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Speeding up for off-roading

Posted on 19 August, 2014

Hampton Downs Motor Sport Park will expand activities in October when a park for casual and competition use opens. Polaris, the world’s largest off-road vehicle maker, has taken the naming rights for the venue called the Hampton Downs Polaris Off-Road Park. The new concept for off-road motorsports will provide accessibility to a well-established facility on a weekly basis with track hire available all season. It will cater for casual use on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-4pm during the October-May season, and will cater for bikes, ATVs, UTVs and off-road race cars. There are plans for regular competitive events. Park manager Ian Foster believes the facility will be significant for the sport’s growth and exposure of the sport. “The aim is to grow the sport by giving anybody the opportunity to experience off-roading in a controlled environment with competitions at the venue to expose the sport to the public,” he says. A focus will be on the factory-produced class of UTVs, which are becoming popular for recreation and competition. Their first championship will be staged in conjunction with a revived Off-Road Grand Prix Series. Auckland Off-Road Racing Club has booked eight dates sanctioned by the Off-Road Association of New Zealand next summer, which will include a national championship round. Hampton Downs is already popular among car brands. The new facility will also be available for dealer demonstration days, corporate ride days and track hire on weekends and on weekdays by appointment. Members of the public will be welcome to hire off-road vehicles or take their own to public weekends scheduled for the summer season.