Pukekhoe Auckland, New Zealand
By their very nature, motor racing circuits built within the confines of horse racing venues face many limitations. Not the first but probably the most famous such venture is Aintree, near Liverpool, England, home to not only the famed Grand National Steeplechase, but on two occasions, the British Formula One Grand Prix. Closely modelled on Aintree, the short-lived track at Warwick Farm, Sydney, uniquely crossed the horse turf at two (very bumpy) points. Then there is Sandown Park, soon for the chop as the developers move in to construct more high-density living in suburban Melbourne. And, across the ditch in New Zealand, there’s Pukekohe, just south of Auckland International Airport in the heart of the potato-growing region.
Like most of the others, Pukekohe’s tarmac is laid on the outside of the horse tracks, and squeezed into a fairly tight area, with the railway line on one side and the main road on the other. But back in the early ‘sixties, there was no time to be choosy, because the country was faced with a critical track shortage after the sudden loss of the nearby track at Ardmore Air Base, home to the NZ Grand Prix for cars, and in 1962, the
