Mr Aikman, the Waimate 50 chairman, said it remained important for people to embrace the motorsport event.
The sprints and drifting features were popular, but the real crowd-pleaser was the Invitation Waimate 50 in which 20 entrants sped over eight laps through the heart of town in a throwback to the original ''round the houses'' street race of the event's 1959 roots.
''We've got to get everybody to recognise its value, its worth and its heritage,'' Mr Aikman said.
''This is the only place in New Zealand where this is happening - it's quite special, really.''
The Waimate 50 began in 1959 and ceased in 1966. It was partially revived in 1991 and biennial races ran until 1999.
But this was only the second year multiple cars could run the street circuit.
Most of the streets in the central business area of Waimate were closed for the event, which began on Friday, but the footpaths were packed.
Going by gate sales, the event was again set to attract about 10,000 spectators.
Mr Aikman, however, could not guarantee that the race had again become an annual fixture.
''There's never any guarantee. The whole thing is pretty fragile when you look at it, because we rely on so many spectators, we rely on so many grants, we rely on so many different factors - if any one of those things collapses, it'll just pull us down, you see.''
The event had developed.
''We've grown the event hugely from what it was in 2010.
There's no use in being happy where you are.''
Previously, organisers had said it generated $500,000 for the town.
Driver Brent Collins, from Timaru, called the invitational a ''crowd-pleaser''.
But he said the people in the crowd were not the only ones enjoying the racing.
''It was great to be able to drive through the streets, and ''give the car heaps and it's legal''.
