Plans for ‘Thunder Ridge’ have been revealed, which will be built at TECT Park between Tauranga and Rotorua and could open as soon as 2026.
The circuit is the brainchild of former Pukekohe Park circuit manager Gary Stirling, Hampton Downs co-founder Tony Roberts, and local racing driver Roger Williams.
The eight-turn facility will feature 26 metres of elevation change as well as banked corners following the curvature of the land.
Among the amenities will be a clubhouse, cafe, restrooms, campsite, and on-site garages.
Thunder Ridge is the spiritual successor to Bay Park, which was a haunt for drivers during the summer season from the late 1960s to the early ‘90s.
“Our vision is for Thunder Ridge to be a place where young people and the average man in the street can participate in motor racing or just indulge their passion for cars or bikes, just like the old Bay Park experience at Mount Maunganui’ said Roberts.
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“The circuit, combined with the supporting facilities, will be a drivers paradise. Planning permission has been granted and the project now just needs a finalised lease from the Western Bay of Plenty Regional Council before work can commence.
“It’s going to be a place where everyone with an interest in cars, bikes or even cycling and running competition will be welcome to indulge their passion.
“Everyone will be welcome and made to feel welcome because it’s going to be a place that was conceived and designed with that philosophy at its core.
“This is the place where new drivers can learn under expert tuition at an affordable price and a place where our younger car-mad generation can come along and play with their cars rather than creating a hazard on public roads. That alone will be of huge benefit to the wider region Thunder Ridge will serve.”
TECT Park is home to a raft of adventure sports and activities, including but not limited to mountain biking, motocross, horseback riding, four-wheel driving, and shooting.
Roberts and Stirling have been advocates of grassroots racing via Hampton Downs and Pukekohe Park, and that philosophy will carry over to Thunder Ridge.
Williams said the facility will continue to foster the next generation of New Zealand success stories despite the closure of Pukekohe Park.
“Western Bay of Plenty and Tauranga Councils have had the foresight to purchase land and process consents for the utilisation of this land for ‘fringe activities’ of all kinds, including motorsport,” said Williams.
“We are three directors with a love of motorsport and considerable motorsport experience who want to build this facility and to work with the other like-minded clubs at TECT Park.
“Lately, motor racing and circuit access in New Zealand – like just about everything – has become out of reach for many because of rising costs. The sad demise of Pukekohe Park only made that problem worse and heightened the need for something new.
“Some of our international superstars, such as Liam Lawson in F1, Scott Dixon in Indycar and Mitch Evans in Formula E all started at grassroots level and relied on everything being affordable.
“When the vision becomes a reality, we should be welcoming our first customers in 2026.”
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