Petrol-head heaven at Pukekohe

Holden V8 fans Justin Hansen of Auckland (left) and Jayson Croft of Pukekohe enjoy the races. Picture / Richard Robinson

Lynda Bagnall and her family of proud petrol-heads were strategically placed near the S bends.

That way they were assured of seeing - and smelling - plenty of the action in the V8 Supercar races at Pukekohe yesterday, possibly for the last time.

"They were honking through here," the Greg Murphy fan said of the screaming and occasionally smoking racing cars.

Mrs Bagnall, aged 40, and her husband Andy - both Holden owners - brought their boys, aged 7, 10 and 12, from their home in Whangarei to watch the races from the infield side of the track.

She gleefully admitted they were all petrol-heads - as did all spectators interviewed by the Herald.

"The boys love cars," she said. "They know everything about them."

She and some other spectators said - in between the high-pitched whine of gears or the roar of the V8 motors thundering past - that they were unlikely to travel to Wellington if the races shifted there, but were glad of a possible 12-month reprieve for Pukekohe.

The Australian organisers of the series, Avesco, despite having argued in the past that the Pukekohe circuit south of Auckland is no longer suitable for such a major event, now say it remains an option for next year for the New Zealand leg of the Australasian series.

The Auckland City Council last year abandoned a bid to host inner-city V8 races and Wellington - now Avesco's preferred option - is yet to make a final decision.

The Pukekohe races yesterday attracted 36,617 spectators, following nearly 30,000 on Saturday and more than 22,000 on Friday.

"We would probably miss out if it went to Wellington," said Mrs Bagnall. "It's just too far. We would have to fly down from Whangarei with five of us."

She had already "spent too much" at this year's races on clothing, a flag and posters from the merchandise tents - all branded with the team of Kiwi hero Murphy, who won all three Supercar races at the weekend.

One retailer, whose cheapest "Murph" shirt has a $59 tag, said he had sold out of many items.

"We usually sell out, especially when Murph wins. Everyone loves backing a winner," he said.

Jayson Croft, a 32-year-old Pukekohe landscaper and Chevrolet owner, loves everything about the races."It's the smell of rubber. It's the atmosphere."

His sense of smell was soon rewarded as several cars and a motorcycle did spectacular tyre burn-outs on the track, sending clouds of acrid black smoke drifting in his direction.

Mr Croft was excited by the talk of a reprieve for Pukekohe."I can't afford to go to Wellington to do something like this."