The SsangYong Series will run their last ever Pukekohe race at the legendary circuit this weekend, the 28th and 29th of January. The series made its debut at the iconic track back in 2014, 9 seasons ago. The 2-day finale will kick off on Saturday morning, with the final race on Sunday.
Pukekohe Park opened back in 1963 as a permanent track replacing the Ardmore Aerodrome as the host circuit for the New Zealand Grand Prix, which it held for a number of years.
The fourth round of the Series takes place as one of the support categories for the last-ever Pukekohe Auckland Car clubs event, with up to 16 entries expected to make the grid. The SsangYong Series really made their mark at Pukekohe within New Zealand Motorsport in 2014 when the Test and Tag ute of Ben Forrest completed a spectacular two complete barrel rolls on live television and continued to race on! Christina Orr took the Inaugural round win around the iconic track, and since then, the series has dropped in lap time significantly.
The SsangYong Series has run as a support class to the Australian V8 Supercars over the years and has helped drivers like Callum Hedge, Rowan Sheppard, Alexander Whitley, Peter Vodonovich, and many others progress to the top levels of the sport. There is some great racing footage across Youtube and other social media platforms, such as this great move by James Watson passing around the outside of the fastest corner in the southern hemisphere.
Callum Hedge launched his circuit racing career driving a SsangYong ute at the Pukekohe 2015 Supercars meeting at just 12 years and 11 months old!
Mark Mallard, team owner and competitor in the Crème Racing Team, has nostalgic emotions about the weekend, as both he and his son Thomas are competing there for the last time. Pukekohe holds a very special place within the Mallard family as grandad Eric [Quacker’s to most competitors] helped to establish the track in the early years of his long tenure with the NZ Grand Prix association.
The Crème Racing Team will also be running ex-SsangYong racers Tayler Bryant who currently races Toyota 86’s, as well as Matt Stevens, who will complete the Crème ‘dream’ team.
Current championship leader Dale Williams who welcomed a new baby to his family this week is likely to set the pace for the weekend. However, he will face fierce competition that keeps him on his toes. The top 3 are all within a few points of each other for the overall Championship.
The SsangYong Series and Pukekohe Park have produced some incredibly close racing over the years and helped many drivers progress in their motorsport careers. Motorsport enthusiasts all over New Zealand are understandably sad to see this iconic race circuit come to an end. However, the Famed Circuit will be preserved in the leading motorsport simulator service iRacing. Still, it will leave a significant gap in real-life competition for New Zealand and Australian race drivers.
Mark Petch’s article captures the bittersweet farewell to Pukekohe by the SsangYong Series. It’s a shame to see such an iconic track go, but it’s great that its legacy will live on in iRacing. The series has clearly played an important role in developing young drivers.