Motorsports in New Zealand began in 1901 when the Pioneer Cycle Club held a three-mile handicap race which included both motor bikes and cars. Since then it has developed and now almost all types of motor sport events are represented.

History

Initially motor sport in New Zealand was organised by cycle clubs with both motor bikes and cars taking part in the same events. The earliest recorded motorcar and motorbike race in New Zealand took place in Christchurch. On 8 November 1901 the Pioneer Cycle Club held a 3-mile automobile race at Hagley Park between a Brown motor quad driven by A Lowry, a Minerva engined Stella motor bicycle ridden by A Every, and a Star Motor Company Voiturette driven by Noel Oates.Cycling, Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11116, 7 November 1901, Page 6First motor race 1901, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, retrieved 27 June 2016Motors in Canterbury, Star, Issue 10424, 30 March 1912, Page 6 The motor bicycle won the race.Editorial, North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 979, 19 November 1901, Page 2 Noel Oates was the proprietor of the Zealandia Cycling Works, a successful Christchurch based cycle manufacturer.The Zealandia Cycling Works, Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 8246, 9 August 1892, Page 2

By 1903 motor cycles were competing in their own events.Cycling notes, Otago Witness, Issue 2555, 4 March 1903 In 1905 motor sport events included hill climbs.Cycling and motor notes, Otago Daily Times, Issue 13461, 8 December 1905, Page 10

The first motor race meeting with multiple events was organized by the Canterbury Automobile Association on 26 December 1905 at the Metropolitan Trotting Grounds (now known as the Addington Raceway). The event included a gymkhana to test driver skills, several 5 mile long motor races for cars based horse power classes, and two motor bicycle races. Dr Thacker's Beeston–Humber driven by A Duncan won the main race for cars under 12 hp.Canterbury Automobile Association, Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12385, 27 December 1905, Page 4

Reliability trials (now called Economy Runs) also started in this period. These were usually organised by the local Automobile Association.The final run, Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13710, 18 April 1910, Page 4 These were followed by motor car and bike races on various beaches.Motor races, Evening Star, Issue 15087, 20 January 1913

Motorcycle grass track racing at horse race tracks continued during the war period.The Colemans, Rod Coleman, The Print Place, Taupo, As did beach racing at locations such as New Brighton.race Motoring, Sun, Volume III, Issue 902, 1 January 1917, page 2 While these events were predominantly male drivers, there were events specifically for female motor cyclists.race Motoring, Star, Issue 11934, 17 February 1917

Motorbike racing

Early motor cycle races took place at various horse race tracks throughout the country. Later races also took place on beaches. An example of these was the 100 mile race at New Brighton organized by the Pioneer Motorcycle Club and held on 13 January 1917. The race was won by Ernest F C Hinds on a 7 hp Harley-Davidson.race Motor cycling, Sun, Volume III, Issue 913, 13 January 1917, page 11

The first New Zealand rider on the international scene was Alan Woodman. He raced in the 1910 Isle of Man TT race, crashed, and lost his leg as a result of the incident. Despite this disability Woodman continued to successfully race motor cycles.race Motor cycling, Star, Issue 11928, 10 February 1917

Another early New Zealand motorcycle champion was Rod Coleman's father, Percy Coleman. Percy begun racing in 1912 on a 3.5 horsepower Humber at Ashhurst race course. In 1913 riding a Douglas, he won the New Zealand 5 mile light weight championship. By 1914, on an Indian, he was the top New Zealand rider. By 1914 he held the Australasian 1, 5, and 10 mile speed records. In 1915 he switched for a season to the Big X Excelsior, returning to an 8 valve Indian the following. In 1919 he went to the United States and competed in the Ascot 200 at Ascot Park, Los Angeles. He finished 8th on an Indian. He then returned to New Zealand to continue his Australasian racing career. Percy raced unsuccessfully in the 1930 Isle of Man TT race.

By 1917 motor cycle racing had been divided into different classes: light, medium, heavy-weight; open; and ladies.race Christchurch motor carnival, Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 16892, 19 February 1917 Light weight machines were up to 350 or 600cc if no medium weight class was run. Medium weight was from over 350cc to 600cc, and heavy weight over 600cc. Ladies were restricted to up to 350cc.race Red Cross Motor Carnival, Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15829, 19 February 1917 Sidecar motorcycles were also raced at some events.race Motor cycle racing, Hastings Standard, Volume VII, Issue 98, 9 April 1917, page 2

Track racing Castrol Six Hour (New Zealand)

Speedway Motorcycle speedway New Zealand Solo Championship

Motocross

Hill Climb Silverstone Race to the Sky

Car racing

Track racing

Open wheelers

Chris Amon Racing - Formula 1 team Formula Ford Formula Holden Formula Mondial Formula Pacific - New Zealand staged the first ever races for Formula Pacific cars in January 1977 Graham Howard, A backward look at Formula Pacific, 1982 Australian Grand Prix Program, page 51 having abandoned Formula 5000 and moved to the new formula in that year.New Zealand Formula Pacific series races Retrieved on 23 January 2010 The category continued there until Formula Mondial was introduced in 1983.Formula Mondial - Southern Pacific Zone, Australian Motor Racing Year 1983/94, pages 232-233 New Zealand Grand Prix Tasman Series Formula Regional Oceania Championship by Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand

Single make Suzuki Swift Sport Cup Toyota Finance 86 Championship Mazda Racing Series

Production and touring cars

Supercars Championship (Auckland SuperSprint and Hamilton 400 - from 2008 to 2012) John McIntyre Racing - racing team M3 Racing - racing team New Zealand Touring Car Championship 1984-2002 NZ Touring Cars championship V8 touring cars from 2003 to 2011 Super Black Racing - racing team Suzuki Swift Sport Cup Tasman Motorsport - racing team V8SuperTourer - from 2012 to 2015

Endurance National Endurance Championship: A one off 1 day meeting where the top 20 cars from the South Island Endurance & North Island Endurance Series compete for the National Endurance titles in 1 hour and 3 hour races.

