The iconic trophy will be awarded for the first time since Marcus Armstrong took the chequered flag at what is now known as Euromarque Motorsport Park at Ruapuna in 2018.
Australian Paul Stokell won the last trophy race around Wigram in 1994, preventing a three -peat for New Zealand’s former Supercars driver Craig Baird.
Sunday’s trophy race is a fitting finale for Christchurch’s inaugural hosting of a Super Sprint Motorsport New Zealand championship round on Friday.
Another focal point will be Christchurch hosting the first-ever trans-Tasman V8 TA2 muscle car challenge as part of the fifth of seven Super Sprint rounds scheduled nationwide.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to hold our first Christchurch race meet and bring our NZ Championship to Euromarque Raceway for the city’s first ever Super Sprint series,” said Super Sprint NZ director Brendon White.
“Motorsport has an incredibly rich history in Christchurch over the past century and the legacy of racing endures long after this weekend’s event.”
Drivers will honour the past with a motorcade through residential development, while a commemorative tree will be planted at the Lady Wigram Retirement Village, where a number of residents recalled the early races.
The New Zealand championship road race was first held in 1949, covered 50-laps (169km) and was won by Morrie Proctor in a Riley.
The race name changed to the Lady Wigram Trophy, in honour of Agnes, the wife of former Christchurch mayor Sir Henry Wigram, in 1951.
Sir Henry, who died in 1934, made significant contributions to the city’s aviation and car racing history when he played a key role in the establishment of the Wigram Aerodrome.
Following the tree planting drivers will be welcomed onto the Tuahiwi marae, south of Rangiora, before making school visits to Te Kura o Huriawa Thorrington school, Waitakiri Primary School and Templeton School.
A meet and greet was also scheduled between 6.30-7.30pm outside Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre on Oxford Tce.
ChristchurchNZ head of major events Karena Finnie welcomed Christchurch’s debut as a Super Sprint series host from an entertainment and financial perspective.
“Over and above all the great activity around the city and the legacy left for the people of Christchurch, ChristchurchNZ invests in major events like Super Sprint to generate significant positive economic impact,” she said.
Finnie estimated more than 8000 racegoers, including 2500 from outside the region, would attend the racing daily.
She added the visitors would generate more than $750,000 of visitor expenditure across the weekend.”
- Details on the racing schedule and ticketing can be found at www.supersprint.co.nz
