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.