Speedworks Season Finale from Hampton Downs postponed

Motorsport New Zealand and Speedworks Events have officially postponed the BP Ultimate Series finale from Hampton Downs. The decision comes amid the current Covid-19 pandemic which has created widescale cancellations to numerous motorsport events across the globe.

The event was to be headlined by the NZ BNT V8 championship and the Best Bars Toyota 86 series.

The Valvoline D1NZ competition was also scheduled to have their third appearance alongside Speedworks events, racing on Saturday evening.

The event was initially set to go ahead under the current guidelines issued by MSNZ yesterday. A questioner was reportedly sent to all competitors to gauge their opinion concerning the future of the event.

An earlier statement from MSNZ stated that they felt a postponement of the event would be “practically impossible.” However, both MSNZ and Speedworks Events will now work with Hampton Downs to find a more appropriate date for the event in order to not have the meeting cancelled indefinitely.

A statement from Motorsport New Zealand read:

“The MotorSport New Zealand Championship event scheduled for March 27-29 has been postponed. The decision was made by MotorSport New Zealand and the promoter SpeedWorks Events after concentrated discussions over the last 24-hours.

“Recent and rapid developments in the COVID-19 situation, including the travel and mass gathering restriction set in place yesterday, have been a factor that all parties have had to consider.

“The sport was supportive of the event being run if at all possible to minimise the wider impact on the motorsport community and businesses. However, during the consultation process, multiple classes took the decision to withdraw from the event following their committee and competitor feedback. These withdrawals made the event unviable from the sports and the promoters point of view.

“MotorSport New Zealand and SpeedWorks Events will work with Hampton Downs to find a suitable date for the event to be rescheduled between the end of May and end of June.”