No more new memories, Pukekohe Park for the horses.....

[Twistee 405]

Many people like myself have a lifetime of memories associated with Puke. My earliest memories stretch back to 1985 and the Nissan Sport 500, I was 6 or 7 at the time and my father who was a motorsport nut and car collector ended up with VIP tickets into what was quite a fancy grandstand at the time. In all fairness when you are 7 years old and you get to go into a catered area at a motorsport event everything seems pretty fancy. Looking back I was fortunate to have attended some crazy motorsport events as a kid outside NZ, but going to Puke was something that cemented the dad and lad relationship and I was lucky to have many fond memories of being burnt senseless (because dads are great at packing the basics...) while inhaling a heady mix of leaded fuel, roasted clutch, brake dust and tire smoke. 

Fast forward to present day and I've been lucky enough to take my daughter to the last two Supercar events at Puke, and while she loves the noise and spectacle of the cars I suspect she loves the hot chips drowning in tomato sauce even more. While Puke has been on borrowed time for years it is sad that we won't be making any more memories there, either driving or watching - and horses don't count. 

The Unitron Computer M3 sounded epic. 

On a side note, I left the M5 at home as I didn't want to deal with the stress of parking it in a paddock (for anyone that has not been to Puke during race weekend every local farmer within walking distance is selling off street parking). An hour after arriving at Puke my wife messaged me to say she had to go out ASAP, having never driven the M5  she got a crash course on how to operate an SMG in 5 text messages and a video link . 

 

Edited September 23, 2022 by Twistee
broken image

[Eagle 1519]

Track days still going. Never been on that track so i thought id better get one or maybe 2 in before its gone. 

[Twistee 405]

I'd be up for one of the play days, they seem to be on the calendar for the next few months. Possibly something others would also be interested in?

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2915]

That’s the only thing with Pukekohe, it’s history, and unfortunately it has been under invested for many many years. Take away all the temporary tents, stands and facilities from the Supercars and what is left is pretty poor.

Not the best spectator track, with only certain small sections visible from each vantage point, with the back straight and hairpin (the best bits) only visible if you are a long way from everything else.

Great track to race on, if you don’t scare yourself at least once on each lap then you are not pushing hard enough!

With the Horse Racing Club being the landlord and the motor racing circuit the tenant it was only going to end one way, and that writing has been on the wall since Hampton Downs opened.

[Twistee 405]

5 minutes ago, E30 325i Rag-Top said:

That’s the only thing with Pukekohe, it’s history, and unfortunately it has been under invested for many many years. Take away all the temporary tents, stands and facilities from the Supercars and what is left is pretty poor.

Not the best spectator track, with only certain small sections visible from each vantage point, with the back straight and hairpin (the best bits) only visible if you are a long way from everything else.

Great track to race on, if you don’t scare yourself at least once on each lap then you are not pushing hard enough!

With the Horse Racing Club being the landlord and the motor racing circuit the tenant it was only going to end one way, and that writing has been on the wall since Hampton Downs opened.

Totally agree, for me it's rose tinted. The track is epic and teeth shattering in places, it floods routinely despite all the drainage improvements and getting out of the elements is not possible at the best if times. Time stands still for no one, and the operating cost must be huge. I'm surprised it survived this long, there have been a few times where it looked like track was done for. 

 

[Driftit 1945]

Was there on the weekend too.

Great track to watch at when it's an event this big. Big TVs everywhere. Sat down on the hairpin where most of the action is.

The horse racing story is just so there is less backlash. The track is barely used for horse training. I bet it gets developed in just a few years.

I might sneak in a track day or race event before it closes for good.

Anyone that attends racing or track days should be far more disappointed. Only Manfeild is left as an affordable option.

Edited September 14, 2022 by Driftit

[Twistee 405]

The staging area on the left of turn one is already up for sale. 

[BreakMyWindow 1870]

On 9/13/2022 at 7:56 AM, Eagle said:

Track days still going. Never been on that track so i thought id better get one or maybe 2 in before its gone. 

I've been doing track days once a month at Puke and intend to until closedown. 

[Eagle 1519]

Nice. I'm looking to book one in October.

[Kees 581]

On 9/13/2022 at 9:16 AM, Twistee said:

Possibly something others would also be interested in?

I'd be interested in taking my 207 GTI there before it closes for good. 

[C-130 Hercules 556]

I'll be doing a few laps on 9 Oct - https://countiescycleclassic.co.nz/

[Bruski 23]

On 9/13/2022 at 11:57 PM, Driftit said:

Was there on the weekend too.

Great track to watch at when it's an event this big. Big TVs everywhere. Sat down on the hairpin where most of the action is.

The horse racing story is just so there is less backlash. The track is barely used for horse training. I bet it gets developed in just a few years.

I might sneak in a track day or race event before it closes for good.

Anyone that attends racing or track days should be far more disappointed. Only Manfeild is left as an affordable option.

Also went down to the hairpin with my boy (6) and we took in a pit visit during quali.  Best of the action at the hairpin with a giant screen but a long trek for short legs.  He was most excited by the 'smashed car' (Shell Mustang) on a trailer on Sunday.  Well, that and a Formula Ford losing all four wheels on the front straight, that was hard to top actually come to think of it. 

Given the landlords have merged with Ellerslie racecourse and will (according to the memo) set Puke up as a training venue to service Ellerslie, it seems the highest and best use of the land is ................houses.   Drop a pin on Pukekohe raceway, if you were not depressed enough about losing a motor racing venue and want to get extra depressed about losing prime dirt:

About land use capability » Our Environment (scinfo.org.nz)

There is a good debate on one of the racing forums, speedcafe it might have been, on how inadequate all the other venues are in NZ for supercars.  Too small, too remote, not close to an airport capable of handling a 747-cargo plane, lap times too short, not enough spectator capacity, track width too narrow, no major population centre, the list goes on.  For all Pukekohe being compromised (hard to see over those darned horse railings for one!), it was tried and tested.  Shame really.