Supercars leave mark
Sell-out crowds, exciting racing, a stunning venue and huge local support have combined to make the first running of the Supercars in Taupō a great success, says the mayor.
He said long waits to leave the venue, some minor traffic congestion, and fewer visitors to town were the only complaints from locals after the inaugural running of the ITM Taupō Super400 on the weekend.
The event was expected to attract about 100,000 visitors to Taupō and upwards of $6m in economic benefits.
Supercars chief executive Shane Howard said it had been an incredible weekend with official attendance of 67,411 “passionate spectators”.
“The overwhelming response to the event and the warm reception from the Taupō community ... will be etched into Supercars history.
“The whole event has been a success because of the incredible support of our fans here in New Zealand, and those who made the journey to Taupō for the weekend’s momentous event,” Howard said.
Taupō mayor David Trewavas said early feedback was “overwhelmingly positive” and the council would be doing a debrief to “make sure we did everything right and look to make it even better next year”.
“The owners can’t believe how successful it was, and we have certainly delivered as a community,” he said.
“The climatic conditions certainly tested the drivers and motorsport fans loved that part of it.”
Trewavas said there were delays for spectators leaving the venue, especially on Sunday, and admitted that town was not as busy during race days as some expected.
“We feel the park and ride option was the way to go, and getting out of the car park did mean people had to be patient.
“Some retailers may not have made it count on race days, but they did either side of the event, and it’s put Taupō on the map for many visitors.
“Thursday’s Track to Town set the tone for the weekend, and as a first for Taupō and for Supercars, it was really good to see the drivers talking to the fans and signing autographs for the kids.”
He said some Australian visitors he spoke to said they should have booked an extra couple of days to see Taupō after race weekend.
Taupō Business Chamber president and Incredible India restaurant owner Abhinav Batta said the Taupō community “responded positively” to the event, with Thursday’s Track to Town a highlight for many.
“From an economic standpoint, the event yielded favourable results, particularly evident in the increased activity within the accommodation sector.
“I am confident that such events will contribute significantly to Taupo's future prosperity.
“Despite the town appearing less bustling than usual, this was anticipated as the majority of individuals were engaged at the motorsport park,” Batta said.
Montevideo Cafe owner Ronel Laatz, who had hired extra staff and put on live bands, said they were not as busy as they thought they might be.
“Yes, I was bit disappointed, I thought there was going to be more people in town.”
She said it was the first time and lessons would be learned for next year.
“But, there’s a lot of movement in town today ... there have been some people who have stayed on for a couple of days and we have picked up a bit.”
Track owner and motorsport entrepreneur Tony Quinn even gave doubters who believed Taupō was not big enough to host the event the literal middle finger during a press conference after the final race.
“It was really a fantastic weekend for everybody - for the fans, for the result, for the government, for the success of the track.
“For all those people that said when it was announced that it could never happen in Taupō - roads are not good enough, there’s not enough beds and all these problems that it would never happen,” he said.