RACE TRUCKS AND TRANSPORTERS AT PUKEKOHE PARK

A tribute to the historic Pukekohe Park Raceway with a diesel tint

A truck racing field in formation at Pukekohe Park Raceway in 1990
Photo: Mike Cornwall

Pukekohe Park Raceway is a historic motorsport venue 50 kilometres south of Auckland City. The track opened in the early 1960s and has hosted an incredible array of motorsport categories including V8 Supercars, NZ SuperTourers, Tasman Series open-wheel racing, production cars, and even truck racing.

News broke earlier this week that Auckland Thoroughbred Racing – the owners of the venue – are set to exclusively focus on horse racing from April 2023. And unfortunately, that will spell the end of motorsport activities at the circuit.

The Repco Supercars Championship made its first visit to Pukekohe for a non-championship race in 1996, while the first race for points took place in 2001.

The premier Australasian touring car category is set to cross the Tasman Sea to visit the fast and flowing venue later this year, and shy of a visit early in 2023, this will be the last time the V8 monsters taste the Pukekohe Park tarmac.

After what is a sad development for motorsport fans on both sides of the Tasman, here’s a look back at some race truck and transporter action at Pukekohe Park Raceway over the years.

An MAN race truck leads two Kenworth trucks on pit straight
Photo: Mike Cornwall

Bonneted race trucks approach the Pukekohe Park hairpin in 1990
Photo: Mike Cornwall

Ron Salter navigating Pukekohe in his Mack race truck in 1990
Photo: Mike Cornwall

A powerboat transporter at Pukekohe in 1990
Photo: Mike Cornwall

Truck racing on the 2.8-kilometre layout in 1992
Photo: Mike Cornwall

Denny Hulme’s Scania race truck belching smoke during a race in 1992
Photo: Mike Cornwall

Team Kiwi Racing’s launch at Pukekohe in December 2000
Photo: Mike Cornwall

An NZL transport Kenworth pulls the Ford Tickford Racing trailer off the Talisman vessel in Auckland in 2001, before heading to Pukekohe
Photo: Mike Cornwall

Supercars trailers at Jellicoe Wharf in Auckland in 2001, during the first points-paying trip to Pukekohe
Photo: Mike Cornwall

The CAT Racing trailer pulled by an NZL Transport Kenworth at Pukekohe in 2002
Photo: Alan Farac

Holden Racing Team’s B-Double transporter in pit lane in 2002. It was one of the few teams that shipped its prime mover to New Zealand that year
Photo: Alan Farac

Mike Pero Racing’s Renault Magnum transporter in the paddock in 2003
Photo: Mike Cornwall

GRM’s race trailer outside Pukekohe Park Raceway in 2003
Photo: Dave Aldridge

Dave West Motorsport’s Freightliner duo during a truck show at Pukekohe in 2019
Photo: Mike Cornwall

Steve Walling’s truck racing rig during testing at Pukekohe in 2019
Photo: Blair Jacobs

Supercars on the plane to Pukekohe for the most recent visit in 2019
Photo: Robert Wiedeman

Another big thank you to Mike Cornwall, Alan Farac, Dave Aldridge, and Blair Jacobs for allowing us to use photos from their motorsport photo collections.