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Taupo is all revved up for a bumper weekend with dozens of past and present international motorsport stars creating a special buzz around town.
Amid the scores of glamorous cars and beautiful people cruising the streets, the latest rumour is that golf legend Jack Nicklaus will be attending the A1GP event ahead of the launch of his newly designed golf course at nearby Kinloch.
Celebrity spotters are already on the lookout for guitar legend Eric Clapton and Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor.
Over the next few days some petrolhead fans will be lucky enough to rub shoulders with the likes of Chris Amon, Emerson Fitipaldi (the Brazilian team boss), Alan Jones (Australian boss) and John Surtees (British team principal).
With the next A1GP round in Sydney on February 4, many drivers plan to relax in Taupo or at other spots in New Zealand next week. South African driver Alan van deer Merwe said he intended to trek the Tongariro Circuit.
The town has never before staged an event on the scale of this weekend's A1GP, so the district council and police admit they are taking a step into the unknown.
However, they are confident the crowd will be well behaved and promise the infrastructure will cope with up to 30,000 extra people in town each day, more than double the resident population.
One Taupo bar, the Holy Cow, has transformed itself into a strip club.
An airport spokeswoman said the seven inbound flights from Auckland and Wellington over the past few days had been nearly full.
Local helicopter operators are also busy, with at least 40 bookings made for the racing.
The international motorsport event and its build-up have lasted all week, with retail, tourist, and hospitality businesses benefiting.
Destination Lake Taupo manager Scott Lee said while 6400 beds had been booked out this weekend, he expected thousands of day trippers to make the journey from Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Auckland.
The crowd will peak tomorrow, when race organisers expect a near capacity audience of around 33,000 for the feature and sprint races.
The track at Centennial Park is about 8km from Taupo's CBD, with Broadlands Rd closed.
Senior Sergeant Murray Hamilton said detours on the outskirts of Taupo had been organised, meaning bottlenecks on SH1 and SH5 through town should be avoided.
Mayor Clayton Stent said Tuwharetoa St would be closed off tonight to cater for an organised street party.
A bus and minivan shuttle service would operate from central Taupo to help alleviate potential parking problems at the track.
Mayor Stent said visitors could park their cars at Tongariro Domain and be transferred to the track by shuttle.
Flying start for fans
Paddy Tully and his partner Lesley Walker drove 380km from Lower Hutt to Taupo to attend this weekend's A1GP event, but they will travel the final 5km by helicopter to get to the track.
"It's a lot easier to avoid the traffic," Mr Tully said. "We get picked up outside our hotel and get dropped off beside the circuit."
The retired car dealer travels the world to experience the noise, excitement and smell of fast cars and big crowds. His most recent trip was to the Malaysian round of the A1GP, but he's also been to Formula One events throughout Europe and watched the V8s in action in Australia.
"I've been to the Indy car racing in Australia for the past 13 years in a row and attended Bathurst for the last 14 years in a row."
He is relishing the opportunity to mix with old friends in the corporate hospitality marquees at the track.
Mr Tully is backing the German team for "a place bet", but can't avoid predicting a win for New Zealand's Jonny Reid.
Yesterday's practice session for A1 teams, V8 qualifying, and races of Minis, Porsche GT3s, Toyotas, and Formula Fords, was watched by about 10,000 spectators - half the crowd that race promoters were hoping for.
Fans heading along today and tomorrow should pack their sunscreen and take hats and umbrellas: there is no shelter on the open grandstands. Earplugs are highly recommended.
