Wigram Airfield Circuit was a temporary motor racing circuit at

Wigram Aerodrome Wigram Aerodrome is located in the Christchurch suburb of Sockburn, later to be split-suburb of Wigram and now split again as Wigram Skies. It was gifted by Sir Henry Wigram for the Canterbury (NZ) Aviation Company on 20 September 1916 and ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand. The airfield is a former base of the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

. It is named after Sir Henry Wigram. The temporary circuit was with a main straight.Wigram track at Tasman-Series.com
The first summer meetings held at

in 1949 are considered the oldest motor races in New Zealand. The track hosted rounds of the annual

Tasman Series The Tasman Series (formally the Tasman Championship for Drivers)Tasman Championship for Drivers, CAMS Manual of Motor Sport with National Competition Rules 1974, pages 80 to 83 was a motor racing competition held annually from 1964 to 1975 ove ...

from 1964 to 1975. For safety reasons, the last race at Wigram (for classic racers) was held in the year 2000. Wigram also held the

1974 New Zealand Grand Prix The 1974 New Zealand Grand Prix was a race held at the Wigram Airfield Circuit on 19 January 1974. The race had 20 starters. This was the first and only New Zealand Grand Prix to be held at the Wigram Airfield Circuit, and the race was also the 1 ...

which was won by

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

race driver John McCormack. The

Lady Wigram Trophy The Lady Wigram Trophy is a New Zealand motorsport race trophy formerly awarded to the winner of the Wigram Airfield race. It made up part of the Tasman Series and classes like Formula Holden, Formula 5000, Formula Pacific and Formula Three. The ...

which was organized by the Canterbury Car Club had been raced at

since 1949.Lady Wigram Trophy Winners – The Canterbury Car Club
The race for the trophy has since moved to

Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park Euromarque Motorsport Park (often referred to as Ruapuna) is a permanent motor racing circuit owned and operated by the Canterbury Car Club Inc on land leased from the Christchurch City Council. It is located at 107 Hasketts Road in Templeton, N ...

. Ngai Tahu Property, the owners of the aerodrome, are acquiring the site as part of a treaty settlement claim. The aerodrome was closed to air traffic in September 2008 and has become a housing development "Wigram Skies".

References

External links

Tasman Series – 1970 Round 3 Wigram
Motorsport venues in New Zealand Defunct motorsport venues New Zealand Grand Prix Sports venues completed in 1949 {{Autoracing-venue-stub