Over the last couple years the Circle Jerk Crew have been running mid-year public track days. Last year, we held Drift Fest for the skidders, so this year we thought we’d attend to the grip guys. Introducing, Grip-Fest!
A tailored event was the objective, targeting quality cars and the right crowd. Enthusiasts all over saw the opportunity, which meant spots started filling up fast with a good variety of cars, from the daily driven luxury spec Lexus to the full blown race hack.
The Wellington crew took advantage of the long drive and turned it into a weekend away, taking the Friday off and staying at the renowned Jerkfest Taupo residence for a couple of nights. It’s always a great feeling road tripping with the crew to a weekend track day; the Jerkfest nostalgia was in full force.
Held at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park (formerly known as Taupo Motorsport Park) on the tight Track 2, we had an early morning start with the gates opening at 7:30am, followed by scrutineering and a drivers briefing. By 9:00AM the cars began to hit the track.
The overnight rain left us with a wet track, which meant there was no shortage of spin outs and hydroplaning at the start of the day.
As the track dried up we got to see how formidable road legal street cars can be with a good driver behind the wheel. The beauty of Track 2; any well set up car can be competitive!
On the other hand, this was a casual grip day with no limitations to driver skill so we saw a few track virgins. It’s great watching drivers become familiar with their cars, and improve lap by lap, getting faster each time.
With the crew being spread out across the country, its always great catching up with those we don’t see often.
Everyone got ample track time, no one experienced any major issues and we kept the track owners happy. It’s safe to say the day was a great success! Thank you to all those who attended for being respectful of the track and the rules. Also a big thank you to all who helped organise and run the event on the day!
I’ll end the blabbering with a few of my favourite photos from the event. Check out the full album at the bottom.
Words by: SillyNico
Photos supplied by: Nico Patchay, Tim Chai, Wayne Thompson.
