A DEAL has been struck to ensure Pukekohe Park Raceway is not lost altogether, with the New Zealand circuit to be laser scanned and added to motorsport simulator service iRacing.
Pukekohe Park ownership and iRacing management have now reached an agreement, as pre-empted by V8 Sleuth today.
“Within a few hours of the announcement about Pukekohe Park’s repurposing, we reached out to iRacing to scan the circuit and they agreed almost immediately,” said MotorSport New Zealand CEO Elton Goonan.
“While we were working in the background, the petition and campaign of James Anderson, a passionate fan and sim-racer, certainly helped get this across the line.”
Anderson’s petition to have the circuit digitally preserved has gained more than 7150 signatures.
Steve Myers, iRacing’s executive vice-president, was delighted to secure Pukekohe’s addition prior to its closure – similar to how Oran Park has been kept alive.
“iRacing is proud to help preserve such an important piece of New Zealand motorsport history as Pukekohe Park,” said Myers.
“From Supercars to the New Zealand Grand Prix, Pukekohe hosted many of the world’s top racers and most competitive racing series over nearly 60 years.
“By bringing the track to iRacing, future generations will have the opportunity to lap the famous circuit exactly as it was before its closure, giving them a sense of what made this track so beloved to so many.”
Added Auckland Thoroughbred Racing CEO Paul Wilcox: “We were happy to collaborate on a solution whereby Pukekohe Park lives on for future generations albeit virtually.”
No date has been set as of yet for Pukekohe’s release on iRacing.
Opening practice for the last ever Repco Supercars Championship round at the venue is due to begin shortly, at 12:40 AEST/14:40 NZST.
