Mike Pero Motorsport Park
Mike Pero Motorsport Park,[2] (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 kilometres (8.08 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.
 Ruapuna Circuit (Mike Pero Motorsport Park) map | |
| Location | Christchurch, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+12:00 |
| Coordinates | 43°31′50″S 172°28′47″E |
| Owner | Canterbury Car Club Inc |
| Major events | Lady Wigram Trophy NZ Formula Ford New Zealand V8s Porsche GT3 Cup Southern Festival of Speed TRS NZ Drift Series New Zealand Grand Prix |
| Length | 3.330 km (2.069 mi) |
| Turns | 11 |
| Race lap record | 1.15.81[1] (Scott Dixon, Reynard 92D, 1998) |
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.
The circuit
The track surface is hot mix bitumen and runs for 3.33 kilometres (2.07 mi) in a counter-clockwise direction with many fast sweeping corners. It rewards smooth and tidy drivers.[3]
It supports six layouts, from the 1.31 km (0.81 mi) "A Track" to the 3.44 km (2.14 mi) "Grand Prix with dipper".[4]
The track features on the motorsport racing simulation game Project CARS 2 as Ruapana Park.
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 3.3 km (2.1 mi), along with other renovations.[5]
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 Holden.
Naming rights
Since 2013, Mike Pero, founder of Mike Pero Mortgages and Real Estate, has had a naming rights sponsorship deal to Ruapuna, which is now known as Mike Pero Motorsport Park.[6]
Mike Pero was a six time National Motorcycle Road Racing Champion from 1976 to 1982,[7][8] and in 1979 set the New Zealand land speed record for a 350cc motorcycle; which still stands today.[9]
For 10 years before, the naming rights had been held by Powerbuilt Tools.[6]
References
- Lap Records Canterbury Car Club
- "Mike Pero Motorsport Park". Canterbury Car Club Inc. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- "On track for competitive driving". toyotaracing.co.nz. n.d. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- "Maps". Mike Pero Motorsport Park. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- Ruapuna Park racingcircuits.info
- "Mike Pero back in motorsport". Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- "Mike Pero makes his mark on the track". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- "Mike Pero to ride former Grand Prix motorcycle". Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- "The romantic side of Mike Pero". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.