(First Kart Club in the North Island)
by Sue Moczydlowski

It is said that the first North Island New Zealand Go Kart Club was born in the Tauranga area. Apparently the Christchurch Kart Club was also formed about the same time, but to who was first is still a mystery.

On the 2nd of July 1956, with 60 members, the first Tauranga Go Kart Club was formed in Tauranga. But it was without a home. There was no suitable paddock where a track for racing could be laid. In this era of Karting, New Zealand drivers had the same trouble as its predecessors in the USA: no where to race without being kicked out because of the noise.

The only solution was to go to the public. The club, along with other sports, assisted raising funds for charity organisations. In 1959 the club helped raise funds for 4 schools (using the school grounds for racing) in the Western Bay of Plenty and had been represented at 20 major Go Kart meetings in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Taumarunui. They also raced in Te Puke in the same year at a Scouts Gala to help raise funds. It is interesting to note that Te Puke race driver Denny Hulme, was a prominent figure winning the invitation race.

At some later stage the Club used a track at Hairini Intersection. This was only for a short period, as development would soon take over. The Club was then offered some land at Oropi, on the out skirts of Tauranga, where it had a dirt track for several years. But once again, because of development, the Club had to find new home. Another motor sport personality prominent in Karting at this time was Ginger Molly, who along with his daughters, raced several times for the BOP Club. For quite a while the club didn't have a track so half the club used the airport. The other half found some land at Welcome Bay but unfortunately the Welcome Bay land was sold from under their noses.

Finally Jim Donnelly (Eddie Donnelly's father) and Eddie Paterson came upon Jack Fagen who offered the now existing site of the old quarry for lease. This was originally part of Jack Fagen's farm. The lease agreements were $1 a year, a bottle of brandy for Jack and a box of chocolates for his wife.

In October 1973 the Tauranga Go Kart Club Incorporated applied for
consent to the Tauranga County Council for the development of a track at
its now existing Fagans Valley Raceway, Alley Road Te Puke. There was
also a name-change at this stage of the clubs development and was from
then on known as the Tauranga - Te Puke Kart Club.

The track in those days was a 400 metre long dirt track, which hosted several regional and North Island title meetings. It is interesting to find that on 14 August 1978 Eddie Donnelly was promoted to Senior Steward.

Disaster came in 1979 when heavy rain caused massive slips in the Papamoa Hills. The quarry was badly damaged and the track flooded. A lot of work needed to be done before racing could commence. Because of this it was decided to upgrade the existing track by sealing it and extending it by a further 80 metres. The sealing work was done on the 14th January 1982.

The Club has raced on this track ever since (with a couple
of re-seals done along the way) till its latest upgrade in 1999.

After several years of leasing, the land was offered to the club for purchase. The price that was decided by Jack Fagan was $5000 for each of his grandchildren and $5000 for his wife.

Not a lot of work or changes were needed around the property for several years, except for maintenance, and as the land had to be paid for, the track stayed much the same.

One of the first projects to be completed after the land was finally purchased was the extension to the clubrooms. The extra room was purchased from the Bell family who had sold their camping ground in the Mount. The camp poolroom became available for purchase, and was used as an extension to the existing clubrooms.

In 1995-96, the pit area was shifted and rebuilt in readiness to extend
the track at the quarry end of the property. Once the club succeeded in
this they were able to plan ahead and start work for the new track
extensions.

In February 1998 earthworks began the major project of shifting a
hill for the track extensions. April 18th 1999 was the official opening date of the new track extensions.

The BOP Kart Club has done it. They now have a 760 metre long "awesome" (as most drivers said at the track opening) track. As Ian Bias was quoted in the Bay of Plenty Times,

"I was more than impressed with the track changes. It has taken a 1980¹s styled circuit and turned it into a year 2000 facility."