New Zealand: Taranaki RCCC completes an international standard onroad track

Photo: Taranaki Radio Control Car Club (source)

New Zealand is about to gain an onroad track of an entirely different calibre. In New Plymouth, the Taranaki Radio Control Car Club (TRCCC) is entering the final phase of building a circuit designed from the outset to international standards, with the stated ambition of becoming one of the benchmarks of the Asia-Pacific region.

A club founded in 1978 moving up a level

Founded in 1978, the TRCCC currently operates a parking lot style onroad track alongside a dedicated offroad facility. The venue under construction is on another scale entirely: a purpose-built facility for the discipline, designed to host national and international events, including at FEMCA level, the Asia-Pacific regional federation.

Over NZ$300,000 already invested

The club says it has already put more than NZ$300,000 into the project, a considerable sum for a volunteer-based organisation relying largely on community funding. The figure reflects the level of quality sought for the surface and infrastructure of a circuit intended for 1/10 touring and onroad classes.

The Road to Opening Day campaign and the Founding 300 Members

To close the budget, the TRCCC is launching a campaign called Road to Opening Day, aiming to raise the missing NZ$150,000. Donors can obtain Founding 300 Members status, with a personalised commemorative plaque and permanent recognition on a dedicated Legacy Wall. A deliberately community-driven approach that directly involves drivers and supporters in the birth of the circuit.

Opening targeted for 2027

The official opening is scheduled for 2027. If the timetable holds, New Zealand will then have a facility capable of attracting major races in a region where onroad tracks of this standard remain rare.