The town was famous in the 1950s and '60s for the street race which attracted thousands to the town to watch some famous names compete, including Bruce McLaren, Ron Silvester, Ernie Sprague and Paul Fahey.
This weekend, the Waimate 50 is three events put together by two of the organisers, Rob Aikman and Bert Murray, who first met at one of the original Waimate 50s.
Today is a 4km hill climb to the White Horse monument above Waimate.
Tomorrow is a rally sprint over 5.6km to the top of Parkers Bush Rd and the street sprint over 1.25km around the centre of Waimate, which includes sections of the original street circuit.
The entries have exceeded organisers' expectations and include some name drivers, and cars from original events.
Kiwi driver Rod Millen, now based in the United States, maintains his links with Mazda by running an RX7 four-wheel-drive and Timaru's Leo Leonard will be in a 1964 Ford Mustang.
Grant Silvester will be running his father Ron's Silvester 1938 Chev Coupe, which was a real crowd-pleaser in the original event and often the underdog against more modern and faster cars.
Organisers have aimed the event at families with a $2 entry fee, with the event based around Seddon Sq and Waimate Main School.
The original Waimate 50 ran for seven years, until 1966. In 1967 the event was transferred to a street circuit in Timaru and thereafter the Levels raceway.
It was revived in 1991 by a small group of enthusiasts, but new safety regulations made it so expensive it finished in 1999. Since then, attempts have been made to run the event again, culminating in this weekend.
