Speed Works Events - Opening round, Christmas Classic

The summer season blasts off in style at Pukekohe Park over the weekend of November 30 - December 1 with one of our busiest meetings of the year.

The Christmas Classic opens this season's Speed Works Events MotorSport NZ Championship trail and fans can look forward to no fewer than 11 fantastic classes of racing over the weekend on the iconic Pukekohe track, with something for fans of all types of racing and racing car.

Topping the bill are New Zealand's top class of V8 touring car - the BNT V8s. Packed with power and with cars from old favourites Ford and Holden as well as Nissan and Toyota, the action in this class is intense. In recent years it has produced some of our top V8 racers as well as providing a very worthwhile additional series for some of Australia's up and coming young guns.

Close behind in terms of action and talent will be the Toyota 86 Championship, which this coming season is offering not one but two Toyota 86 cars as prizes to its field of talented young - and slightly older- racers. Last season was one of the classics in the history of the category, with some breathtaking racing in almost every race throughout the season.

No Christmas Classic would be complete without a healthy portion of muscle cars and we've got the best this weekend with the Central Muscle Cars on the bill. It’s the biggest and best muscle car series in New Zealand and arguably one of the finest categories of its kind in the world today. Enough said really!

Another great racing category back and out in force this weekend at Pukekohe will be the TRADEZONE GTRNZ grids, which of course encompasses a GT1/2 grid for the lightning fast, record breaking monsters and a slightly more sedate GT3/4 field that is still packed with some of the best home engineered machines in the racing community.

If German muscle is your thing, then Pukekohe will also offer something for you with the Pirelli Porsche Championship in full swing. Iconic 991, 997, 996, 964, 944 and 924 models are all a feature of this great class and the noise of the howling flat sixes is one that resonates with all fans, regardless of their particular motorsport persuasion.

For those preferring the noise of a rotary the NEXEN Tyre Pro 7 Racing series is back with its blend of rotary monsters of the RX7 and RX8 variety, as well as its class of MX5 racers. A popular category for Mazda aficionados and always a great class for competitive racing, we are delighted to welcome the field back for another season.

Motul Honda Cup is the best class in New Zealand for racing Hondas and is faithfully supported by the VTEC powered community who always turn on a good show over racing weekends. Tuned to the max, these pocket rockets will surprise with speed and agility around the Pukekohe track. Some great racing through a variety of classes is guaranteed.

If you are a Ute fan we've got both the V8 and the Ssangyong variety. Each category never fails to deliver in terms of action and close racing and they're always a very popular addition to the programme, especially at Pukekohe where both can really be let of the reigns and show their full pace.

Last but by no means least, we are delighted to confirm Hi-Q Components Formula First on the grid for this first big weekend of the season. A popular class at Speed Works events in recent seasons, this is where the stars of tomorrow learn the racing craft. It’s packed with passing, slipstreaming and daredevil moves not to be missed. No surprise that this very class produced drivers like Scott Dixon, Mitch Evans, Richie Stanaway and Shane van Gisbergen.

On the grid at Pukekohe:

BNT V8s
Toyota 86 Championship
NZ V8 Utes
Ssangyong Actyon Racing Series
NEXEN Tyre Pro 7 Mazda Racing
TRADEZONE GT1/2
TRADEZONE GT3/4
Hi-Q Components Formula First
Central Muscle Cars
Pirelli Porsche Championship
Motul Honda Cup

** Children 14years & under - free entry with paying adult.