24 Hours of Lemons - Heralded as New Zealand's largest participation motorsport series, 24 Hours of Lemons ran the first ever continuous endurance race in NZ history in May 2018 at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park.Lemons go the distance, Matt Shand, 07:32, Apr 04 2017, retrieved 27 May 2018 Pukekohe 500 - an endurance production and touring car race held since 1963 Wellington 500 - an endurance touring car race held from 1985 to 1996

Drifting

D1NZ

Drag racing Drag racing in New Zealand started in the 1960s. The New Zealand Hot Rod Association (NZHRA) sanctioned what is believed to have been the first drag meeting at an open cut coal mine at Kopuku, south of Auckland, sometime in 1966. In 1973, the first and only purpose built drag strip opened in Meremere by the Pukekohe Hot Rod Club. In April 1993 the governance of drag racing was separated from the NZHRA and the New Zealand Drag Racing Association (NZDRA) was formed. In 2014, New Zealand's second purpose built drag strip - Masterton Motorplex - opened.

The first New Zealand Drag Racing Nationals was held in the 1966/67 season at Kopuku, near Auckland.

There are now two governing bodies operating drag racing in New Zealand with the IHRA sanctioning both of New Zealands major tracks at Ruapuna (Pegasus Bay Drag Racing Association) in the South Island and Meremere Dragway Inc in the North Island. NZDRA being the other organisation now run at Masterton Motorplex and Taupo as well as using the Street car old airstrips and closed roads throughout the country. NZDRA NZ is the sanctioned governing body of dragracing in New Zealand.

Hill Climb

Silverstone Race to the Sky

Rallying International Rally of Whangarei New Zealand Rally Championship Targa New Zealand

Speedway (dirt track racing)

Midget car racing Speedway Grand Prix of New Zealand Stockcar racing began in New Zealand during the 1950s, first race was at Aranui Speedway on November 27, 1954. It was brought to New Zealand after New Zealand Speedway riders witnessed the huge crowds that watched the races in Britain earlier that year. As with the UK, Stockcar racing in New Zealand is a very different form of racing than that of the US. Stockcar racing is a full-contact sport in New Zealand: as the rule book states, "contact is not only permitted, it is encouraged". Cars are built to an extremely rigid design and feature strong steel guards around almost the entire car. "Stockcars" are divided into three classes: Superstocks, Stockcars, Ministocks (Ministocks predominantly being a non-contact youth class). Superstocks are the top class and are typically powered by V8 engines up to 248 cubic inch which can produce over 500 bhp. The majority of races are of an individual nature however, unique to New Zealand stockcar racing is the team racing format. Typically teams racing consists of two teams of four cars each that work together to win the race. Teams normally protect their "runners" while attempting to eliminate the opposing team, the races can be decided by a points format or first across the finish line.

The class most resembling the North American form of stockcar racing are known as Saloon cars. Super Saloons are similar to dirt late models, with the main differences being the bodies closer resemble production cars, use iron engines up to 434 cubic inch with no rear offset and run much larger sprintcar tyres on the rear.

Economy runs

Motorkhana

Off-road racing Off-road racing runs its own class structure and has a multiple-round national championship. Its flagship event, the two-day, 1000 km Taupo 1000, is a stand-alone international endurance race which is currently held every other year. The event started life in 1992, as the "made for television" Bridgestone 1000 and was the first Offroad Endurance Race in New Zealand to include teams from Australia, New Zealand and the US. That event was won outright by Les Siviour of Australia driving a Class 6 Nissan Patrol, for Team Nissan. The most successful and popular racer in the sport's history in New Zealand is multiple outright and class national champion Ian Foster of Henderson, Auckland. At the height of his career he had amassed 21 back to back wins, driving for Team Tamiya in an Unlimited Class 1 race car built by Cougar Race Cars. Ian was one of the co-founders of the sports national organising body, known as ORANZ. The sport is about to enter its 30th year.Home – Offroad Association of New Zealand

Historic vehicles Southern Festival of Speed

Speed boats Motor boat racing took place as early as 1917.race Motor boat racing, Hastings Standard, Volume VI, Issue 342, 30 January 1917, page 6 Racing was held in various classes and included handicap races.

Truck racing

Four wheel drive

Venues

Ardmore Airport (New Zealand), Auckland Beachlands Speedway, Waldronville, Dunedin Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Taupo Cemetery Circuit, Whanganui Dunedin Street Circuit Hamilton Street Circuit Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, Northern Waikato Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell Manfeild Autocourse, Feilding Euromarque Motorsport Park, Templeton Muriwai, beach motor racing from the 1920s to 1940s RNZAF Base Ohakea Paeroa Street Circuit Pukekohe Park Raceway Teretonga Park, Invercargill Thunder Ridge Motorsport Park, Waikato Timaru International Motor Raceway Waimate Street Circuit Wellington Street Circuit Western Springs Speedway Wigram Airfield Circuit

Notable people

Paul Adams, rally driver Chris Amon, Formula 1 driver