Mark Wederall: Canterbury Car Club General Manager on this weekend's Supercars event in Ruapuna

All systems are go at Ruapuna ahead of the maiden South Island Supercars event. 

The programme has a fourth race added after a postponement due to weather last week in Taupo. 

More than 20,000 attendees are expected each day. 

Canterbury Car Club GM Mark Wederall told Mike Hosking in comparison their biggest event, the Skope Classic, gets about seven to eight thousand across the entire weekend.  

He says the buzz has gone beyond the car lovers – everyone in town is talking about the Supercars event.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So first for christ here. Of course we've got the
supercars coming to town. Ruapooon A fourth local track to
host the event, twenty thousand a day. They reckon Mark
Witerall's the GM at the Canterbury Can't Club it rung
Ruapoona of course, Mark Morning, Good morning. What's twenty thousand
mean compared with any other event.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Well, our biggest event, Scope Classic, we get like seven
to eight thousand across the weekend, so maybe we have
three three and a half thousand on one day, So
it is huge.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Tells you something about the power of motorsport, doesn't it
in general? And the supercars particularly, I guess.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, the supercars reached you know, international, it's just got
such a huge following. It's absolutely amazing.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
The buzz locally beyond it. Can you feel it in
the city? Is it beyond just the car lovers?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Absolutely yeah. I've nothing I've ever felt before going to town.
Everything's stuck it up. Everyone's talking about it, you know,
through market sharps, the headdresses, bars all that. You know,
everyone seems to know about it. And you know, I've
never had that experience with any motorsport events in the
city before.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
Good what are you looking for as an organizer and
you know, the man at the club to make this
thing stick permanently beyond the deal that's already been signed.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
But for us is to keep chicking away at the
work required. You know, there's a little few few safety things,
just track improvements as we go along. But for me,
the Biggie will be building adequate plane garaging for them
and we have a lot of support locally to do that,
and we are hoping to move the existing garages after
they leave this year and the goal is to try

(01:31):
and have them in by year two. But if that's
not done, year three for sure, and I think that
is what's needed the most.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
It's been twenty years since I've been on that track.
I've driven that track a number of times. I always
thought it was a technical track. Or is that because
I'm just a bit useless.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
No, that's what all the good drivers will say. It
is very technical. It's quite a narrow through the infield,
so I'd expect supercars to get their elbows out and
some of them will force their way through. I'm sure.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yeah, where's the passing? Many passing opportunities on the track,
So I was.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Down down down the straight, maybe coming into the heapen
but I think this position right even through the infield,
if you get you can get your nose in there,
you'll you'll still get around. So I'm expecting to see
plenty of passing.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Is the quality good? You resurfaced, You got all your
bits and pieces in order.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Tracks still mostly the same same track that seal that
we've had. It's up for the job. We've had to
add a few extra bits, a few runoff areas, just
so that if they run a bit wide they don't
get stuck in the grass or in the in the
gravel traps. So we've extended that.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Yeah, what's a good time.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
I think probably run the one three d's you know,
that's where they'll be around there somewhere, I think.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
And the forecast I think is good, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
It's getting better? Yeah? Yeah, every day keep looking at it,
and yeah, I reckon you know what can of RESULTE
orders We'll put on sunshine every day.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Yeah, why wouldn't you make all right? Go well mate
and congratulations on it. Or Mike Whittal who's the general
manager the Candary Car Club Kenner Candary Car Club run
Ruapoona

Speaker 2 (03:04):
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