Levin

Levin Motor Racing Circuit was the first permanent facility opened in New Zealand. It was the brainchild of British 500cc F3 racer Ron Frost who had recently emigrated. Frost identified the interior of Levin Racecourse as an ideal setting for a new racing circuit. He loosely based the layout on the kidney- Brands Hatch short circuit where he had raced, albeit without the elevation change that gives the Kent venue its character. The original 0.9-mile layout (that was often listed as one-mile) broke up badly during the inaugural meeting on 14 January 1956 so had to be relayed. The circuit was extended with pits built to the southeast so Levin could host an annual International meeting that held the very first round of the new Tasman Series on 4 January 1964. Levin was further extended to 1.175 miles for the 1967 race but remained overly tight and bumpy. The original 20-year lease was not renewed after the last motor race was held on 7 December 1975. The local motor club could not afford to upgrade the facilities as was required so motorised events moved to the recently opened Manfeild.