awesome and from wherever you are on the track, you can see the whole track,” he said at the time.

“That probably would be the best racing track I reckon is Ruapuna, if they spend some money on it.”

Supercars said while there was great interest among stakeholders and supporters for a second Supercars event in New Zealand, nothing had yet been agreed.

“There’s clear enthusiasm from fans and stakeholders around the idea of a second event in Aotearoa.

“While those conversations remain ongoing, we will continue to explore what opportunities are available to us.”

Canterbury Car Club general manager Mark Wederell said there had been no official decision yet from Supercars.

“We’re communicating with Supercars on a regular basis and we certainly don’t have anything confirmed right now…

“I think like any motorsport fan it’s a dream of everyone’s to have it. It would be massive.”

While the Ruapuna track was in strong condition, there would need to be improvements to infrastructure to host an event like the Supercars.

Ruapuna is one of the few remaining club-owned and non-commercial tracks in the country. The Canterbury Car Club, supported by over 850 members, launched a 10-year strategy at the beginning of 2025 with a vision to upgrade facilities, become more sustainable and improve accessibility.

Wederell was unsure how many fans the venue could hold if awarded the Supercars and said organisers would determine the capacity.

“That’s some of the things that are still being discussed [around infrastructure]. We’re confident we could achieve what’s been requested of us.”

Defending champion, Australian Will Brown leads the Supercars’ drivers championship by just seven points from Cam Waters heading into Taupō, the closest margin through two rounds in the 300-point era.

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