Motor sport in New Zealand

[7] The first motor race meeting with multiple events was organized by the Canterbury Automobile Association on 26 December 1905 at the Metropolitan Trotting Grounds (now known as the Addington Raceway).

Dr Thacker's Beeston–Humber driven by A Duncan won the main race for cars under 12 hp.

An example of these was the 100 mile race at New Brighton organized by the Pioneer Motorcycle Club and held on 13 January 1917.

[11] By 1917 motor cycle racing had been divided into different classes: light, medium, heavy-weight; open; and ladies.

The New Zealand Hot Rod Association (NZHRA) sanctioned what is believed to have been the first drag meeting at an open cut coal mine at Kopuku, south of Auckland, sometime in 1966.

In 1973, the first and only purpose built drag strip opened in Meremere by the Pukekohe Hot Rod Club.

In 2014, New Zealand's second purpose built drag strip - Masterton Motorplex - opened.

There are now two governing bodies operating drag racing in New Zealand with the IHRA sanctioning both of New Zealands major tracks at Ruapuna (Pegasus Bay Drag Racing Association) in the South Island and Meremere Dragway Inc in the North Island.

NZDRA being the other organisation now run at Masterton Motorplex and Taupo as well as using the Street car old airstrips and closed roads throughout the country.

Stockcar racing is a full-contact sport in New Zealand: as the rule book states, "contact is not only permitted, it is encouraged"[citation needed].

Superstocks are the top class and are typically powered by V8 engines up to 248 cubic inch which can produce over 500 bhp.

The class most resembling the North American form of stockcar racing are known as Saloon cars.

Super Saloons are similar to dirt late models, with the main differences being the bodies closer resemble production cars, use iron engines up to 434 cubic inch with no rear offset and run much larger sprintcar tyres on the rear.

Its flagship event, the two-day, 1000 km Taupo 1000, is a stand-alone international endurance race which is currently held every other year.

The most successful and popular racer in the sport's history in New Zealand is multiple outright and class national champion Ian Foster of Henderson, Auckland.