New Zealands Newest Race Track

[roytarolla]

This has gone under the radar a bit but construction of New Zealands newest race track in Cromwell is well underway.

Check this link out. www.highlands.co.nz

Love the sections through the pine trees.

Track complex will also have a motorsport museum which will house a very large collection of historic and modern race cars. Cant wait

[Mr Ree]

The track looks really great, but will need alot more trees to be removed before that international license is issued haha. The bridge and carousel will be awesome

I hope the people behind it have enough finance organized to get the entire project complete rather than just enough to get the track poured, as if the track surroundings look ghetto, then its all down hill from there.

Not sure about the theft of F1 engine sounds to promote a new motorsport venture though...

[rolla_fxgt]

Tony Quinn of VIP petfoods owns it now, pretty sure he'll never run out of money in a hurry given how much people seem prepared to spend on their pets.

[Leon]

Looks interesting!

Wait what ... it's *where* ... oh man, that's gonna be tricky for me to get to in the mighty Corolla. Well, not so much tricky as much as it is going to be kind of spendy $$$$$$$.

Leave it in gravel, it'd be way more fun*

*other than the bridge anyway.

[loudstealthGT-Four]

Looks like a cool track, can wait till its done!!!!!!

[fangsport]

Looks interesting!

Wait what ... it's *where* ... oh man, that's gonna be tricky for me to get to in the mighty Corolla. Well, not so much tricky as much as it is going to be kind of spendy $$$$$$$.

Leave it in gravel, it'd be way more fun*

*other than the bridge anyway.

Ken and Travis won't be overly interested if they span the gap with a poxy bridge

[RomanV]

Plenty of high rollers coming to Queenstown for everything else, I could see days hiring prestige cars to bash around the track in, at an enormous pricetag, as a profitable venture.

[roytarolla]

Yep its all owned by Tony Quinn. Sounds like hes not to worried about making any money out of he just wants his own race track. He is going to base all his race operations out of cromwell. They are looking to have it all done by the end of the year with the possiblity of a race meeting early next year.

[fangsport]

Yep its all owned by Tony Quinn. Sounds like hes not to worried about making any money out of he just wants his own race track. He is going to base all his race operations out of cromwell. They are looking to have it all done by the end of the year with the possiblity of a race meeting early next year.

unless Mr Quinn has re-visited the Resource Consent for this site, i am of the impression there will be very few actual racedays.
part of the original concept (and main source of income) was for this facility to complement the Winter Proving Ground at Cardrona for off-season testing for tyre companies and car manufacturers alike, and there were only 10-15 days allocated in the resource consent for proper racing activities.

[rolla_fxgt]

Yeah as fangsport points out they're only allowed 12 meetings a year, and only one of which is allowed to be held over 4 days, the rest can only be 2 day events,and they have to have 20 days between each meeting. Also racing can't be held during or for an hour or so after a funeral is scheduled as its next door to the town cemetry (so not far to go then if you get it really wrong )

And from what I've read and hear the track won't be ready for a race meeting by years end, only that the site will be up and running by years end for the motorsport business park side of things. They only started construction work in June, so it'd be pretty optomistic to get the track base all bedded in, and pre loaded, and sealed in 6 months ready to race.

Its more for testing etc than a race track as such, hence why it has the high speed bowl in amongst the trees, can be used for hot or cold weather testing (air temp range would be from about minus 5-10C to plus 25-35C or more on hot still days) so can be used year round by automotive companies, and tied in with the winter proving grounds at Snow Farm in the winter.
But I believe test days don't count towards motorsport, so technically individual runs don't count towards the motorsport days, so that clubs can use it etc. I think it also may be able to be used for drag racing and it also not count, so they no longer have to use the Alexandra airport for drag racing, and have stops for when planes land.

[Truenotch]

12 race meetings a year sounds fine to me! That's one a month... I wonder if they'll have different noise categories like Manfeild do?

[matt dunn]

Was talking to someone today and aparantly it is due for tar and chip in the next week,
which settles and the seal is due overtop around xmas.

[Boost_4_Life]

looks like a fantastic circuit.

Thats my life dream, to buy some land somewhere and build a 5k or so rally or rallycross track.

[rolla_fxgt]

Was talking to someone today and aparantly it is due for tar and chip in the next week,
which settles and the seal is due overtop around xmas.

I had heard that too, but I was also told that they started eath works in early june, and I couldn't see how they could get it from barefields to basicaly a track so quickly, and have the seal last a reasonable length of time.

I mean look how long it takes to make pretty much any new road anywhere in NZ.
Especially since they've taken out a fair number of trees, and built a bit of rise and fall into the track, and the bridge. I just can't see how it's enough time to have it all compacted etc. Parts of it that are pretty much natural terrain I can kind of understand, but the rest doesn't make much sense to me.

But hey if they can do it so quickly then good on them.

Apparently the final seal is a 48 hour continuous pour job, which is the biggest the contractor has ever done.

[d1 mule]

have just heard from a friend whi is involved in the track that it will be a private members track for their use only.... sad guy

[JustinSpiderholden]

Build a track, but Nimby still put constants on how it is used

The resource management act is $&#$%, it give minoritys way to much power

[rolla_fxgt]

Build a track, but Nimby still put constants on how it is used

The resource management act is $&#$%, it give minoritys way to much power

It sure does, and I know one of the original objectors/appealers. Funny thing was they complained about the noise of this affecting their enjoyment of their holiday home, yet the track is next to the speedway, and their son tears up the area on his motorcross bike on the track next to the speedway, and he used to tear round the area and dunedin on his offroad buggy, and had one of the loudest supercharged levins I've ever heard. So their was already noise their on a semi regular basis, and especially on public holidays when they were there, when there was always events on at the speedway, and their son usually had his bike and buggy with him too.
Good guy, but really found it a bit odd his parents were complaining given that most of the complaints could also be leveled at their son.

[Leon]

have just heard from a friend whi is involved in the track that it will be a private members track for their use only.... sad guy

I wonder then why they put out a public website with a movie on it then?

[Mr Revhead]

That's what I thought.
Then I figured it says nothing about racing. So figured its prom the development and ride day business?

[d1 mule]

have just heard from a friend whi is involved in the track that it will be a private members track for their use only.... sad guy

I wonder then why they put out a public website with a movie on it then?

I heard it from my mate who pit crews for Tony Quinns motorsport manager (also v8 supercar/NZv8 driver etc etc) so its about as reliable as things like that get..