Horses and courses

Levin Circuit, NZ

The Levin Motor Racing circuit, located 95km north of Wellington near Lake Horowhenua, in the North Island, was the first permanent racing circuit to be established in New Zealand. Prior to that circuits were confined to non-permanent, makeshift venues such as aerodromes and “round-the-houses” in built-up areas. This meant that for the first time, a circuit was available for testing at virtually anytime and allowed motor racing to be held at a dedicated circuit.

The driving force responsible for its development was an Englishman, Ron Frost MBE who came to New Zealand in the early 1950s. Ron, a keen motor racing enthusiast and competitor, was looking for a house in Levin and noticed a little-used horse-racing track in the town environs. Ron foresaw the potential for a motor racing circuit and entered into discussions between local authorities, landowners and the newly formed “Levin Motor Racing Circuit Ltd.” These discussions lasted for some 18 months until it was agreed that the development of the circuit would proceed. The nucleus of this newly-formed business group consisted of Ron, Syd Jensen, Arnold Stafford, Vic Hudson, Les Burnham, Welwyn Wylde and Keith Wyness.

Construction of the circuit began in August 1955 but the track was poorly built and deteriorated badly at the opening meeting. The original circuit was quite short at 9/10 of a