Euromarque Motorsport Park

Overview

Euromarque Motorsport Park, still widely known as Ruapuna, lies on Hasketts Road at Templeton, about 13 km west of central Christchurch. It is owned and run by the Canterbury Car Club, one of the founding clubs of Motorsport New Zealand, and the roughly 100-acre site is a designated motorsport reserve that operates all year. The park counts more than 300 days of use and over 40 events a year, from national race meetings such as the Skope Classic, the Wigram Revival and rounds of the South Island Endurance Series to club race days, drifting, drag racing, motorcycle racing and a race school. The club also runs regular test days for drivers and riders holding a competition licence, while road-car track days are organised by groups such as Christchurch Trackdays.

Technical Specifications and Track Features

The Grand Prix circuit measures 3.33 km and is surfaced in hot-mix bitumen. It holds an FIA Grade 3 licence, and the shorter variants carry national grades. The club publishes six configurations; the longest adds a loop through the eastern infield, known as the dipper, and stretches the lap to 3.44 km. Drag meetings use the main straight. Timing uses a MyLaps transponder system. The outright race lap record of 1:15.810 was set by Scott Dixon in a Reynard 92D in December 1998, and Liam Lawson lapped in 1:11.265 in a Rodin FZED in 2022 outside a race. Matthew Payne set the Supercars record of 1:21.9256 in a Ford Mustang in April 2026. A trackside noise limit of 95 dB at 30 metres applies to most vehicles.

Facilities and Specialized Areas

In 2000 the club built 30 permanent pit garages with power, lighting and compressed air, and teams can enter the pits from both directions. A control tower overlooks the circuit alongside club and media suites, and race fuel is available on site by arrangement. Spectators use two grandstands, the Bruce McLaren stand above the main straight and the Denny Hulme stand at the back of the circuit, with about 1,200 permanent seats between them, plus terraced seating, hospitality marquee sites and function rooms with bars. The Chris Amon Clubrooms date from 1984. The grounds have been planted with trees for picnicking, and there is a children's playground. The neighbouring Ruapuna Speedway shares the name but is run separately.

History

In its early years the Canterbury Car Club held events at various venues around Christchurch, until it decided it needed a permanent track. Volunteers built Ruapuna Park, which opened in November 1963 as a simple sealed course about a mile long, essentially a flat tri-oval with an extended main straight leading to a hairpin. In 1976 the main straight was widened and a staging area added so drag racing could use it. The biggest change came in 1993, when the circuit was extended to 3.3 km and a programme of renovations followed, bringing a control tower, covered garages, a fuel bay and a viewing lounge above the start and finish line. Naming rights later went to Powerbuilt and then to Mike Pero, and since February 2023 the venue has carried the Euromarque name of the Cockram Motor Group. In 2015 the track was digitised for the Project CARS racing game.