Round 2 Super Sprint NZ - Taupo Historic GP

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The World's eyes turn to Taupo International Motorsport Park this January as the Globes top-up-and-coming drivers head to New Zealand for the opening round of the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship on the Volcanic Plateau location in the central North Island.

Round 2 of the Super Sprint Motorsport NZ Championship heralds the Taupo Historic GP a unique celebration of Trans-Tasman Holden History.

 

It features the legends of Supercar history & and unique international race cars brought into the country just for this event.

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✔ Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship 
✔ Holden All-Comers – Open invite to all Holden race cars*
✔ Historic Touring Cars NZ
✔ Historic Sport Sedans
✔ Historic Saloons, Sports, and GTs
✔ Formula 5000
✔ Formula Open NZ
✔ Formula Junior / F3 / Historic Formula Ford

 
⚡Grab your tickets online or at the gate
⚡’Fast Lane’ venue entry for Online Ticket holders

 

★★  HOLDEN ALL COMERS RACE & HOLDEN DISPLAY ★★ 

A dedication and celebration of Holden to feature star drivers at the Taupo Historic Grand Prix.

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★★ In the first announcement - Craig Lowndes, Greg Murphy, Jack Perkins & Stephen Richards have confirmed their attendance to join in the celebration of NZ Holden History!! That’s right a star-studded lineup will be in attendance to celebrate some of the iconic cars and stars, the history, and the accolades of Holden in NZ and Australia. You can meet these legends and grab an autograph & a selfie during the day!

See these stars and some amazing vehicles on display at the new home of the Supercars for NZ... One not to miss for any fan of the mighty brand. Stay tuned for more important names associated with the Holden era to be announced in the celebratory Holden Line up.

The event will also feature an exciting Holden All Comers Race across the weekend live on TV, Entries are now open for any HOLDEN race car. 

*All comers must have a homologated roll cage & logbook. Entries are now open to the general racing public, we expect this grid to sell out fast, contact us QUICKLY if you wish to race.
 

✔ Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship
Delivering fast, competitive racing, New Zealand’s premier single-seater category
attracts drivers from around the globe. The Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania
Championship is New Zealand’s fastest racing category providing winter training in a
southern hemisphere summer.

The championship is officially recognised by the world’s governing body the FIA as one of its six global Formula Regional Championships and as such is recommended as a critical part of the career for any young racing driver serious about making it to Formula One or other high level international motorsport championships.

★★ The Historic GP★★ 
A celebration of those classic racing cars we were all brought up on.

✔ F5000 The Historic GP is headlined by the F5000’s, 5 Litre open wheel race cars, the Mighty V8 rumble will set the mood in Taupo. The cars started as Formula A in the USA, and were quickly adopted in UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia & New Zealand. They were the premier series single seater in NZ from 1970 until 1977. In their heyday they could foot it with Formula 1 cars with an F5000 winning the Race of Champions in the UK.

✔ Formula Open NZ – Open wheel race cars with slick tyres that are very competitive, made up of ex TRS FT40’s & FT50’s as well as the Formula Atlantic that uses the legendary Toyota 4AGE engine. The Formula DB4 & Formula Renault also feature among this grid.  

What will surprise people is just how competitive the different types of car are with the more powerful post 1988 Formula Atlantic’s and the more modern ex TRS FT50’s being virtually identical in lap times yet a well driven ex TRS FT40 will be nipping at their heels. Each type of car generates its speed in different ways, and this leads to intensely close and exciting racing. All cars racing this weekend are Toyota powered with the Atlantics using a 1600cc Toyota 4AGE producing around 245hp and the FT40 and FT 50 using an 1800cc Toyota 2ZZ-GE producing around 215hp.

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✔ Formula Junior / F3 / Historic Formula Ford
Created in 1958 in Italy by Count Giovanni (Johnny)Lurani, Formula Junior was a route for any backyard engineer or wannabe racer to build a car and compete at international level.

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In Britain, the spluttering 500cc F3 series was supplanted by Formula Junior and the explosion of manufacturers and new thinking was about to occur in 1959. The Morris Minor, Ford Anglia, DKW, Citroen and Renault among others joined the Fiat 1100 as sources for the best designs which culminated in car designs that were also used in Formula 1 and a competition that was THE stepping stone to Formula1 from 1960 to 1963.Cooper, Gemini, Elva, Lotus and Lola among so many others, produced innovative and successful designs that revolutionised modern race cars

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✔ Historic Saloons, Sports, and GTs

The Historic Saloons Sports and GTs grid sees cars from several classes running together to make for a spectacular grid of cars. We have entries from HMSC, HVRA and Pre78 groups.

