Supercars has just released the track schedule for the event, which will include races in the Porsche Carrera Cup, Formula Ford, Toyota 86 Championship, Central Muscle Cars and of course the Supercars Championship categories.
The event takes place from April 19-21 and marks Supercars’ first visit to Taupō International Motorsport Park and the first event in New Zealand since 2022.
The Supercars will race twice, on Saturday and Sunday at 3.05pm, but in total, fans will be able to see all 24 cars on track at least six times throughout the three days.
All Supercars drivers will be on track for the first time on Friday at 12.55pm for practice.
On Saturday, there will be two qualifying events at 10.20am (for all drivers) and 12pm (for the fastest 10) to determine the starting positions for the big 200km race at 3.05pm. There will also be a drivers’ parade at 1.30pm.
On Sunday, there will also be two qualifying events, at 10.45am (all drivers) and 12.25pm (fastest 10), before the second big race, also at 3.05pm.
With five Kiwis on the Supercars grid, local fans will have a tough time deciding who to support.
Tauranga’s Richie Stanaway is currently the highest-ranked Kiwi in the Supercars Championship, sitting an impressive fourth on the standings, following February’s season-opening Thrifty Bathurst 500.
Stanaway’s Grove Racing teammate Matt Payne occupies eighth place, while race-winning Aucklander Andre Heimgartner and rookies Jaxon Evans and Ryan Wood will be eager to take the mantle of top Kiwi when the action gets under way.
Ryan Wood, Jaxon Evans, Andre Heimgartner, Richie Stanaway and Matt Payne at Taupō International Motorsport Park. Photo / Mark Horsburgh
Works at the circuit are well under way, with temporary grandstands, paddock infrastructure and other temporary and permanent work currently being built.
An all-new pit exit has also been laid, designed specifically for Supercars.
The release of the track schedule comes as Supercars announced a special Track to Town event with all 24 Supercars and drivers set to descend on Taupō's CBD for a display and autograph session near the #LoveTaupō sign, prior to the practice on Friday.
In line with the racing days on the Saturday and Sunday, two New Zealand music phenomenons announced gigs in town: country musician Kaylee Bell will perform on April 19 and Six60 will perform on April 20 at Great Lake Centre.
The highly-anticipated event has been met with huge demand and there are only limited grandstand and general admission tickets remaining. Tickets can be purchased via Supercars.com and Ticketek NZ.
The ITM Taupō Super400 will be the third event of the 2024 season. To check out the full track schedule, visit the Supercars website.
All Supercars events will be broadcast live on Fox Sports in Australia and Sky Sport in New Zealand, with live streaming available on Kayo.
