One Last Slide at Pukekohe Park Raceway

Pukekohe Park Raceway, situated 45 minutes south of New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, has been a hub for horsepower since 1920, beginning with horse racing. In 1963, a seven-turn, 3.54km (2.2mi) racetrack was added, quickly becoming one of the fastest motorsport circuits in the Southern Hemisphere and attracting top international drivers.

For over 15 years, D1NZ – New Zealand’s national drifting championship – made Pukekohe Park a key stop on its calendar. Incorporated in the drift section was the circuit’s infamous Turn 1 – a long right-hand corner off the front straight, where the bravest drivers initiated sideways at over 200km/h (125mph). For this reason, many people considered it the fastest drift corner in the world.

Unfortunately for Kiwi drifters, in 2023, Pukekohe Park’s owners called time on motorsport activities, and most of the pit and paddock facilities were dismantled. Everyone thought it was gone for good, but lobbying from D1NZ saw the circuit host drifting for one final time in February this year, for Round 3 of the 2026 championship.

Pukekohe Park Raceway has a rich history, having once hosted legends like Jackie Stewart, Stirling Moss, and Jim Clark for local rounds of the Australasian Tasman Series during Formula One off-seasons. It also hosted the New Zealand Grand Prix, and, fittingly, the final Pukekohe Park event didn’t just feature drifting – classic open-wheel race cars once driven by the likes of David Oxton, Chris Amon, and Kenny Smith took to the circuit for the very last laps. A few production car series drivers were also invited, along with New Zealand and World Superbike Champion Andrew Stroud, who lapped the track on an iconic Kiwi-built Britten V1000 motorcycle – one of only 10 ever built.

Hundreds more vehicles filled the Schmick Mick Hard Park, and their owners also had the opportunity to take a few cruise laps of the circuit in between the on-track events.

Of course, the weekend’s main attraction was the drifting, and a full field of D1NZ Pro and Pro-Sport drivers turned up to compete. You get four seasons in one day in New Zealand, and despite the weekend failing in the middle of summer, the weather gods were not happy. This meant less-than-ideal track conditions, as the surface went from dry to damp to waterlogged.

In Pro-Sport, Blake Myles claimed victory ahead of 15- year-old Cody Lineham, who placed second, and Johnny Burns, who took third.

The Top 32 battles in the Pro competition were fierce, with championship contenders surprisingly knocked out early. In the end, Finnish driver Lauri Heinonen took the win over Dave Steedman – who has since been crowned New Zealand’s 2026 D1NZ ‘Drift King’ – with Ben Jenkins third.

As a bonus, the event also incorporated New Zealand’s first Drift GP, which saw a number of the country’s top drifters, past and present, compete against invited overseas drivers Amanda Sorensen, Lauri Heinonen, Ryan Litteral, Connor O’Sullivan, Saxon Moyes, and Luke Fink (with Chelsea DeNofa and Brodie Maher having to withdraw). The combination of borrowed cars, limited practice, changing track conditions, and an unfamiliar track saw most of the internationals knocked out in the Top 16. That resulted in an all-Kiwi, all-ex-D1NZ-Champion podium – Darren Kelly taking the win, followed by Gaz Whiter and ‘Fanga Dan’ Woolhouse.

The event also introduced the D1NZ Hall of Fame, with Fanga Dan its first inductee.

This event would not have been possible without D1NZ’s Brendon White leading an amazing team of volunteers, who put in countless hours to prepare and pack down the venue, alongside dedicated teams and drivers.

As the so-called ‘Cowboys of Motorsport’ drive off into a smoke-filled sunset, we thank you, Pukekohe Park Raceway, for all your motorsport memories.