Supercars going into the Kiwi’s lair

Following the demise of the iconic Pukekohe venue, Supercars was going to have to find a new venue if the much-anticipated annual fly-in to NZ was going to continue.

And with three of the country’s prime circuits owned by Tony Quinn, there was an obvious discussion to be had about which venue would host Australia’s professional league.

While many thought that Hampton Downs, just an hour south of Auckland, might be the obvious choice, Taupo is considered a better spectator track – most of it can be seen from just about anywhere around the fence line.

So, the decision was made that the championship would host what will be known as the ITM Taupo Super400 just outside the pretty lakeside resort town, slap-bang in the middle of NZ’s North Island.  

Extra grandstands – though not as many as the big-time A1GP era (when the crowd reached 33,000) – have been erected and the promoters announced a ‘sell-out’ a couple of weeks back.

The Taupo track existed for a long time (from as far back as 1959) as a local club circuit, but underwent a major rebuild and upgrade in 2006 thanks to a group of enthusiasts who took shares in it, shooting for the stars with the FIA Grade 2 International (the only one in NZ)  3.5km layout which will greet Supercars teams.

The home heroes Ryan Wood, Jaxon Evans, Andre Heimgartner, Richie Stanaway and Matt Payne. Image: Supercars

It was aimed at hosting international events and, in January 2007, did just that with a round of the 2006/7 A1 Grand Prix championship – 24 national teams going head-to-head in Zytek-powered Lola single-seaters. (Australia finished a lowly 13th in that series). Taupo hosted three rounds, until the series was discontinued at the end of 2009.

Australia’s best result came in that final season, with John Martin taking us to eight outright in a reduced seven-round series, the last A1GP season, as a switch a new Ferrari-powered car put the whole series in financial difficulties from which it never recovered. 

The Taupo track was renamed Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, but that changed to Taupo International Motorsport Park following its purchase by Quinn in November, 2021.

FAMILIARITY

While most of the Kiwis lining up this week have some experience of the track – having raced, or at least tested, there on their way up the ladder, for most of the Aussies, it’s a different story.

While driver simulators are an option these days, there’s nothing like real cars on a real track so, since the Grand Prix, there’s been a steady stream of Australian Supercar drivers and engineers popping across the Tasman to get a few laps – many in borrowed Toyota 86s!

Conclusions have been very much the same across the range.

Parts of the track have been resurfaced, others not, and allied to some slightly off-camber corners, the verdict seems to be that tyre ‘deg’ will be the name of the game.

“The first section reminds me of Perth and then the next bit has a bit of Winton before the super-long left hander at the back, which is also similar to Perth, while going back onto the front straight is like a street circuit – so it has bit of everything,” Team 18’s David Reynolds told AA after he, team-mate Mark Winterbottom, team boss Adrian Burgess and a couple of engineers spent a morning at the track.

“I did race there once, 15 years ago, in Carrera Cup. Going back, you’d think you’d remember it, but it’s kind-of different – but once you do a couple of laps it all comes back.

Taupo from above.

“It has a lot of character, bumps, and difficult corners that lead into other ones. With a lot of tyre deg likely, you’ll be able to pass pretty much anywhere by waiting ’til the car in front burns up its tyres … as long as you look after yours.

“It’ll be a fun weekend as no-one has any data or preconceived ideas, so it will be interesting to see who rolls out the best.”

Burgess confirmed the conclusions:

“Yes, it’s quite like Winton, if you were looking for a comparison,” he told AA. “Lots of kerbs; some off-camber corners and a number of surface changes – four to five patches of new surface then back to the old … So tyre deg will be an issue, and you’ll need to ride the kerbs well.

Penrith Racing Kiwi, Matt Payne, surprisingly, has never raced at the venue, but has tested a number of times, in various cars, along the way:

“I did a test in a Formula Ford there, as well as two days in a TRS car … and of course drove a Toyotas 86 there last week!

“They have done a lot of repairs – on three or four corners there is a new surface, which makes it quite tricky, affecting the braking and exit zones.

“The old surface has degraded to almost the same style as SMP … that is, it is quite gritty, like a cheese grater! There are a lot of left-handers, so it’s going to be pretty heavy on the right side, so it will be crucial to have a good car to keep the tyres on it.

“Regardless, as a Kiwi, it’s going to be cool to race there – I grew up watching A1GP there and Super Tourers, so it will be awesome …”

Apart from Supercars, the Australian Carrera Cup Series provides the primary supporting races, along with NZ Formula Ford  and Central Muscle Cars championships.

Taupo Super400 schedule (all times AEDT)

Friday, April 19

Practice: 10.55

Saturday, April 20

Qualifying Race 7: 08.20

Top 10 Shootout: 10.00

Race 7 (60 laps): 13.05

Sunday, April 21

Qualifying Race 8: 08.45

Top 10 Shootout: 10.25

Race 7 (60 laps): 13.05

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Podcast: We’re going to Taupo… Tow Paw… Whatever. Supercars is back!

After a break that feels like months, the Supercars Championship is back and headed across the ditch to Taupo in the middle of the North Island. And yes, Brodie Kostecki will be there! As will the rain.

Somehow, the rain will also be in China for F1’s return to 中国. Philip Island was stunning on the weekend, just gone, if a little cold, but we chatted about whether Supercars should return to the land of penguins.

Plus, there’s more… all the news in the way only the Auto Action RevLimiter can deliver.

Listen to our latest episode on your podcast app of choice or here