Having moved to Taranaki for his business about two years ago, Minnell wanted to capitalise on Taranaki's 'petrol head' reputation by bringing them the spectacle of the jetsprinting sport.
He received resource consent from the New Plymouth District Council to build the Joll Street track in Waitara, next door to the local kart sport club.
It is 150m long and 50m wide, around 50cm deep, with track sitting in a bowl configuration that the Whanganui jetsprinters should find familiar from their years racing at Shelterview.
He was still pulling 24 work shifts last week to get everything perfect.
"Being a new track, it's going to be tight to start with," Minnell said.
"It's going to even up a lot of the drivers, you can't go too fast.
"It's going to be a drivers track."
Therefore, with skill be emphasised over the power under the hood, Minnell would like to see a "midfielder - someone down the points table who may not be in contention for the national title - be able to pull out a round victory.
"That's what I'm after.
"What I can guarantee is the 'Undie 500' at halftime, I've got some corporates doing that."
After the national series went into recess in January while the two rounds of the UIM World Series were contested, Minnell was sitting in second place on the Superboat points table, behind Hamilton's Glen Head, while multiple time champion Peter Caughey made up a lot of ground with his Round 2 victory at Shelterview.
Minnell said a big Whanganui contingent is coming up to watch, with the likes of Rob Coley and Richard Murray hoping to make up ground in the series.
The Group B series will see Ross Travers likewise trying to get back into contention to retain his national title, while former national champion Hayden Wilson will also be hunting an inaugural victory on the new track.
