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ClubSport is the broadest banner in NZ motorsport. It covers half a dozen different event formats, most of them cheap, low-drama, and run by clubs almost every weekend of the year.
Autocross runs against the clock on a marked-out grass, gravel or tarseal course. Motorkhana is a precision test around cones at low speed: no danger, all car control. Sprints and hillclimbs run individual cars up a closed road course, sealed or gravel. Drifting competitions are judged on angle and control through a marked section rather than lap time, and in New Zealand they're run under ClubSport regulations too.
MotorSport NZ runs two Gold Star ClubSport national championships each season, the overall ClubSport Championship and the Hillclimb Championship, plus accredited series including D1NZ (drifting) and the NZ Super Lap Series. These are the pointy end; most ClubSport racing happens at club level, on any given Sunday, with a handful of competitors and a relaxed pit area you can walk straight into.
ClubSport is built to be the easiest motorsport entry point in the country: for some formats, easier than you'd think.
Motorkhanas and standard Autocross events run under "ClubSport Basic". MotorSport NZ requires no competition licence to enter one. Turn up, sign on, and drive your own road car. Some motorkhanas don't even require a helmet.
A warranted, roadworthy daily driver is enough for grassroots ClubSport Basic events: no cage, no modifications. Scrutineers check the basics: secured battery, firm brakes, nothing loose in the cabin or boot.
Step up to "ClubSport Advanced" (gravel sprints, hillclimbs, drifting competitions) and you'll need at least a Temporary M Grade or full M Grade competition licence. That's the point where it's worth reading the Compete Properly section below.
Most ClubSport competitors never need more than an M Grade licence: MotorSport NZ's entry-level national grade, and the quickest of the three to obtain.
Register at MotorSport Online with a passport-style photo. It prints onto your licence card. If you've held a licence or entered an event before, you may already have a record; the MSNZ office can look it up.
Add your MotorSport Club Membership in the Licences tab and select your club. It needs to show as Approved with a current expiry date before your licence application can proceed. Find a club through MSNZ's affiliated club directory if you haven't joined one yet.
Submit the MSNZ Competition Licence application: licence type, a medical declaration tailored to that licence, and payment.
Study the Drivers Guide and MSNZ's M Grade Licence Exam study guide, then contact a Licence Examiner near you to sit it. They mark you off in the online system on the spot.
Junior competitors (12–16) can take part under Schedule C, Article 5 of the National Sporting Code. Check the eligibility and supervision requirements before entering.
Autocross (advanced-status events), driver training, motorkhanas run at ClubSport Advanced status, rallycross, sprints and trials all fall under this licence.
Requirements scale with the event's status. ClubSport Basic is deliberately light; ClubSport Advanced and National-status events ask for more.
Overalls, socks and closed shoes are required, except for Motorkhanas and Car Trials, which MotorSport NZ exempts even from that. 100% cotton overalls, a helmet, and covered leather or fireproof footwear cover most Basic events; check your event's supplementary regulations, since some clubs ask for more.
Overalls step up to multi-layer, or single-layer worn with cotton or wool underwear. Socks and closed shoes are compulsory, and gloves are required in single-seater and open sports racing cars.
Grassroots ClubSport events are built around road cars. A current WOF is generally enough, checked against Schedule A for the basics: secured battery, sound brakes, nothing loose in the cabin. No cage or modifications needed until you're stepping up toward National-status sprints or hillclimbs.
The national governing body for ClubSport: licensing, the National Sporting Code, and the Gold Star Championships.
Email: admin@motorsport.org.nz
Phone: 04 815 8015 (Mon–Fri, 8:30am–5pm)
Address: 102A Kapiti Road, Paraparaumu 5032
Sit your M Grade theory exam with a Licence Examiner near you. Find one through MSNZ's examiner directory.
The first call for entering a ClubSport Basic event, joining as a member, and finding out what's running near you. MotorSport NZ's club directory lists every affiliated club by region.
MotorSport NZ's grassroots grade: non-contact, usually one-car-at-a-time events like autocross, motorkhana and hillclimbs, designed as affordable entry-level competition.
Yes, most ClubSport events accept standard road cars with basic checks. A helmet is required at speed events; some slow-speed motorkhanas don't even need that.
Typically NZ$50–100 plus club membership, the cheapest competitive motorsport in New Zealand.
A basic ClubSport licence through a MotorSport NZ member club: quick to obtain and far simpler than a race licence. See our licence guide for the grades explained.
A precision driving test around cones at low speed: no speed danger, huge skill gain, and the traditional first-ever event for Kiwi racers of every age.
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