It all started back in the 1970s with one man, a big audacious dream and a community that saw his vision.

In the ‘70s Ron Spriggs had the speedway racing bug. He lived in Invercargill but holidayed in Central Otago. There wasn’t much to do here in those days, especially for young people, so Ron hatched a plan to get speedway to Central.

He found a Council-owned property in Cromwell that had a natural embankment and amphitheatre – perfect for speedway viewing and racing. A property that has been home to speedway ever since.

It was the late 1970’s and plans were well underway for the Clyde dam and Lake Dunstan. The Council were eager to have a speedway track in Cromwell as they saw it bringing people to the newly developing lake and township of Cromwell. Ron was ahead of his time with his big dreams.   A look at his 1979 plans for the speedway track show a hard track beside the clay track, complete with parking and small lakes in the centre. Around the outside was an animal park area, go-karting and horse-trekking, complete with paddocks for the horses.

Ron called his dream track ‘Golden Central Speedway’, and by Christmas 1980 the clay track was a reality.

Ron and his family funded the track themselves, and the community pulled together to help build it.

However, the inaugural race meet and opening in December 1980 did not go smoothly! With cars backed up well into the Kawarau Gorge coming to the new speedway, a howling gale blew up. The winds were so strong they created dust storms and all the porta loos blew over - including a porta loo with someone in it. The very first meeting had to be cancelled - not an ideal beginning. 

As we know, the track did open and has been a huge success ever since. There are many stories of days in the sun, great camaraderie amongst drivers, and volunteers who became firm friends. And it’s still that way today.

We are collating stories and photos from people who have been associated with Central Motor Speedway through the years. If you or someone you know has a story to tell us, please contact us and be part of preserving a very special slice of history.

Here at Central Motor Speedway, we know that our community is a big part of our success.  It's reciprocal: we value the support we receive, so we give back.

• We are family friendly - so of course we have great youth programmes. At various times during any season we have school groups working with a mentor on race car projects designed to inspire, increase confidence and skills.
• We have a mentorship programme for new drivers. New drivers are assigned a mentor from the club, we offer training days where people can learn practical skills like how to change a tyre,  and valuable driving skills.
• Our events attract thousands of people each time, all spending at local businesses. We promote Central Otago as a destination, encouraging people to stay, eat and play here. This is our way of supporting the business community that supports us - we are successful together. 
• Central Motor Speedway is a not-for-profit club. We know what it's like, so we support other community organisations where we can.  Last season we were privileged to donate to the local volunteer fire brigade as a way to say thankyou.
• We are lucky to have club rooms on site, and we hire these out at a low rate to other not-for-profit community groups. We also host community events in our outdoor facilities, such as the Cromwell Town & Country Club Truck Show & Shine.
• We run on volunteer power. Our amazing volunteers give time and energy to bring you successful race events. This makes us a key point of contact for many members of our local community. Our volunteers get to chat, interact, have fun, they are fed when they're here, and they get to form great friendships.

OUR TRACK - FACTS

First Opened: December 1980

Track Length: 446 metres

Track Width: 10 - 16 metres

Straights: 11 metres

Corners: 11 metres

Track Surface: Specially formulated clay surface

Track Shape: Not a true oval, the track is more of an egg-shape

Spectator Viewing: Unique drive-in movie style arena with full track views, on grass