\u201cAt the beginning, people looked at the place and thought I was mad,\u201d Brocas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looked like a bomb site, water-filled holes, no real shape to it at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I could still see the track. I\u2019d raced here before, and I knew what it could be again.\u201d <\/p>\n
Inspired by American speedway <\/p>\n
The original high-banked track drew inspiration from American speedways such as the famous Eldora Speedway, after New Zealand drivers, including the late Barry Butterworth, returned from the US in the mid\u20111980s keen to replicate what they had experienced overseas. <\/p>\n
Butterworth\u2019s influence led to the creation of outlaw-style racing in New Zealand and some of the fastest, most spectacular speedway action the country had ever seen, Brocas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat era was something special. What Barry and others did back then was outstanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cBringing this track back is about honouring that history, but also creating something future-focused.\u201d <\/p>\n
A whopper track<\/p>\n
The new 21 Speedway circuit measures roughly 600m around the outside, about 480m on the pole line, and a true third\u2011mile track down the centre.<\/p>\n
The straights run 84m, with symmetrical 47m-radius turns at each end.<\/p>\n
Banking starts at around 12-15 degrees on the straights and rises to 23-25 degrees through the turns. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t sound like much on paper, but when you\u2019re on it, it\u2019s steep.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in the day, you could be up on the cushion looking down at a driver\u2019s helmet below you,\u201d Brocas said.<\/p>\n
He said the track has been designed to cater for all classes.<\/p>\n
The pole line has been flattened to suit junior categories, mini stocks, TQs and quarter midgets, while the higher banking provides spectacular racing lines for sprint cars, midgets and super saloons.<\/p>\n
The Meremere high banked track is being reborn thanks to veteran racer and speedway stalwart Kerry Brocas. Photo \/ James Selwyn Photos<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a line for everybody,\u201d Brocas said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how you build a venue that lasts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Safety has been a major priority throughout the rebuild, Brocas said.<\/p>\n
He sourced FIA\u2011approved fencing and barrier systems, previously used at Pukekohe for Supercars and equivalent to those seen at Formula One circuits worldwide. <\/p>\n
The original Highbank Speedway track builder, Lloyd Hodgett, has also returned to oversee the reconstruction of 21 Speedway, a move Brocas calls \u201cpretty special\u201d.<\/p>\n
First laps already completed <\/p>\n
During a recent working bee, Brocas rolled out his own sprint car and completed a series of laps to provide feedback on track shape and geometry. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was dusty, and we were pretty tame, but it was enough to prove it\u2019s real. To feel it again, that was something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brocas sourced FIA\u2011approved fencing and barrier systems, previously used at Pukekohe for Supercars. Photo \/ James Selwyn Photos<\/p>\n
The venue also hosted a practice and open day recently.<\/p>\n
Interest had been so strong that entries had to be capped, with sprint cars, midgets, super saloons, stock cars and junior classes all set to attend. <\/p>\n
The day was a \u201ctest and tune\u201d, allowing teams to experiment with setups and gear ratios ahead of the season\u2019s start in October.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re making new history here,\u201d Brocas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome October… they\u2019ll know exactly what they\u2019re working with.\u201d <\/p>\n
A venue for the future <\/p>\n
While the track will be for daylight events only, plans are in motion for a fully lit stadium in the future. <\/p>\n
\u201cUnder lights, this place would be something else,\u201d Brocas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got the timing systems and the foundation. It\u2019ll happen, just step by step.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Brocas, the project is personal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the track I started on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about giving back, about keeping venues alive instead of losing them. Speedway\u2019s a family, and we want everyone, old fans, new fans, young drivers, to be part of it.\u201d <\/p>\n
Graeme \u201cMintie\u201d Mead is a sports commentator, the host of the radio show Waikato All Sports Breakfast and a Newstalk ZB overnight host. He is also a councillor on the Hamilton City Council.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cAt the beginning, people looked at the place and thought I was mad,\u201d Brocas said. \u201cIt looked like…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[652,1863,1038,217678,16569,424,169352,3025,111,139,69,155554,71939,37525,213,61,22974,6493,1524,65861],"class_list":["post-424440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-652","tag-back","tag-brings","tag-highbank","tag-iconic","tag-life","tag-meremere","tag-most","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-relaunch","tag-roaring","tag-speedway","tag-sports","tag-to","tag-track","tag-venues","tag-waikato","tag-waikatos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/424441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}