Teretonga (means "Swift South" in Maori) is a motor racing circuit situated south-west of

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It is home of the Southland Sports Car Club. The circuit was established in 1957 and is the southernmost FIA-recognised race track in the world (the Autódromo Carlos Romero in

Tolhuin Tolhuin is a town in the province of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. It has 2,949 inhabitants as per the . It is located on the eastern shore of Lake Fagnano, in the southern part of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. It is the third largest settlem ...

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla G ...

(Argentina) is further south but is not FIA recognised). It is also the country's oldest purpose-built venue. Regular racing programme includes rounds of the local Clubmans Series; featuring rounds of South Island Racing Registers and a very large Classic Car meeting in February of each year. The circuit is also used for Sprints and Motorkhanas. Other clubs run Motor Cycle and Drag Races at Teretonga. Regarded by many drivers as the best and safest track in the country, it has been up-graded on a continual basis.

History

* Since 1948 the

Southland Sports Car Club Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...

Inc. has been one of the leading Clubs in the country. The Club entered the International motor race series in 1956 with the fastest-ever motor race on a road circuit at

Ryal Bush __NOTOC__ Ryal or Ryals may refer to: Places * Ryal, Northumberland, England Currency * Rose Ryal, an English gold coin equal to 30 shillings * Spur ryal, an English gold coin equal to 15 shillings * Zanzibari ryal, the currency of Zanzibar betwee ...

. This led to the construction of Teretonga Park in 1957 at Sandy Point, the second purpose-built motor racing track in

. It was extended to its present configuration in December 1966. * In the golden age of NZ Motor Racing in the '60s and '70s, Teretonga hosted many of the world's greatest drivers for example, (Stirling Moss),

Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...

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, Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, Chris Amon,

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, the list goes on. There is a fine display of memorabilia in the Clubrooms. * Since 1981 the club has been actively engaged in the New Zealand Rally Championship. * On 29 November 1998 the current outright lap record was set by

Greg Murphy Gregory Murphy (born 23 August 1972) is a New Zealand professional racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and James May presenting Top Gear Live, when it had its first internati ...

in a Formula Holden Reynard 92D The time was 51.206 at an average lap speed of . * The New Zealand Grand Prix was first held on Teretonga in 13 January 2002. A record number of entries were received for this event, and it had been held at Teretonga for 6 years until 13 January 2007. * On 16 February to Sunday 17 February 2008, the "Leitch Motorsport/Southland Times Speed Fest", which was one of the events of

Southern Festival of Speed The Southern Festival of Speed was a classic and historic racing series held in the South Island in New Zealand. It started in the late 1980s with the revival of the 1950s Dunedin Street Circuit. It comprised rounds at three permanent circuits and o ...

, was held at Teretonga.

The circuit

As of 2020, a lap was long, and run in anticlockwise direction with an main straight and a very high speed loop with multiple apexes. It flows smoothly from turns 1 through to 5. The circuit is exposed to a strong sea breeze and often forces gearbox and setup changes.

Lap Records

The official lap record for the Teretonga Park is 0:51.206, set by Greg Murphy in 29 November 1998. The official race lap records at the Teretonga Park are listed as:

Notes

References

External links

Official Site

NZV8s' Teretonga Park info

Teretonga Park in Google Maps
{{Tasman Series circuits Motorsport venues in New Zealand Sports venues in Invercargill Drag racing venues in Australasia New Zealand Grand Prix