The excitement of Speedway in New Zealand is experienced every week throughout the summer season from Labour weekend until Easter. With 24 race tracks across the country, fans enjoy the exhilaration that only Speedway can provide.
Speedway in New Zealand is run on a clay based oval track 400 metres
long surrounded by a concrete wall, there are over 20 tracks and stadiums around
the country with meetings held in the summer months from October to April,
Speedway New Zealand (SNZ) is the governing body that sets the rules and
guidelines, there are international classes like Sprint cars, Midgets and Solo
Bikes which compete along with unique grades to New Zealand like Stock cars,
Super stocks and Modifieds.
Meetings are normally held on the weekends with many tracks racing under lights
at night, the two major types of racing are contact and non-contact racing;
contact classes are able to hit each other on the track within the rules of the
grade they race, Super Stocks are the elite class, a v8 240 cubic inch engine
built within a 1500kg steel frame designed to hit, they have bumpers front and
rear and side rails to protect the chassis, they often race in teams, where
stopping the opposition is the key to winning, it would be one of the most
aggressive forms of motorsport in the world. The non-contact classes are spilt
into 3 with saloons, open-wheeled and bikes, the saloons have a more car-like
look while the open wheels generally run with wings and wide tyres on the rear
for better traction and speed.
There are various grades of saloons; the production grade is basically regular
cars that have a roll cage put in. with glass and lights removed, to the elite
Super saloons which are space framed chassis under fibreglass shells, running
methanol fuel. The open wheeled classes are built for speed, the Sprint car is
the fastest car on clay in New Zealand with engines producing around 900+ horse
power, they are an international grade and drivers can compete around the world.
The bike grade consists of solo bikes and side cars which have a competitor
swinging on the bike to alter the balance around the race track, swingers are
either very brave or completely nuts to be hanging just millimetres off the
ground. Speedway is considered an amateur sport in New Zealand but provides a
strong economy for engine builders, race gear and after- market race part
suppliers; it is very much a community based sport with many involved in one way
or another.
The earliest age to start racing is 8 years old which is the Quarter Midget
grade (small motor bike engine in a midget type car,) while the biggest grade in
the country is the Youth Ministock class for kids aged 12-16 years old, adult
classes start at 16, some grades are regional/development classes and don't have
NZ championships, while the main classes have NZ championships, Grand Prix's and
North/South Island titles hosted around the country, the top 3 place getters at
the NZ title meeting get to run 1,2 or 3nz on their cars until the following
year's championship.
Jody Scott.