First Taupō Supercars race proves to be a wild ride in the rain

Kiwi driver Andre Heimgartner has won the first ITM Taupō Super400 – a popular result for the return of the Supercars Championship to New Zealand.

Before the race, Taupō International Motorsport Park owner Tony Quinn told the NZ Herald “It’s Taupō weather, don’t worry about it.”

The town’s panel beaters must have nodded in agreement as the inaugural race got off to a bumpy start with the first three cars off the grid taking up space meant for two in the run to the first corner.

Pole sitter Cam Waters, Tim Slade, and championship leader Will Brown squeezed into each other off the start line, triggering the crash. Brown emerged unscathed in the lead of the race after starting second.

Young stars Broc Feeney and Kiwi hero Matt Payne also spun out at Turn 1.

Brown later lost the lead during pit stops, with Auckland native Heimgartner then leading for the rest of the race.

The constant rain of the first day didn’t deter most ticket holders from turning up, huddling under ponchos and umbrellas to savour the return of the Supercars series to New Zealand.

Although Taupō couldn’t serve up a dry track for Race 7 of the Supercars Series, Quinn said the town had everything else.

“Taupō is one of the prettiest towns that I’ve been to and I’m not saying that because I’m standing here … Taupō has got everything and it’s got a racetrack that’s five minutes from the coffee shop and the lake. You can sit having a coffee, overlooking the lake.”

He said there could be some additional events coming to the town soon, “probably” a Trans-Tasman motorbike race and they also had plans to develop the Historic Grand Prix which was held at the track every two years.

Taupo Motorsport Park chief executive Josie Spillane said she had never known a community to get so involved with motorsport before, after teams were welcomed to town on Thursday by thousands of spectators lining the streets from the motorsport park to the town centre.

“They are being made to feel like heroes and rock stars and, like anyone, you feel really valued when you feel like people want you to be there, to belong so thankyou to Taupō, they are just incredible.

“I had the priviledge of being in the chase car with the local police and I had tears as we were driving from the track to town, I was blown away by the amount of people that came out to welcome Supercars back to NZ.”