Sadly, as a result of rising land prices and noise restrictions, Bay Park Raceway eventually yielded and the sport diminished in popularity. Around 1994 the combined membership of the clubs dwindled and they slipped into recession. A number of attempts to amalgamate the clubs failed until in 1996 a core group of motorsport enthusiasts held a meeting and determined that a new club would be formed. That club became Tauranga Mount Motorsport Club. Following negotiations with the few remaining members of the old Tauranga and Mount Maunganui Clubs, the substantial assets and trophies of those organisations were formally absorbed into the new entity. In 2008, by unanimous vote of the members of the club, we adopted our new name, MotorSport Bay of Plenty.

As the TECT All Terrain Park came to fruition. MBOP, although having been the lead club during the early negotiations with Council, felt that the promotion and management of the motorsport zone within the TECT Park would be better done by a governing body made up of all the clubs who were likely to be involved. In 2011, all the hard work culminated in a meeting of motorsports clubs, where MBOP became one of the founding members of Te Matai Motorsport Inc.

In New Zealand, the sport of Drag Racing, i.e. the pairing of two vehicles against one another in a race from a standing start through a straightway course, is under the control of The New Zealand Drag Racing Association Incorporated (NZDRA). This Association was established in November 1993 to be the controlling authority for Drag Racing in New Zealand. The purpose of NZDRA is to be "an organization to represent, control and coordinate the sport of Drag Racing in New Zealand". This delegated authority was first granted by Motorsport New Zealand in 1993 with permission of the FIA.

NZDRA is a member of the FIA Drag Racing Commission, the SFI Foundation (US) and maintains alliances with the US based National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA).

Anybody can compete at a Drag event and for most street vehicles only a helmet is required.

The sport caters for racers from age eight, with both sex's represented. Dragsters range from the Junior Dragster class where they race in replica Dragsters over an eighth of a mile (200m), to the 3500 horsepower Top Alcohol category where these vehicles reach speeds in access of 400 kph in under 5.6 seconds over the quarter mile (400mtr).

The sports unique racing format for street type vehicles makes every racer competitive in these categories as it puts the driver's skill to the test as opposed to the vehicle's performance. There are also many other categories within the sport to test your mechanical aptitude, many with supercharged or turbo charged power plants, and these add to the challenge of propelling a vehicle to speeds faster than any other motorsport.

The sport of Karting was introduced to New Zealand in the late 1950's and Kartsport BOP was formed in the 1970s.  At first KartSport Bay of Plenty had no where to go and raced at several locations around Tauranga and Te Puke, at school fairs and the airport.

However, in 1973 the club was offered some land to lease in Fagan's Valley, Te Puke. Since then the club purchased the land and developed it for racing from initially a dirt track to a sealed track. Over the years the track itself has been extended and resealed several times.

There have been many racing members that have started in karting and have moved onto very successful careers in motor racing.  The Club caters for drivers from the age of 6 years to pensioners; it is a fun and fast a sport for all the family and is an excellent form of early driving education for the younger ones.

In 2011 KartSport Bay of Plenty joined Te Matai Motor Sport Inc with a view to future proofing the sport of Karting in the Bay of Plenty. Although the club has at this stage, no intention of moving from their present site in Fagan's Valley Raceway at this stage, it has made sure that should they wish or need to move, that there is a place for any future circuit they may require at the TECT All Terrain Park.

If you would like to learn more about the sport of Karting or are interested in coming out to look at the present site near Te Puke please go to the link on this web site or look up: www.bopkartclub.org.nz

The sport consists of 8 different classes of vehicles ranging from entry level "Kids Karts" (6-16yrs) to 500+ horsepower, 200kph fire breathing monsters.

"Offroading" is governed by a National Body -"ORANZ" (Offroad Association of New Zealand). There are ten regional clubs with approximately 250 individual members. ORANZ has a National Series which consists of 3 rounds in each island and a National Final which alternates between the North and South Island.

Clubs have many stand-alone events ranging from casual "club" days to the longest Offroad Endurance Event in the Southern Hemisphere -The Taupo 1000 - which is held every two years in the Kaiangaroa Forest east of Taupo, consisting of 1000kms of racing over two days.

The Local perspective:
The Bay of Plenty has its own regional club known as the Bay Offroad Racing Club. We are an Incorporated Society and have members spread from Whakatane to Auckland.  We have no club track or clubrooms.

It is envisaged that once our designated area is developed in the TECT Park, we will have a base from where we can host Club Days through to National Rounds and eventually apply to host a National Final which attracts up to 300 people.

Bay of Plenty Radio Control Car Club (BOPRCCC) is a newly established club for the radio control car enthusiast in the Bay of Plenty area. Sanctioned by New Zealand's governing body, the New Zealand Radio Control Car Association, BOPRCCC has rules and regulations that cater for the majority of competition cars available on the market today. From 1/4 to 1/20th scale cars that race indoor at the Tauranga Airport Hangers, to electric 1/10th scale off-road cars and 1/8th scale off-road nitro powered monsters racing at the club's very own new purpose built track at Te Matai Motorsport in the TECT All Terrain Park. There are options for everyone.

All members of the club must abide by the BOPRCCC Rulebook . If you're unsure of anything, please don't hesitate to contact us or check out our forum under http://rcracer.co.nz/Forum/viewforum.php?f=72 for club meeting dates, etc.

Interim Contact:  Jono Chaplin - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.