History

The story of Baypark Speedway is one of two chapters.

The first begins with the formation of the BOP Speedway Association in 1969 and the creation of a basic timber-walled oval track in the infield pit area of the Baypark motor racing circuit which had opened in 1967.

The club steadily developed the track over the years with a concrete wall and improved spectator viewing introduced in 1978.

Racing in those days featured saloons, stock cars, midgets, street stocks and on occasions solo motorcycles and sidecars with special attractions including sprint cars in the mid-1980s.
The original Baypark track produced a number of national champions and became regarded in the late 1980s and 1990s as the home of the strongest super saloon car racing in New Zealand.

But by the mid-1990s the rapid growth of Mt Maunganui overtook the speedway. The original "Oval by the Ocean" and the motor racing circuit were closed in April 1995.

Speedway was without a Bay of Plenty home for the next five years with local competitors contracting at tracks such as Rotorua, Kihikihi, Huntly and Auckland to continue their racing.

In the meantime the BOP Speedway Association investigated a number of potential sites from Maketu to Te Puna. Eventually a joint effort by the club, the Tauranga City Council and most crucially former racer turned property developer Bob Clarkson secured the land at Te Maunga and planning began for the world class facility that exists today.

The current stadium is very much the vision and creation of Bob Clarkson and it opened with a two-day Labour Weekend special meeting in 2001 which saw more than 300 competitors from throughout New Zealand in action.

Fittingly it was one of the stalwarts of the original track - and current competitor today - Maurice Cowling who won the first ever race at the new track.