The ITM Taupō Super400 got off to a rumbling start through the Taupō CBD on Thursday ahead of this weekend's racing. Video / Dan Hutchinson and Milly Fullick
Supercars drivers were welcomed to Taupō today ahead of this week’s inaugural event in the town.
Thousands of spectators lined the streets on Thursday afternoon as the full procession of cars competing in the event made their way into the town centre.
Earlier in the day mana whenua of the area, including kapa haka leader Snow Rameka, performed a pōwhiri, or traditional welcome for the Kiwi and Australian drivers and the wider Supercars team before racing starts with a practice session on Friday.
At the ceremony, the competition’s trophies were unveiled for the eight main races, all of which were carved by Taupō master carver, Delani Brown.
Brown said the trophies’ form was based on a stylised taurapa, or canoe bow, which he explained was a mark of respect to drivers as well as their wider teams and even ancestors.
“This taurapa concept was designed as an acknowledgement and sign of respect and support to each of the drivers whose support from their families, their team, the bloodlines that they descend from in their pursuit to be the best is of high value.”
The Kiwi Supercars drivers joined mana whenua for a challenge to their Australian counterparts.
After the welcome, drivers set off for Taupō's CBD for the Supercars Track to Town event, which gave visitors and locals an opportunity to see the specialised cars up close.
It marked the first time all 24 Supercars have been driven on public roads.
Drivers stopped for autographs and photos with fans at the “live site” on Taupō's CBD lakefront area, which will broadcast key races live for those who missed out on tickets.
The Track to Town and live site form part of the wider entertainment programme in the town, which also includes a Kaylee Bell concert on Friday and a stop on Six60′s Grassroots Tour on Saturday; both sold-out events are to be held at the Great Lake Centre.
This week, the New Zealand Defence Force’s Black Falcons also confirmed they would perform a flypast at 2.55pm on Saturday.
It will be the display team’s final flight of the season, which team member Squadron Leader Michael Williams said was a fitting end to a great summer.
The 24 supercars racing in this weekend's ITM Taupō Super400 get a rowdy welcome from thousands of specators on Thursday as they made their way through the CBD.
“This level of flying, whether it’s a display or a close-formation flypast such as we’ll be doing at Taupō, is fantastic to be part of as a pilot.
“It also practices and sharpens key military flying skills, and demonstrates a key element of our Air Force’s range of capabilities.”
Meanwhile, NZTA Waka Kotahi Waikato’s system manager, Andy Oakley, reminded motorists to plan ahead and expect delays around the Motorsport Park and wider town.
“We’re expecting to see heavy traffic volumes in and around Taupō over the few days of the Supercars Championship.
“Anyone travelling on State Highways 1 and 5 through the central North Island should allow plenty of time and expect delays as they get near to Taupō.
All non-essential maintenance in the area had been paused, he said, but drivers may encounter some temporary speed limits on their drive.
A haka was performed to welcome the visiting Supercars teams.
“All non-essential maintenance activity has been paused on SH1 and SH5 in the central North Island, however drivers may encounter some active work sites with temporary speed limits in place. Please take care and stick to the posted speed,” Oakley said.
Free, continuous shuttles between the CBD and Motorsport Park will operate on all three race days, with visitors driving to the venue needing to use the SH1 Centennial Avenue Interchange rather than Broadlands Rd, which will be closed to public traffic around the venue.
In a statement, Minister for Economic Development, Melissa Lee, said she looked forward to attending the event to see firsthand the benefits for the region.
“Taupō and the surrounding regions are set to benefit from increased international visitor nights and hospitality spend, generating millions of dollars in revenue.
“There’s plenty of other racing at the event, including the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, NZ Central Muscle Cars, Toyota GAZOO Racing 86 Series NZ, and Formula Ford, while the Royal New Zealand Air Force takes to the skies above the circuit for a memorable display for fans.
“With thousands of international visitors in attendance and millions of people tuning in, this event will provide invaluable exposure to the key Australian market and cement Taupō as the new home of Supercar racing in New Zealand.”
Drivers assembled for the "class photo" of the inaugural Taupō Supercars round.
As busy as Christmas
This year marks the first round of the new, major international event for Taupō, with organisers warning locals across the district to expect Christmas and New Year levels of visitors.
More than 20,000 people will attend each day of racing, most of whom will be staying locally, as well as spilling out into restaurants, bars and supermarkets.
Among the crowds will be an army of volunteers, keeping things running smoothly.
Phil Shaw, general manager events for V8 Supercars, said many locals had volunteered, as had some Australian fans.
The 350 volunteers would do all kinds of important work over the weekend.
