It started as a grass-roots initiative in a dusty little town in New Zealand. Decades later, it has spread to other countries and continues to grow.
The original idea was to bring motorsport to the masses. Sure, the cars may have been expensive and the tracks may have been dangerous, but the innovation of simply having an event where people could come together and have some fun was enough for the people of Oxton, New Zealand.
The event, called the Original Super Speedway, is now a World Championship-level competition that sees some of the greatest cars from the 20th century take to the dusty, muddy, and sometimes dangerous tracks in a display of speed and power. It is still held annually and draws thousands of people to Oxton each year. It is even the subject of a documentary, which you can watch in full here:
- The Story of the OSS
- How to Design a Successful Motorsport Raceday
- Designing the Super Speedway
- The Importance of Hand Clapping
- A Brief History of the OSS
The cars that participated in the first OSS were built between 1906 and 1929 and include some of the most significant cars of that era including the Napier Car, the Riley Four, the Darracq, and the Mercedes Benz. The tracks used for the competition were built between 1908 and 1927 and include Dunedin, which was the first track built for the event, and the Hutt Valley. The latter was the site of the first ever OSS race held in New Zealand. It attracted a huge crowd and was covered in the media. The event was a resounding success and is still held annually to this day.
In 1929, a second event was added to the sports calendar in Oxton – the Vanderbilt Cup. Some of the greatest drivers of the time took to the tracks in a display of their skill and a celebration of the New Year.
It was a year of plenty, with the Great Depression almost upon us. Families were struggling, and there was a real need for social engagement. The OSS committee decided to add an extra event to the sports calendar and run the Vanderbilt Cup on an annual basis. The format of the event was changed to include several races over the five-week period. It continues to be held annually and draws large crowds to Oxton each year. The races were always held at the end of April to allow the mud to settle before the summer heat intensified.
The success of the original OSS saw another New Zealand town, Levin, decide to hold an event in its own right. The first Super Speedway there was held in 1935 and was an instant success. More than 10,000 people attended that inaugural event, with hundreds more hanging on the final lap as cars from around the world duked it out on the muddy tracks. It continued to grow from there, and today, the Super Speedway is one of the biggest sporting events in New Zealand, if not the world.
The Appeal Of An Outdoor Raceday
The reason the OSS has been so successful is because of its open-to-the-public nature. It is still a relatively small event in terms of the amount of prize money on offer compared to some of the other big races around the world, but what it lacks in monetary value it more than makes up for in pure, unadulterated entertainment value.
The drivers and organizers wanted to bring motorsport to the masses and make it affordable for the average person. At a time when much of New Zealand was struggling financially, they created an opportunity for the people to come together and have some fun.
The average attendance at the OSS is around 4,000 with some years seeing significantly higher figures. It is often the case that around 100,000 people crowd into the tiny town of Oxton, located in the North Island of New Zealand, to watch the cars go round and round. This is partly because of the rolling hills that make up much of the region, but also because the people of Oxton have embraced the event and made it a part of their social fabric. It is an important day for the town, and thousands of locals make the trip to Oxton every year to see the cars go round and round. It is an event they look forward to, and it provides a rare opportunity to the people of the town to socialize and get to know each other. The whole community, from schoolchildren to the elderly, come together to celebrate the heritage of these magnificent machines. This is in stark contrast to many big races held today, where participants and fans are separated by metal fencing and security guards are on hand to make sure that no trouble arises. This is what makes the OSS special. It is a case of bringing the event outdoors and letting the pure fun take over – a fact that the drivers and organizers would no doubt be proud to call their own. This is a true motorsport original and an event not to miss. At least once in your life, you should visit this wonderful little town in New Zealand. It truly is an event that is as unique as the country that holds it. If you can, try and catch one of the famous OSS races on film – they are truly something special.
Designing A Successful Motorsport Festival
In addition to the unique nature of the OSS, the town of Oxton is also home to the annual motorsport festival. The festival kicks off in late April each year and continues through to the end of the month. It features activities and demonstrations from diverse fields including motorcycling, car collecting, engineering, design, and even music. The whole community comes together to take part, with people traveling from all over the world to be a part of it. It is an opportunity for the people of Oxton to showcase their skills and for tourists to come and explore this remote area in the South Island of New Zealand. The locals put on an amazing display of skill, with many turning up in traditional Māori attire and displaying the tribal designs on their faces for all to see. The design of the OSS has been emulated around the world, with events including the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Indianapolis 500 Festival, and the Geneva Motor Show all holding some form of motorsport festival. What sets the OSS apart from these events is the integration of the sporting and cultural aspects. The drivers and organizers wanted their first event in Australia to have a unique identity all of its own, and so they designed the OSS logo with the kiwi (the national bird of New Zealand) in the center to reflect a union of both cultures.
The design of the original OSS has proven to be so successful that similar events have sprung up around the world. The most recent and largest of these events is the Super Bowl Sunday on the Great Lawn in New York City, which also has the distinction of being the world’s largest outdoor sports event. The Super Bowl pits the American Football League’s New York Giants against the National Football League’s New York Football Team. It is one of the flagship events of the American sports calendar and is popularly believed to be the most watched televised sporting event in the world. What it lacks in pure entertainment value, it more than makes up for in exposure – the TV audience for the Super Bowl is usually in the tens of millions.
From humble beginnings in New Zealand, the Original Super Speedway has grown to become a world-class event. The format of the event has changed several times over the years, evolving to include more than just auto-racing. The OSS committee continues to work with the international motorsport community to ensure the event maintains its unique identity and to evolve with the times to keep up with modern-day motorsport. The open-to-the-public nature of the event continues to attract tourists and new members of the community to the North Island of New Zealand. The unique event is still held annually in Oxton, with thousands traveling from around the world to see the mighty machines tear around the tracks. It is a day the people of Oxton look forward to, and it provides fans with a once-a-year opportunity to witness first-hand the passion and skill of the drivers and teams involved.