Back to the Track! Taupo 400 2025

What a day at the Taupo 400!, Certainly better weather this year with the sun shining all day and not a cloud in the sky.

Supercars had confirmed via their website that a strong crowd of 51,454 fans attended this weekend’s ITM Taupō Super440, as New Zealand’s passionate motorsport community once again turned out in force for the second-ever running of the event.

Armed with just my Canon R7 and trusty 28-300mm L lens, myself and 3 others spent the whole day moving in and around track-side. For me personally I decided to go lightweight this year so I could spend more time enjoying the racing.

To start the day we spent time around the NZ V8 and Classic pits. Unlike the Supercars, these vehicles are often privately own and supported by family members. 

Regardless they still put in the effort and when you watch some of the older cars from the 70's and 80's taking to the track you can't help feeling nostalgic.

Of course the big supercar battle between Ford and GM, (Holden) was the main event and these guys were absolutely flying, and the atmosphere was buzzing in and around the park.

I got some pretty good shots as the conditions where sunny and dry, with plenty of heat haze from the track to shoot through.

Some of my favorite shots came during those tight battles and fast corners. I Love the flexibility of my 28-300mm lens. as i can easily switch between various zoom lengths with ease..

Technical details

Canon R7 + 28-300mm Lens

The Canon Lens can be a little soft across most of the focus points, but occasionally you hit the sweet spot which for me tends to be around the 135mm -140mm mark.

I fixed my ISO setting at 400 mainly because this is my go to for outdoor action on a good day.

Shooting mode was set to AV with shots being in and around the 1/250 - 1/400 speed range.

F stop sat in the F5 range for anything under 135mm, and F6 -8 for some of the wider shots.

In terms of white balance I let the camera control due to weather conditions.