Progress is the word that best sums up the circuit at Hampton Downs in the Waikato.

Despite some wet weather, progress with the track building is moving along very nicely.

The pedestrian tunnel that connects the outer complex to the infield is now in place, and they are currently working on the vehicle tunnel. Once this is ready, the final 200m of track surface can be prepared for sealing, with the majority of the 2.8km national circuit already primed.

The circuit management is playing it safe with their predictions on the completion date for the track.

They are 100% confident that October will be the go live date, with September being 80%, and August being 50%. As soon as the track is laid, and there are sufficient facilities in place,

Motorcycling Events Group NZ Ltd will be ready to get motorcycles out on track.

The track has some nice elevation changes that create blind areas and will keep it very interesting. Turn 8 for example, is a decreasing radius left hand hairpin. The interesting element is that from the entrance to the exit

of the turn there is a 7-metre drop in elevation — this is the equivalent of about 2.5 storeys.

This combination of elevation change and the tightening of the turn will make this one of the more technical and fun turns on the circuit.

Photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

Share