Supercars drivers who have raced at Ruapuna

Located near Christchurch Airport and just a 25-minute drive from the central business district, Ruapuna is one of New Zealand’s oldest circuits.

Although some Supercars drivers have in recent years jumped the ditch to race in the summer series, Ruapuna has not been a regular part of the New Zealand calendar for several years.

Ahead of the inaugural Christchurch Super440, we dug deep into the memory banks to see who had previously raced at Ruapuna.

It is worth noting that most drivers have tested at Ruapuna in the lead-up to this year’s race, with many taking to the track in a variety of cars.

David Reynolds

It really should come as no surprise that the most experienced Supercars driver on the grid has raced at Ruapuna.

However, you have to go back nearly two decades to find the last time David Reynolds raced there.

From 2007 to 2009, Reynolds raced in what was known as Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.

He was one driver in a star-studded line-up that included well-known New Zealand names like Craig Baird, Jonny Reid, Dan Gaunt, Matt Halliday, and Ant Pedersen.

Across the three years that Reynolds raced at Ruapuna, 2009 was his most successful visit when he won all three races.

Cameron Waters & Andre Heimgartner

For a brief moment, the short-lived V8 SuperTourers effectively gave New Zealand its own version of V8 Supercars.

Of the current crop of Supercars drivers, a few raced in V8 SuperTourers – though Cameron Waters and Andre Heimgartner were the only pair to race at Ruapuna.

Heimgartner raced full-time in the seven-round series, with Paul Morris as his co-driver at Ruapuna in 2012.

Heimgartner returned for another campaign in 2013, where he claimed a podium finish at Ruapuna.

Waters raced at Ruapuna in 2012 with Simon McLennan, finishing a season-high fifth.

One of the most famous moments in V8 SuperTourers history happened at Christchurch in 2012 when Scott McLaughlin spun Greg Murphy out of the race lead in the final race of the season.

McLaughlin was given a drive-through penalty for the incident but remained on track to take the chequered flag in first. Post-race, he was demoted to 15th while Murphy was fifth.

Thomas Randle

Before Thomas Randle turned his attention to touring cars, he put himself on the path to Formula 1 with a single-seater career.

In 2015, he stepped up to the Toyota Racing Series where he scored a podium on debut at Ruapuna.

That season featured a young Lance Stroll and even Nikita Mazepin.

Stroll won the title that year over Brandon Masano, while Santino Ferrucci finished third.

After a year away racing in Formula Renault, Randle returned to the Toyota Racing Series in 2017.

He won the second race of the season in Christchurch. That was one of two race wins for Randle, who took out the title that year ahead of Pedro Piquet, Marcus Armstrong, and Richard Verschoor.

Ryan Wood

Though Ryan Wood was a product of the local Toyota 86 series, he never raced at Ruapuna in the one-make category.

Instead, it was the South Island Endurance Series in a 991-spec Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car that he learned the ropes before crossing the ditch.

Wood won the one-hour title in 2021, winning at Ruapuna, Highlands, Teretona, and Levels.

It was an important part of Wood’s development before jumping into Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenger with Earl Bamber Motorsport in 2022.

Coincidentally, the South Island Endurance Series was where recently-appointed Walkinshaw TWG Racing director Scott O’Donnell began to support Wood via Allied Petroleum.

But not Matt Payne?

Perhaps surprisingly, Matt Payne has never raced at Ruapuna.

Payne’s meteoric rise and the COVID-19 pandemic effectively fast-tracked his career. Payne went straight from karts to the Toyota Racing Series, which he won in 2021.

That program featured just nine races across Hampton Downs and Manfeild. After the summer series, he moved to Australia to race in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia with Earl Bamber Motorsport.