Pukekohe is ready to roar as ITM Auckland SuperSprint heads to the area 13-15 September.
The event will bring about 120,000 visitors to Pukekohe’s famous raceway over the three days, but not before a huge amount of work is done to ready the facility.
The ITM Auckland SuperSprint is the only international round on the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship and involves six New Zealand support categories.
Practice day on the Friday attracts big crowds ahead of the weekend racing but few of the thousands of spectators appreciate the enormous behind the scenes effort needed to bring the racing to life.
Auckland Council controlled organisation ATEED is behind the efforts needed to bring the international event to the city.
Racing requires St John medical experts to be on-site at Pukekohe Park, and the presence of a huge security team, not only to manage the crowds but to keep the millions of dollars worth of cars and associated racing technology secure.
An on-site operations command centre must be put in place and be outfitted with the required technology and communications links, all tested multiple times, the garages must be prepped, the track groomed, and you need a few toilets too.
With so many visitors flooding the area a traffic management plan will have been submitted and approved long ago, and parking restrictions, including no stopping and bus parking sites will all have been sorted.
Public car parking is available in neighbouring streets and properties. Paid event parking is available onsite and can be pre-booked here, while a mobility parking shuttle is operating from the transport hub to the venue, with another mobility parking and drop off zone at Gate 2.
Franklin Local Board chair Angela Fulljames says organisers keep the Pukekohe Business Association informed to maximise any opportunities and the event brings in thousands of dollars to the local community.
Racing is from 8am-6pm on all three days of the event.