There is no championship, no points, and no rewards are given for finishing positions. Emphasis is placed on car presentation and period correctness.

Historic Muscle Cars caters to pre-1978 6-cylinder and V8 powered four-seater production cars of more than 4200cc engine capacity. Emphasis is on makes and models with a period racing history.

Historic Saloon Cars caters to pre-1978 two and four seater production saloon cars with an engine capacity of under 4200cc. Emphasis is on makes and models that predominantly raced in period.

HVRA (Historic Vintage Racing Association) provides a platform for enthusiasts of early 60’s to mid 70’s cars to take part in historic racing in a non-competitive environment. HVRA is focused on camaraderie, good driver behaviour and presenting cars with correct historic form and function.

New Zealand Pre 78 Classic Saloons is primarily for Motorsport NZ Appendix 6 Group 2 Thoroughbred and Classic Pre 78 Saloons and occasional invited guests.

 

✔Historic Sports Sedans and Invited Allcomers

Formed to bring out the Allcomers - which essentially translated to ‘anything goes’ - that with their heavily modified bodywork - that once dominated the New Zealand Saloon Car Championship and the Sports Sedans that superseded them, Historic Sports Sedans and Allcomers commemorates the wild and popular saloon racing of the early 1960s and 1970s.The category limits the cars to the configuration they raced in 15 years ago and provides racing for some exciting cars that are not quite fast enough to foot it with the newer machinery but do not fit into the other historic and classic classes.

There is a general acceptance that the golden era for New Zealand racing Specials was the late 1940s through late 1950s. This was a time in New Zealand history when stringent import laws forced Kiwis to become adept at creating and building for themselves if they wanted to go motor racing. Stifled as they were, however, for many, it was the personal challenge that came from designing and building their own car that proved the ultimate reward. As international racing gathered momentum during the 1950s, so New Zealand embraced its place in the world, and made full use of its Southern hemisphere summer racing season, which attracted racing teams and drivers from the Northern hemisphere. And with them arrived an abundance of modern European racing machinery. Indeed, even cars two or three years old were proving more than a match for the locally produced Specials. And inevitably, the Specials presence in New Zealand front-line racing combat faded as the 1950s drew to a close. However, Kiwi ingenuity didn’t simply die out. Creative New Zealand racing car builders simply sought new horizons.

 

✔ Historic Touring Cars NZ

The Historic Touring Cars NZ Association is a community of historic race car enthusiasts.  They showcase genuine touring cars from New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Asia from 1970 through to 2000. These cars include International Group A, FIA 2 Litre Super Tourers, European Group 1 or 2 Saloon cars, British Touring Cars, Australian Group C,  New Zealand 2 Litre Schedule S Touring Cars.

These cars formed what would arguably be some of the most exciting racing of the 80s and 90s.

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★ The venue - Taupo International Motorsport Park ★ 
A world-class facility is home to a number of New Zealand’s biggest motorsport and enthusiast events, including the Taupo Historic GP, the coming Repco Supercars Championship and D1NZ. The venue boasts a private membership and provides regular track days for all car and bike racers/enthusiasts.

View more about Taupo International Motorsport Park 

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⚡ Grab your tickets online or at the gate
⚡ ’Fast Lane’ venue entry for Online Ticket holders
⚡ EMBANKMENT PARKING has been opened - on a per-car basis; please add this as an add-on to your ticket and refer to the notes of the ticket 

🔥 If you can't make it in person you can catch all the action live on TV - Sky Sport will be broadcasting Saturday & Sunday. 

[PLEASE BE AWARE GATE-SALE TICKETS WILL CERTAINLY BE AVAILABLE, HOWEVER THERE IS A SMALL INCREASE IN GATE-PRICING COMPARED TO ONLINE TICKET SALES]  

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Food & Beverages:

• There will be food and beverages available at the venue. 

• Alcohol will not be served to minors or intoxicated persons - ID required on request. You may bring a homemade picnic in a soft-chilly bag. 

• Commercial food is not allowed to be brought into the venue.

• This is a fantastic event however, you may be exposed to the sun, wind or rain for an extended period, therefore we strongly encourage you to bring along sunscreen, sunglasses, a jacket, be prepared with a fillable water bottle. 

 

Keep up to date with all the information via:
www.supersprint.co.nz and on our facebook page

 

⚡For corporate hospitality please click here
⚡Trade-stand and partnerships please click here
⚡To enter The Holden all Comers Race click here
⚡ To display your pride and joy Holden and be a part of the cruise and event click here