However, that is all about to change in a very big way because for the next few months there is plenty of motor racing to come.
The pre-Christmas meeting on the weekend of December 7-8 leads off with a raft of classes including OSCA Super Saloons, Pre 78 Classic Saloons, the South Island Formula Ford Championship, SS Cup, Pro 8 NZ, NZ6 Saloons, the 2K Cup South Island Teretonga Challenge and Noel McIntyre Drainage Club Saloons.
International motor racing returns at the end of January when the NextGen New Zealand Championship comes to the circuit. The programme will feature the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship (CTFROC) plus Summerset GT NZ, the Bridgestone GR86 Championship, the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series plus Pirelli Porsche.
CTFROC has brought many drivers who have gone on to Formula 1 including Lando Norris, battling it out with Max Verstappen for the Formula 1 World Championship, plus other F1 drivers Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll, Franco Colapinto, Zhou Guanyu and New Zealander Liam Lawson.
Whereas that meeting brings some of the most talented up and coming young drivers from around the globe to Teretonga Park, it is some of the classic cars of yesteryear that underpin the next event, the Ascot Park Hotel Classic SpeedFest from February 14-16.
Featuring a fantastic lineup including Mainland Muscle Cars, Pre 78 Classic Saloons, HVRA, Vintage Racing Cars, Classic Saloons, Sports Cars, Racing Cars, Mini 7 South, the MX5 Heritage Cup and the Noel McIntyre Drainage Club Saloons, it will provide one of the most exciting SpeedFest menus for several years.
Just one month later, March 14-16, is another of the club’s very popular meetings returns — Southern Thunder — with the NZ Super Trucks and Mainland Muscle Cars headlining the action. They will be supported by several classes. These include the NZ V8 Utes, making their first appearance at Teretonga Park since 2017.
In the best tradition of motor racing in this part of the world, the utes will bring a good old Ford versus Holden battle. Few, if any, of the drivers who were in the class on their last visit are still involved, so a host of new personalities will line up on the grid. The MX5 Heritage Cup, Pre 65 Saloons, NZ6 Saloons, Noel McIntyre Drainage Club Saloons and the annual One Hour race complete the programme.
The season will finish with the biannual George Begg Festival from April 11-13.
- By Lindsay Beer
