The Ruapuna racetrack run by the Canterbury Car Club in Christchurch is not too dissimilar to the Strait of Hormuz. Both have a geographical advantage for those that operate them.
Already weakened from US and Israeli bombing, Iran’s stranglehold on shipping through the Strait is proving difficult to budge. Even the US blockade of the shipping lanes should prove to be a stalemate and the restoration of the flow of oil is requiring ongoing negotiation.
Christchurch’s hosting a round of the Repco Supercars has the right ingredients for a successful recipe, and much of it sits round its geography. It is no surprise from the locals that the recently held ITM Christchurch Super 440 has been an epic weekend.
Ruapuna is an established circuit on the outskirts of a city with a population around half a million people. The city of Christchurch situated on the Canterbury plains offers plenty of accommodation, cafes, bars and restaurants, is easy to move around and has a seaport and an international airport.
Its size and location are important as it is this that contributes to both the ease of living there and the simplicity of hosting major events. Too often smaller centres are accused of price gouging (particularly with regards to accommodation) when an event comes to town, whereas Christchurch is too big for this to happen for such an occasion. Even at the racetrack over the weekend, prices for food and drink seemed quite acceptable – ice-creams at $7, regular coffee at $6.50.
The stakeholders of the event, Supercars, the Canterbury Car Club and the Christchurch City Council made it easy for fans. Straight forward free transport from a park-n-ride site. It was quick off the buses and into the track. Excellent signage for directions, plenty of food stalls around the circuit, although more are needed to reduce the queues.
Which leads to the question, ‘What is required for Supercars in Christchurch to be even more successful?’
Well, as the Mayor of Christchurch Phil Mauger said, “It’s up to us to not stuff it up!”
It’s like a game of rugby when you are in the lead with 20 to go. Continue to get the basics right, kick for touch, play conservatively and don’t try anything different.
On a side note, it was interesting to observe that Christchurch’s local newspaper, The Press, had no coverage of the weekend’s racing. In Monday morning’s issue they did have an article on the size of the crowds over the three-days of racing, and on inquiry I was to learn that the deadline for race coverage was 4:30pm on Sunday afternoon, well before the final 200km Supercars race had finished. Let’s see if they run coverage of this Sunday’s Chiefs v Fijian Drua that kicks off at 4:30pm in the new One NZ Stadium?
Meanwhile there has been a raft of letters to the editor this week criticizing the excessive use of fuel when oil is short and the local council had some time ago declared a climate emergency. In the end, people voted with their feet (and not their keyboards) as over 65,000 people passed through the gates at Ruapuna to see some fabulous motor racing!
For the 2027 event, it is a matter of building on the success of 2026. Use your regional advantage, seek continuous improvement from all involved, make it easy for all stakeholders and fans. Don’t give them an excuse to stay at home and watch the coverage on Sky Sport.
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