Euromarque Motorsport Park[1] (often referred to as Ruapuna) is a permanent motor racing circuit owned and operated by the Canterbury Car Club Inc on land leased from the Christchurch City Council. It is located at 107 Hasketts Road in Templeton, 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) west of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was opened as Ruapana Park in 1963, and between 2004 and 2013 was known as Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park. Mike Pero joined the circuit as title sponsor from 2013–2023, as Mike Pero Motorsport Park. In the early parts of February 2023, the sponsorship deal was over, and Euromarque became the new title sponsor.[2]
The track also features a drag strip, pit garages, racing school, speedway circuit and even a radio controlled car circuit. There are a number of configurations of the circuit with licences from FIA Grade 3 to National grades 1, 2 and 3.
History
The track was opened in November 1963. The circuit was a fairly simple sealed surface road course, at just a mile in length and comprising essentially a flat tri-oval with an extended main straight down to a hairpin bend. In 1976 the main straight was widened and a staging area added to allow drag racing to take place. The biggest change in the circuit's history came in 1993 when it was extended to 3.330 km (2.069 mi), along with other renovations.[3]
The circuit
The track surface is hot mix bitumen and runs for 3.330 km (2.069 mi) in a counter-clockwise direction with many fast sweeping corners. It rewards smooth and tidy drivers.[4]
It supports six layouts, from the 1.200 km (0.746 mi) "A Track" to the 3.380 km (2.100 mi) "Grand Prix with dipper".[5]
The track features on the motorsport racing simulation game Project CARS 2 as Ruapana Park.
Layout History & Track Configurations
Original Circuit (1963–1992)
'A' Trioval Circuit (1993–present)
'A' Trioval Circuit + Dipper (1993–present)
'B' Circuit (1993–present)
Club Circuit (1993–present)
Outer Circuit (1993–present)
Grand Prix Circuit (1993–present)
Long Circuit (1993–present)
Ruapuna Circuit (Mike Pero Motorsport Park) map
Events
The circuit hosts both 2 and 4 wheeled events. The "Skope Classic" is a major annual event held at the track. The two-day-event includes practice and racing on Saturday and racing in classes on Sunday for classic and historic cars. It is one of the events of Southern Festival of Speed.
Since 2013, Mike Pero, founder of Mike Pero Mortgages and Real Estate, had a naming rights sponsorship deal to Ruapuna, which was known as Mike Pero Motorsport Park.[6] This deal ended in 2023, with Euromarque replacing.
For 10 years before, the naming rights had been held by Powerbuilt Tools.[6]
Lap Records
The official lap record for the Euromarque Motorsport Park is 1:15.810, set by Scott Dixon on 5 December 1998. While the unofficial all-time track record is 1:11.265, set by Liam Lawson in a Rodin FZED on 21 January 2022.[7] As of February 2024, the fastest official race lap records at the Euromarque Motorsport Park are listed as:
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