Euromarque Motorsport Park, Ruapuna
LocationChristchurch, New Zealand
Time zoneUTC+12:00
Coordinates43°31′50″S 172°28′47″E / 43.53056°S 172.47972°E / -43.53056; 172.47972
FIA Grade3
OwnerCanterbury Car Club Inc
OpenedNovember 1963 (1963-11)
Former namesMike Pero Motorsport Park (2013–2023)
Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park (2004–2013)
Ruapana Park (1963–2003)
Major eventsFuture:
FR Oceania (2005–2006, 2008, 2015–2018, 2024)
Former:
Lady Wigram Trophy (2015–2018)
New Zealand Grand Prix (1998–1999)
Toyota 86 Championship (2015–2018, 2022)
New Zealand V8s (2002, 2004–2011, 2015–2018)
V8SuperTourer (2012)
Full Circuit (1993–present)
Length3.330 km (2.069 miles)
Turns11
Race lap record1.15.810 (New Zealand Scott Dixon, Reynard 92D, 1998, F3000)
Original Circuit (1963–1992)
Length1.609 km (1.000 miles)
Turns4

Euromarque Motorsport Park[1] (often referred to as Ruapuna) is a permanent motor racing circuit owned and operated by the Canterbury Car Club Inc on land leased from the Christchurch City Council. It is located at 107 Hasketts Road in Templeton, 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) west of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was opened as Ruapana Park in 1963, and between 2004 and 2013 was known as Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park. Mike Pero joined the circuit as title sponsor from 2013-2023, as Mike Pero Motorsport Park. In the early parts of February 2023, the sponsorship deal was over, and Euromarque became the new title sponsor.[2]

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.

History

The 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 3.330 km (2.069 mi), along with other renovations.[3]

The circuit

The track surface is hot mix bitumen and runs for 3.330 km (2.069 mi) in a counter-clockwise direction with many fast sweeping corners. It rewards smooth and tidy drivers.[4]

It supports six layouts, from the 1.200 km (0.746 mi) "A Track" to the 3.380 km (2.100 mi) "Grand Prix with dipper".[5]

The track features on the motorsport racing simulation game Project CARS 2 as Ruapana Park.

Layout History & Track Configurations

Events

The 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.

Naming rights

Since 2013, Mike Pero, founder of Mike Pero Mortgages and Real Estate, has had a naming rights sponsorship deal to Ruapuna, which was known as Mike Pero Motorsport Park.[6] This deal ended in 2023, with Euromarque replacing.

For 10 years before, the naming rights had been held by Powerbuilt Tools.[6]

Lap Records

The official lap record for the Euromarque Motorsport Park is 1:15.810, set by Scott Dixon on 5 December 1998. While the unofficial all-time track record is 1:11.265, set by Liam Lawson in a Rodin FZED on 21 January 2022.[7] As of September 2022, the fastest official race lap records at the Euromarque Motorsport Park are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleDate
Full Circuit: 3.330 km (1993–present)[3]
Formula 30001:15.810[7]New Zealand Scott DixonReynard 92D5 December 1998
Toyota Racing Series1:17.062[7][8]United Kingdom Lando NorrisToyota FT-5016 January 2016
Formula 50001:17.588[7]United Kingdom Michael LyonsEagle FA-742 February 2014
Formula 31:18.099[7]New Zealand Daniel GauntDallara F30125 January 2004
GT31:18.742[7]New Zealand Jonny ReidAudi R8 LMS GT38 September 2023
Formula Atlantic1:20.143[7]New Zealand Ken SmithSwift DB43 November 2013
Porsche Carrera Cup1:22.594[7]New Zealand Ryan WoodPorsche 911 (991 II) GT3 Cup6 November 2021
V8SuperTourer1:24.478[7]New Zealand Scott McLaughlinHolden Commodore (VE)25 November 2012
NZ Touring Cars (TLX)1:26.813[7]Australia Jason BargwannaToyota Camry17 January 2015
NZ Touring Cars (TL)1:30.122[7]New Zealand Tim EdgellFord Falcon (BA)28 November 2010
Toyota 86 Championship1:35.846[7][9]New Zealand Ash BlewettToyota 8618 January 2015

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "Mike Pero Motorsport Park". Canterbury Car Club Inc. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
    2. ↑ "About Us". Euromarque Motorsport Park. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
    3. 1 2 "Ruapuna Park". Racingcircuits.info. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
    4. ↑ "On track for competitive driving". toyotaracing.co.nz. n.d. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
    5. ↑ "Maps". Euromarque Motorsport Park. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
    6. 1 2 "Mike Pero back in motorsport". 31 October 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
    7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Ruapuna Park Lap Records". Euromarque Motorsport Park. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
    8. ↑ "2016 Lady Wigram Trophy Race Weekend R5 - Toyota Racing Series - Race 1" (PDF). 16 January 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
    9. ↑ "2015 Summer Fuel Festival R13 - Toyota Finance 86 - Race 2 (8 Laps)" (PDF). 18 January 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.