The Otago Daily Times counts down the 150 greatest moments in Otago sport.
No 98: The Coronation Road Race (1953)
A race around the warehouses of Dunedin's wharf area may have lacked the glamour of a grand prix on the streets of Monaco, but that did not deter an estimated 15,000 spectators braving bitterly cold June weather to watch the action.
Twenty-six drivers from throughout New Zealand entered the main race, in which hot favourite Ron Roycroft powered to victory, driving his 1933 Grand Prix Alfa Romeo P3 with typical verve.
Roycroft, who was one of New Zealand's top racers of the time and who would complete a hat trick in Dunedin over the next two years, was followed across the line by fellow North Islanders Bob Gibbons and Ron Frost in their Cooper JAP and JBS Norton specials.
The locals found it tough to make their mark; the fastest Dunedin driver was legendary woman racer Sybil Lupp, who battled mechanical problems in her Jaguar XK120 to finish seventh. Later events would attract an even more glamorous cast, including grand prix drivers from England, and rising stars - future F1 world champions Denny Hulme and Jack Brabham included - from New Zealand and Australia.
The original 1953 race, named in honour of Queen Elizabeth's coronation, was where it all started.
