Today marks 101 days to the first Hampton Downs 101 at Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park. The event, which features cars and drivers from the Australian GT Championship, is also the official opening for the new look Hampton Downs which has been transformed under new owner Tony Quinn.
"Obviously the place has changed quite a bit since I bought it last year," says Quinn. "We've extended the track, built new corporate suites, a conference centre, a go-kart track and we've done a lot of landscaping work. Plans for the future include a museum that celebrates Kiwi motorsport and ingenuity but most importantly I want it to be the number one motorsport track in New Zealand."
Hampton Downs faces some stiff competition for that title from Quinn's other racetrack in Cromwell in Central Otago. Built in less than a year, Highlands opened in Easter 2013 to widespread acclaim from drivers and spectators alike.
Since 2013, Highlands has hosted the Highlands 101 and with Quinn's purchase of Hampton Downs last year, North Island motorsport fans get their chance to see one of the fastest growing categories in world motorsport. In Australia, interest in the GT Championship is at an all time high.
"GT cars are aspirational," says Tony Quinn. "If you look at games like Gran Turismo or that kind of stuff, they promote the kind of cars you see going head to head with one another in the Australian GT Championship. You don't see many Holden Commodores, Ford Falcons or any other V8 Supercars in Gran Turismo. People are excited by Porsches, Ferraris and Lamborghinis and as a sport we have to mindful of that and give people what they want."
