NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Motorsport

Motorsport: Pukekohe will test drivers' mettle

Eric Thompson
By Eric Thompson
NZ Herald·
22 Apr, 2014 04:15 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Like last year, New Zealand's Fabian Coulthard should be a front-runner at the Pukekohe V8s this weekend. Photo / Greg Bowker
Like last year, New Zealand's Fabian Coulthard should be a front-runner at the Pukekohe V8s this weekend. Photo / Greg Bowker

Like last year, New Zealand's Fabian Coulthard should be a front-runner at the Pukekohe V8s this weekend. Photo / Greg Bowker

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Expect twists and turns on reconfigured track when Supercars circus comes to town.

The grand old lady of New Zealand motor racing circuits, Pukekohe Raceway, put on one hell of a display in welcoming back the V8 Supercars circus last year after a five-year hiatus. Not only did the old girl open her arms wide to welcome a long-lost lover, she also had a bit of a twist to keep things interesting.

The now not-so-new chicane midway down the back straight will be a familiar sight to the blokes manhandling the big taxis around the 2.9km circuit, having been introduced for the V8SC Pukekohe comeback in 2013. While the chicane added a bit of spice to the proceedings it was the track's rise up-and-over on to the front straight that kept the drivers honest, as did the dip just before the cars changed attitude and turned into the flat-out turn one.

It's these two places that test the mettle of the drivers and where the brave can gain an advantage.

Some folk bemoaned the fact the dip, which really can unsettle the balance of a car as it begins to change direction, hadn't been repaired when the track was upgraded. However, those who enjoy their motorsport were happy one of the iconic quirks of the circuit remained to keep the drivers on their toes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

V8 racing great Mark Skaife, wearing his track design hat, said last year: "Overall, the character of the older sections of the track won't change very much. The fast flowing and bumpy nature of the track, including heading into turn one, will remain. I like all that. It's a matter of keeping the character but modernising it."

Greg Murphy, the king of Pukekohe back when it was the preferred venue for the Kiwi round of the championship, winning a record four times between 2001 and 2007, remains a fan of the track.

"Pukekohe isn't as technical as a lot of the other circuits and maybe that's what I loved about it," he said. "Some places are so technical - with lots of corners with lots of braking - it meant teams with a lot more resources could get their cars working better than others.

"Puke's not like that, it is more up to the driver than trying to get a perfect car. Don't get me wrong - you've still got to have a good car though."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The best thing about the return of the V8 Supercars to Pukekohe last year was it threw up a new category star in one Scott McLaughlin.

The young Kiwi was in his first year in the main game and arrived at Pukekohe just happy to be a fulltime driver. Fans got to see a glimpse of what was about to happen to the young fella last April when he won his maiden race. This year in Adelaide he went one better by chucking a jandal at his Volvo in Adelaide to power past five-time V8SC champion Jamie Whincup to give Volvo its first podium finish in around 28 years of Aussie V8 racing.

On current form, McLaughlin has a pretty good chance of repeating last year's race win this weekend. He will not only have to watch out for two other in-form Kiwis drivers, Fabian Coulthard and Shane van Gisbergen, but also the rest of the pack who will want to get their name on the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy as the round winner.

V8 Supercars Pukekohe

Discover more

Motorsport

V8 Supercars: V8 Kiwis in mood for Anzac fight

22 Apr 04:15 PM
Motorsport

V8Supercars: ITM500 Auckland race timetable

22 Apr 10:35 PM
Sport|motorsport

Pukekohe set for V8s roar

23 Apr 04:15 PM
Motorsport

Motorsport: Let the real racing begin

24 Apr 12:39 AM

Friday
• Qualifying Race One - 12.15pm
• Race One, 35 laps - 1.37pm

Saturday
• Qualifying Race Two - 11.30am
• Qualifying Race Three - 11.50am
• Race Two, 35 laps - 2.10pm
• Race Three, 35 laps - 4.05pm

Sunday
• Qualifying Race Four - 1pm
• Race Four, 70 laps - 3.25pm.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Motorsport

Formula 1

'Nothing changes’: Lawson reacts to Horner’s shock Red Bull sacking

Formula 1

'It's been a lot': Lawson still processing Red Bull demotion in dramatic F1 season

Motorsport

'Way better than us': Nascar drivers react to Kiwi sensation


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

One dead in SH30 crash near Rotorua
Rotorua Daily Post

One dead in SH30 crash near Rotorua

Fears for missing West Coast tramper with remarkable life story
New Zealand

Fears for missing West Coast tramper with remarkable life story

What to know about France's planned recognition of Palestinian state
World

What to know about France's planned recognition of Palestinian state

'Failed to show respect': CEO closes case on councillor's gossip email
Wellington

'Failed to show respect': CEO closes case on councillor's gossip email

Robbery at Waikato petrol station, police seek stolen ute
Waikato Herald

Robbery at Waikato petrol station, police seek stolen ute

Woman at centre of Coldplay kiss cam scandal makes announcement
Entertainment

Woman at centre of Coldplay kiss cam scandal makes announcement



Latest from Motorsport

'Nothing changes’: Lawson reacts to Horner’s shock Red Bull sacking
Formula 1

'Nothing changes’: Lawson reacts to Horner’s shock Red Bull sacking

Formula One returns for the first race since the Red Bull boss’ exit.

24 Jul 09:30 PM
'It's been a lot': Lawson still processing Red Bull demotion in dramatic F1 season
Formula 1

'It's been a lot': Lawson still processing Red Bull demotion in dramatic F1 season

20 Jul 05:30 AM
'Way better than us': Nascar drivers react to Kiwi sensation
Motorsport

'Way better than us': Nascar drivers react to Kiwi sensation

19 Jul 12:29 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search