Pukekohe Park Raceway to host final motorsport meeting after 63 years

It is the end of an era for New Zealand motorsport. After 63 years of racing, Pukekohe Park Raceway is officially hosting its final motorsport meeting from February 13-15.

From hosting the first NZ Grand Prix back in 1963, to being the home of Supercars for years, this place has been the spiritual home of racing in Aotearoa. 

Before the keys are handed over to the horses for good, the track is getting one hell of a goodbye.

The weekend will consist of three standout pillars: Round Three of the D1NZ National Drifting Championship, the inaugural international Drift GP, and a special Sunday programme that closes the curtain on racing at the circuit. 

Looks like the three days will feature “remarkable cares with deep historical ties to Pukekohe”. 

Three days of carnage 

The weekend kicks off with Round Three of the D1NZ National Drifting Championship on Friday and Saturday. It’s bound to be an epic display of driving, with this circuit “famed globally” for its first turn being near -200km/h. 

Sunday shifts gears with the inaugural international Drift GP. This is an invitation-only showdown between some of the world’s best draft talent, alongside NZ’s finest. It’s a move that "elevates the weekend… into an international motorsport spectacle, reinforcing Pukekohe’s long-held reputation for attracting world-class competition." 

An unforgettable farewell 

To pay respects to a long-winded, iconic history, we’re going to see the legendary Britten V1000 return to the tarmac, with nine-time national champ Andrew Stroud delivering a full-noise farewell lap of the 2.91km circuit. 

The "Flying Farewell" tribute laps on Sunday are set to be a proper tear-jerker, serving as an emotional farewell to the iconic venue. 

The track is “a circuit woven into the fabric of New Zealand motorsport”, and this moment “brings together masters of the sport, multi-generational racing families, and the people who helped define the venue across six decades of competition.” 

The final chequered flag 

To wrap it all up, the weekend ends with a "carefully curated closing moment" to honour the legacy. It will bring together a guard of honour, cars from every era, and a massive nod to the "competitors, volunteers, officials and fans who made the circuit what it was."

For those who can’t park up first row to witness the send-off, it will be broadcast live on Sky Sport in New Zealand. For Aussie viewers, you can check it out on Fox Sports, and the rest of the world can watch on YouTube. 

Get your tissues - and earplugs - ready team.