NZ Motorsport: A brief history of Manfeild Autocourse

Manfeild is one track that most of us would be familiar with and have attended numerous race meetings over the years. Here is the story behind the Manfeild race track and how it evolved over the years.

Manfeild Autocourse was completed in 1973 by the Manawatu Car Club as a purpose built race course with all the facilities such as toilets and pit buildings. The track's design allowed the viewing of the racing to be uninterrupted as it is built on one field without objects such as trees getting in the way. The name Manfeild comes from "Man" in Manawatu and "Feild" in Feilding. The total length of the course is 3.03 kilometres.

The club held the first event at Manfeild the same year with quite a few cars turning up for it. Classics like the LC Torana were entered alongside cars like this old Austin.

Throughout the 70's, many different cars raced at Manfeild. These ranged from entry level Mini's and Ford Escort's to big wig race teams with Formula 5000's. Formula Ford was also another great starter race series and were raced at the track as part of their series.

In the 80's and 90's, Group A started to kick off at Manfeild and cars like the E30 and E36 BMW 3 series were commonly seen on track. Also, legendary JDM cars such as the DR30 Nissan Skyline and The AE86 Toyota Trueno were also seen on the race course. The NZV8 championship arrived in 1996 and Manfeild is also known for the intermarque sprints where pretty much any car can race as long they have flame proof overalls, a fire extinguisher and road legal tyre's. The 90's also brought forth growth, with the track growing to 4.5 kilometres in total with the addition of a 1.5 kilometre secondary track.

The 2000's brought along further motorsport events such as the D1NZ series in 2003 and the New Zealand Grand Prix in 2008. Today, Manfeild is enjoyed by many due to a lot of classic races being held there such as the MG classic and import car events such as 4 & Rota. The Manfeild park itself has also been expanded to include an arena and other facilities so events such as Horse shows can take place.

Overall, the Manfeild Autocourse is an excellent place to race or watch. Every car fan in New Zealand should check out Manfeild, especially when the MG classic is on as you can get a ride around the track for $5!

Do you have an interesting story from Manfeild? Leave a comment below or on our Facebook page. Thanks for reading!!!