Euromarque Motorsport Park

Euromarque Motorsport Park (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, 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. Mike Pero joined the circuit as title sponsor from 2013–2023, as Mike Pero Motorsport Park. In the early parts of February 2023, the sponsorship deal was over, and Euromarque became the new title sponsor.

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.

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 , along with other renovations.

The circuit

The track surface is hot mix bitumen and runs for in a counter-clockwise direction with many fast sweeping corners. It rewards smooth and tidy drivers.

It supports six layouts, from the "A Track" to the "Grand Prix with dipper".

The track features on the motorsport racing simulation game Project CARS 2 as Ruapana Park.

Layout History & Track Configurations

File:Ruapuna-Park.svg, Original Circuit (1963–1992)
File:Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park ('A Circuit' AKA Trioval).svg, 'A' Trioval Circuit (1993–present)
File:Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park ('A Circuit' AKA Trioval plus 'Dipper').svg, 'A' Trioval Circuit + Dipper (1993–present)
File:Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park ('B Circuit').svg, 'B' Circuit (1993–present)
File:Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park (Club Circuit).svg, Club Circuit (1993–present)
File:Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park (outer loop).svg, Outer Circuit (1993–present)
File:Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park (Grand Prix Circuit).svg, Grand Prix Circuit (1993–present)
File:Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park (longest layout).svg, Long Circuit (1993–present)
File:Ruapuna Circuit Map.jpg, Ruapuna Circuit (Mike Pero Motorsport Park) map

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.

Naming rights

Since 2013, Mike Pero, founder of Mike Pero Mortgages and Real Estate, had a naming rights sponsorship deal to Ruapuna, which was known as Mike Pero Motorsport Park. This deal ended in 2023, with Euromarque replacing.

For 10 years before, the naming rights had been held by Powerbuilt Tools.

Lap Records

The official lap record for the Euromarque Motorsport Park is 1:15.810, set by Scott Dixon on 5 December 1998. While the unofficial all-time track record is 1:11.265, set by Liam Lawson in a Rodin FZED on 21 January 2022. As of February 2024, the fastest official race lap records at the Euromarque Motorsport Park are listed as:

Ruapuna Speedway

Adjacent to the main circuit (on the south side) is the Ruapuna Speedway. The track has hosted important motorcycle speedway events, including multiple qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Championship starting in 1976 and the New Zealand Solo Championship on 17 occasions from 1965 to 2007.

Notes

References

External links

Canterbury Car Club Official websiteRuapuna Park in Google Maps

{{D1NZ Locations

Ruapuna
Ruapuna
Ruapuna
New Zealand Grand Prix