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THE STORY
Gimblett Gravels at SH50, on Roy's Hill, Hastings, is now renowned as a premium grape growing district. At one time this old Ngaruroro River bed covered in shingle was said to be worthless land.
A group of young men, enthusiasts from Hawke's Bay Hot Rod and Custom Club, had a bold plan in 1973 – to create a drag strip on this flat, well-draining land.
With no resources except gritty determination, they convinced an earthmover and an asphalt company to create what would become Thunderpark – while frantically working out how to pay what in today's terms would be well over a million dollars.
Thunderpark's drag strip was said to be not only the best in the Southern Hemisphere, but also the best outside the United States.
It was the scene of the first New Zealander to go over 200mph.
This, then, is the story of Thunderpark, its quarter-mile strip, and the people who created it, maintained it and raced on it: a place where legends were made, and speed records were created and broken.
Thunderpark 1976 to 1997 – gone, but the legend remains.
The below photos are supplied by Allan Porter, Dave Northe and the Wilton Collection.
THE AUTHOR
MICHAEL FOWLER
As a teenager, going to Thunderpark was something special. We soon realised why
the name was so appropriate ‒ as the thunderous sounds of the dragsters and funny
cars roared through our bodies.
The drama of the burnouts before lining up, the smell of burning rubber and the roar
of the cars as they disappeared down the track. Whether it was Garth Hogan, Mike
Gearing, Brett Wilson, Butch Reid or any number of favourites, Thunderpark was
something special to us.
The Americans came in 1978, with the Phoenix and L A Hooker Funny Cars bringing
sounds and speeds we’d never experienced before.
Thunderpark was something unique for many of us in our early years, right here in
Hastings. These are the memories that stay forever.
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