Most drivers got a taste of Ruapuna before the Supercars circus rolled into town.
Behind the scenes, many were keen to reserve judgement until race day – and rightly so, as it turned out.
Feeney was one of the leading voices praising efforts to revamp the facility from club circuit to full-fledged Supercars venue.
Corner exit run-offs were extended in parts, new kerbs were constructed, and the circuit was lined with grandstands to fit 60,000 spectators.
By all accounts, Ruapuna Raceway delivered in spades.
“Coming here a few weeks ago and seeing it without all the grandstands and all the big sheds they put on, it seemed like it needed a bit of work,” said Feeney.
“But, to be honest, when we rocked up here this weekend, it looked like a completely different track already.
“Everyone involved at Ruapuna did a fantastic job to get it up to scratch.”
Upgrades to the circuit are planned, with safety improvements a key focus for the Canterbury Car Club with support from the Christchurch City Council.
A new pit building is also front of mind. Resource consent for permanent garages is set to be submitted soon.
For this year’s race, the pit lane awnings were extended with temporary tents to give teams more shaded capacity.
That went some way to alleviate the fears of some drivers who tested at the track earlier in the weeks and months leading up to the event.
“To be honest, I thought the pits were actually pretty good with the shades out the back,” said Feeney.
“Having garages is great for the local car community as well. You certainly get your weather over here, so being protected in a garage is great.
“They’ve got some plans in place, what they want to do with it.
“Obviously Supercars committing here for at least three years is a great eye on the future for those guys.”
As for the track itself, Feeney gave a glowing assessment.
Passing was at a premium across all four races, but Feeney wasn’t perturbed by the difficult nature of the narrow “twisty” layout.
“Hearing a few comments over the weekend, there were certainly a lot of positives out of it,” said Feeney.
“I actually quite like the old-school style of the Ruapuna track.
“We go to some pretty beautiful race tracks now that are world-class, 15 to 20 metres wide, and sometimes that actually takes a bit of the fun out of it.
“To go literally back in time a little bit to an old-school race track was a lot of fun to drive.
“When you made a move it had to be pretty bold, but I think it still produced some great racing over the weekend.
“It’s such a tight and twisty track that we’re probably not used to in Supercars.
“The racing was very difficult to try and pass someone, but doing a qualifying lap had lots of challenges and it made it lots of fun to drive.
“I’m sure, as we all saw, there was lots of dust on the weekend. There’s consequences, and that’s a great thing.
“You go to so many tracks where there’s 10 metres of concrete on the exit and then you start talking about track limits and all this not fun stuff.
“To actually have dirt and consequences when you make a mistake is good.”
This year was the first in a three-year deal between Supercars and the New Zealand Government to race in Christchurch at Ruapuna.
Although Feeney was pictured with his Triple Eight teammates promoting Highlands and its Project29 campaign, the Ford Mustang driver said he’s looking forward to a return.
“As I’ve said all week, the people here in Christchurch have absolutely made this event.
“They always make the New Zealand event so special and I’m looking forward to coming back the next few years.”
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