Taupo International Motorsport Park will host the biggest ever meeting of classic Jaguar cars this weekend as part of the 6th annual Historic Grand Prix.

The 2023 Historic Grand Prix, which is New Zealand’s leading classic race meeting, will celebrate Jaguar and feature eight different race categories in 26 races over the two days.

Formula 5000, Historic Formula Ford/Formula Junior & Invited Historic single-seaters, Historic Muscle & Saloon Cars, Historic Sports Sedans & Invited All comers, Super V8's featuring TA2 and Tranzams, Heritage Touring Cars, Formula Open NZ and Hooters Vintage Race Series Pre-1966 Saloons & Sports cars.

Sunday’s Historic Grand Prix race features the highly entertaining V8 powered open wheeler Formula 5000 class.

There will also be a "Jaguar Only" Handicap race for all competing Jaguar vehicles.

Taupo International Motorsport Park, running its first motorsport event under the new ownership of Tony Quinn, will welcome Jaguar Clubs from up and down the country to celebrate the history of Jaguar since Bill Lyons and Bill Walmsey started their fledgling business in 1922.

In another first, TIMP will welcome in a new era in NZ V8 Racing with the Official Launch of the NZ TA2 Muscle Car Series.  

The NZ TA2 Muscle Car Series, will run alongside the NZ Tranzam Challenge and the V8 Open class in one impressive grid to be known as the Super V8s Series.

TA2 is one of the fastest growing Categories in Australasia, and the class of Mustangs, Camaros and Dodge Challenger cars, will boast at least 8 of the new cars.

The exciting Tranzam Challenge class, which includes some of the most Radical V8 Race Cars in the Country, also joins the Super V8s Series with up to 10 cars and topping off the SV8s grid in the V8 Open class are most of NZ’s fastest V8 Super Tourers, NZV8 TLX and TL Spec Cars along with MARC Cars.

TIMP CEO Josie Spillane is delighted with the stunning line up of race classes and the huge contingent of Jaguar cars that will be participating on the track and on display in the Legends Garage.

“We are also proud to continue the work of our predecessors who have made the Historic Grand Prix New Zealand’s leading classic race meeting,” she says. “We have made a commitment to the future & growth of this fantastic event and will be celebrating many more great manufacturers and their history in future years, as well as welcoming the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.”

Track owner Tony Quinn is looking forward to the event also while enjoying a bit of time back in New Zealand.

The racing starts at 9am each day and you can secure your tickets at Taupomp.co.nz

‍Caption: Formula 5000 driver Alastair Chalmers will contest the 6th Historic Grand Prix this weekend at Taupo International Motorsport Park.