Whitianga Festival of Speed
The Whitianga Festival of Speed (Whitianga FOS) is a popular Motorsport festival held in the seaside town of Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. The festival hosts a multitude of events including the New Zealand Helicopter Championships, Offshore powerboat racing, Aerobatic Displays, Off-road Vehicle Demonstrations, Jet Ski racing and bespoke events such as Rally Car Vs Helicopter racing.[1]
Events
The Motorsport events that have been held at the festival thus far are:[2]
- Mass Aircraft Flyover
- New Zealand Helicopter Championships
- Warbird display
- Hellicopters opening beer bottles
- Hellicopters racing Rally Cars
- Big Boat Race
- Jet Ski Racing
- Yak Aircraft aerobatic display
- Mustang Aircraft and Kittyhawk aerobatic display
- ThunderCat vs Jet Ski event
- Offshore Power Boat vs Helicopter race
- NZOPA Offshore Power Boat Race
- Royal New Zealand Navy Patrol Vessel display
- Parachuting swooping display
- Go Kart race
- Mini club skill driving event
- Drift Car demonstration
- Motorcycle stunt riding
- V8 Supercar display
- Jetsprint demonstration and race
- Lawn mower racing
- NZ off-road series race
- Drag Race
- Rolling Thunder Parade
- Helicopter Display
- Auto show
History
The inaugural Whitianga Festival of Speed was held in April 2009 as an additional event in the New Zealand Offshore Power Boat Series. To date the event has been free for spectators.
2009 Festival
The 2009 event was held over the weekend of April 4–5 and saw a turnout of an estimated 15,000 - 20,000 spectators.[3]
2010 Festival
The 2010 event was held on the weekend of April 10–11 and saw the crowd double to an estimated 40,000[4]
Future Festivals
The festival organisers have announced that the event will next be held in 2012.[5]
References
- ↑ "300% Adrenalin". newzeland.com. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ↑ "Whitianga Festival of Speed Program". whitiangafos.com. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ↑ "Whitianga Festival of Speed: We’re going boat racing – you’re invited". Sail-World.com. 14 February 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ↑ "Festival of Speed thrills from the air and sea". 3News.co.nz. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ↑ "Kiwi Speed Fest - New Zealand Motorsport Marine and Aviation Festival". kiwispeedfest.com. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2010.