Motorsport Diary: Kiwis racing overseas this weekend

It’s yet another weekend for motorsport enthusiasts, and plenty of Kiwis are flying the New Zealand flag in competitions overseas.

Shane van Gisbergen returns to action in the Xfinity Series fresh off winning the Chicago Street Race, returning to oval racing at Pocono Raceway.

Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, and Marcus Armstrong will also race on an oval in IndyCar with a double-header in Iowa, as will Callum Hedge, whose Indy NXT series competes once in support.

In South America, the World Endurance Championship returns with the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, bringing Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber to action.

In Europe, GB3 Championship star Louis Sharp continues his sublime season with Rodin Motorsport at Zandvoort.

We also recommend checking out the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend. Dozens of internationally acclaimed stars will drive some famous, unique, and historic machinery.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is being live-streamed on YouTube. The link attached provides a complete list of cars entered this year and their drivers.

Viewing times and information for the Kiwis racing overseas can be found below.

Enjoy!

Shane van Gisbergen: Xfinity Series

• Where? Pocono Raceway, Pennsylvania
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Sunday 2.30 am
  • Race: Sunday 7.00 am
• How to watch: Three Now (Race only)

Shane van Gisbergen sits 11th in the Xfinity Series standings but has accumulated the most playoff points through his three Road Course victories in 2024.

Pocono Raceway, or ‘The Tricky Triangle’, is a three-turn, 4.023 km triangle-shaped superspeedway.

Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin & Marcus Armstrong: IndyCar

• Where? Iowa Speedway
• NZ Times:
  • Practice: Saturday 8.30 am
  • Race 1 Qualifying: Sunday 7.45 am
  • Race 1: Sunday 12.00 pm
  • Race 2: Monday 4.00 am
• How to watch: Sky Sport

Scott Dixon leads the Kiwi charge in IndyCar and sits fourth in the standings. He will be looking to bounce back from a Hybrid system failure at Mid-Ohio.

Dixon’s DNF leaves him 71 points behind leader Alex Palou entering the Iowa double-header.

Scott McLaughlin is eighth, a further 34 points behind, while Marcus Armstrong is 15th, 44 points outside the top ten.

One qualifying session will determine the grid for both races, with each competitor’s first lap determining their Race 1 grid and their second lap setting Race 2’s.

Brendon Hartley & Earl Bamber: World Endurance Championship

• Where? 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, Interlagos
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Sunday 6.10 am
  • Race: Monday 2.30 am
• How to watch: Paid live stream (WEC App)

Brendon Hartley joins Ryo Hirakawa and Sebastien Buemi at Toyota Gazoo Racing for this weekend’s 6 Hours of Sao Paulo. The trio sit tenth in the Driver’s Championship.

Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn rejoin forces at Cadillac Racing, sitting 13th in the standings.

Callum Hedge: Indy NXT

• Where? Iowa Speedway
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Saturday 10.30 am
  • Race: Sunday 6.05 am
• How to watch: Paid live stream (IndyCar live)

A fourth-placed finish at Mid-Ohio vaulted Callum Hedge to fourth in the Indy NXT standings. He still sits 166 points behind runaway leader Louis Foster.

Louis Sharp: GB3 Championship

• Where? Zandvoort, Netherlands
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Saturday 6.00 pm
  • Race 1: Saturday 10.55 pm
  • Race 2: Sunday 8.10 pm
  • Race 3: Monday 2.30 am
• How to watch: Free live stream (YouTube)

Louis Sharp is back on top of the GB3 Championship, holding a slender two-point advantage over Will Macintyre following a successful outing at the Hungaroring.