Christopher Arthur Amon was a New Zealand motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One racing in the 1960s and 1970s and is widely regarded as one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand Prix. His reputation for bad luck was such that fellow driver Mario Andretti once joked that "if he became an undertaker, people would stop dying". Former Ferrari Technical Director Mauro Forghieri stated that Amon was "by far the best test driver I have ever worked with. He had all the qualities to be a World Champion but bad luck just wouldn't let him be".
Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.
Formula 5000 was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula. The '5000' denomination comes from the maximum 5.0 litre engine capacity allowed in the cars, although many cars ran with smaller engines. Manufacturers included McLaren, Eagle, March, Lola, Lotus, Elfin, Matich and Chevron.
Pukekohe Park is a horse racing, motor racing, and community events facility located in Pukekohe, New Zealand, approximately 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) south of the Auckland CBD, in the Auckland Region of the North Island. The venue, owned by Counties Racing Club Inc. is used seven days a week for horse training, driver training, motor sport events, cycling and various events and functions.
Graeme Lawrence is a former race car driver from New Zealand. He started serious motor racing in the National 1.5 litre series winning the series decisively in 1968 ahead of David Oxton and Ken Smith. Lawrence then ran half a European F2 series in an uncompetitive semi works F2 McLaren, he found the racing harder than expected and was shaken, by his experience racing in Germany at the Hockenheim race in the rain, were Jim Clark was killed. McLaren allowed Lawrence to build up another F2 chassis in his works and was 2nd in the NZ Gold Star series in the car, and first NZ driver home in the Tasman races at Pukekohe and Levin.
Formula Pacific was a motor racing category which was used in the Pacific Basin area from 1977 to 1982. It specified a single-seat, open-wheeler chassis powered by a production-based four-cylinder engine of under 1600cc capacity. The formula was based on Formula Atlantic, with provision made for the use of Japanese engines. The category was superseded in 1983 by Formula Mondial, which was devised by the FIA to replace both Formula Atlantic and Formula Pacific.
The Toyota Racing Series is New Zealand's premier "open-wheeler" motorsport category. The Series includes races for every major trophy in New Zealand circuit racing including the New Zealand Motor Cup and the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy. The cars are also the category for the New Zealand Grand Prix – one of only two races in the world with FIA approval to use the Grand Prix nomenclature outside Formula One.
The New Zealand Grand Prix, sometimes known as the New Zealand International Grand Prix, is an annual motor racing event held in New Zealand. First held in 1950, it is best known for hosting rounds of the Tasman Series in the 1960s and 1970s. It is currently run as the signature race of the Toyota Racing Series.
The 1965 New Zealand Grand Prix was a motor race held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway on 9 January 1965. The race was held over 50 laps of the 3.5 km (2.2 mi) combined circuit for a total distance of 175 km (110 mi). The Grand Prix was run for open wheel racing cars, specifically conforming to either the 2.5 litre Tasman Formula regulations or the 1.6 litre New Zealand National Formula regulations.
The 1969 New Zealand Grand Prix was a race held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway on 4 January 1969. The race had 20 starters.
The 1970 New Zealand Grand Prix was a race held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway on 10 January 1970. The race had 20 starters.
The Lola T332 was a race car designed and built by Lola Cars for use in Formula 5000 racing and made its racing debut in 1973. The T332 was successful around the globe with race victories in places such as Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the United States. The Lola commonly used the 5.0-litre Chevrolet V8 engine, though some competitors in Australia and New Zealand used the slightly cheaper and less powerful Australian made 5.0-litre Repco Holden V8.
The 2000 New Zealand Grand Prix event for open wheel racing cars was held at Pukekohe Park Raceway near Auckland on 2 December 2000. It was the forty-sixth New Zealand Grand Prix and was open to Formula Holden cars. The event was also the final race of the 2000 Tasman Cup. It would prove to be the final race in the revived Tasman Series established in 1998 for Formula Holden. No 2001 series followed.
The 1971 New Zealand Grand Prix was a race held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway on 9 January 1971. The race had 20 starters.
The 1972 New Zealand Grand Prix was a race held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway on 8 January 1972. The race had 20 starters.
The 1976 New Zealand Grand Prix was a motor race held at Pukekohe Park Raceway on 4 January 1976. The race, which had 12 starters, was the opening round of the 1976 Peter Stuyvesant Series.
The 1978 New Zealand Grand Prix was a race held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway on 7 January 1978. The race had 20 starters.
The South Pacific Touring Car Championship was a motorsport championship staged in Australia and New Zealand for Group A touring cars between October and December in 1986. The championship was won by Australian driver Allan Grice.
Liam Lawson is a New Zealand motor racing driver, mentored by three-time New Zealand Grand Prix winner Ken Smith. He is a previous Toyota Racing Series champion and member of the Red Bull Junior Team, currently driving for the Hitech Grand Prix team in the 2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Frederick Barry Opert, known as "Fred", was an American racing driver, car dealer, and founder and owner of the Fred Opert Racing team.