“The biggest group are the volunteers who are the track marshals out on the track; they’re waving the flags out on the course.”
For many, the sudden influx of visitors may come as a surprise, but for those working behind the scenes, it was the culmination of 14 months of work.
Steve Giles, events and venues manager for Taupō District Council, said the turnaround time was fairly tight for a completely new event for the town.
“In any major events space, 12 months is the minimum to turn it around.”
Josie Spillane, chief executive officer of Taupō International Motorsport Park, echoed the remarkable amount of work that has been done in a short time.
“When we announced it was here in Taupō, it was something like 105 days left to go.”
“There was a lot of work behind the scenes with the Major Events New Zealand and with Taupō District Council, and with Taupo Motorsport Park.”
“Supercars couldn’t have done this without those three organisations.”
The Taupō International Motorsport Park was a hive of activity ahead of the Supercars opening day on Friday.
Finding the time
The first major consideration was when to hold the event.
Giles said Council had originally proposed a later date, but the logistics of timing an event proved surprisingly complicated.
There were many factors to consider, from not treading on the toes of the Bathurst Supercars event, to avoiding placing additional stress on peak times for Taupō's tourism.
August was also considered, which “from a Taupō perspective is a quieter time of year”, but this was rejected due to potential issues brought about by the colder temperatures of the Central Plateau winter.
One less obvious scheduling consideration, Giles said, was the international Formula 1 calendar.
Bringing Supercars back to New Zealand involves transporting the cars by plane, of which there are only four in the world properly equipped with frames to hold delicate, expensive vehicles.
“The cars sit in these skids, almost like a shipping container without sides.”
All four of those planes are owned by F1, meaning they needed to be leased at a time when they wouldn’t be needed for their racing calendar.
Once the April dates were secured, the work was far from over.
While talking to the Taupō and Tūrangi Herald, Giles reeled off numbers with the air of someone who has lived and breathed them for a long time.
“Six weeks of build, [more than] 5000 grandstand seats, 4000 corporate spaces, broadcasting TV towers to be established, six bars, Portaloos, food stall areas, 80 security staff, 180 staff in the corporate space alone.”
Leading the charge for the Supercars event are (left to right) Phil Shaw, general manager events, Shanelle Barrett, event manager for 2024 SuperSprint, Josie Spillane, chief executive officer of Taupō International Motorsport Park and Martin Collins General Manager of TIMP.
A lasting legacy
Alongside the infrastructure needed, one of the main priorities for Taupō District Council was creating a legacy around the event that had a positive impact for locals.
This included setting up events like the Women in Motorsport breakfast at the Taupō Hilton, with speakers from the industry from drivers to social media managers aiming to show the potential avenues open in the sport to local women.
“Ultimately that’s designed to showcase careers in motorsport.”
Even events that seem straightforward at first glance required a surprising amount of behind-the-scenes work, Giles said.
The Track to Town event on Thursday, for example, would see the Supercars’ 24 Chevrolet Camaros and Ford Mustangs parade from the Motorsport Park to Roberts Street through Taupō. Drivers will stop for autographs before heading back to the park on Broadlands Road.
It is not a challenging route for the drivers, but one that needed NZTA, Police and Taupō District Council approval.
That is because the cars are not road-legal, so needed temporary permission to avoid potential fines.
Luckily, all parties were happy to provide this.
The second problem, Giles said, was daylight savings. The event’s schedule would need to be rigidly adhered to, as the cars were not fitted with appropriate headlights for driving in the dark; these would add pointless weight, given they are only used for daytime racing.
Snow Rameka speaks during the pōwhiri/welcome for the Supercars team.
Extra policing
Police have been busily preparing too, and would send “dozens of extra officers from across the Bay of Plenty” to the town, it said in a statement, with a focus on visibility across the event and wider town.
“With the influx of people and traffic, we’re asking motorists to expect some delays and factor extra time into their journeys, and if you’re stopped, expect to be breathalysed.”
“From a council and government perspective, when we invest in these events, we want to know what the legacy will be.”
Major sponsors ITM have donated 24,000 native plants to Greening Taupō, some of which would be planted by the winning drivers on a special Earth Day ceremony on Monday, with the remainder to be used in upcoming community planting days.
Cultural considerations also played a part, with Tūwharetoa hapū Ngā Hapu o Tauhara consulted throughout the process as mana whenua.
They blessed the construction of the additional deck added to the Motorsport Park, and have been consulted along the way.
A cultural ceremony opening would also take place on Thursday to begin the weekend’s events, and local master carver Delani Brown has created the trophies for the eight major races.
The first of many
This year’s event was the first of three Supercars events that would be held in Taupō, with a concession for a further two years after that.
