Kiwi drivers are welcoming the announcement of Supercars' return to New Zealand.
Taupō will host a round of the championship, likely from next April, after securing the hosting rights on a three-year deal.
Previous NZ events at Pukekohe were dominated by the likes of Greg Murphy, Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen, but now the door's open for another local to claim Taupo as their own.
They're iconic moments in Supercars history - Kiwi drivers dominating on their home tracks - and a new crop will get the chance to repeat those scenes, when Supercars return in 2024.
"Well, thinking about it and talking about it gives me a shiver down the spine," Murphy told Newshub. "That's what it means.
"I've won Bathurst as well, which is a pretty special thing, and it rates basically alongside winning Bathurst."
Murphy made Pukekohe his own in the 2000s, inspiring a generation, including current Kiwi Supercars driver Andre Heimgartner.
"I was one of those kids - me and my sister and my dad in the grandstand, losing it when Greg Murphy was winning - so, for me, that's why going back to New Zealand is special," he told Newshub.
Supercars has never visited the venue, owned by entrepreneur Tony Quinn, who also owns Hampton Downs, which was also considered.
"Auckland weren't going to put any money into the Waikato, if you like, and so Taupo very quickly became the choice," he said.
With van Gisbergen likely to drive in the United States next year, another Kiwi will hope to stamp his mark on the track.
"It was a track I always loved to race on in the junior categories and I'll be hopefully getting a little bit of a sneaky headstart on everyone in the next six months, before we actually go race there," said Heimgartner.
If the former king of the Kiwi round has his way, Heimgartner might have competition.
"I like the idea of a Shane van Gisbergen wildcard," he suggested. "I don't know if that's possible at all."
Either way Supercars fans are just happy New Zealand once again has its own round back on the calendar.
