Motorsport Diary: Kiwis Racing Overseas This Weekend

It’s finally time.

One of the most anticipated race weekends on the annual motorsports calendar is here; The Bathurst 1000.

Six Kiwis will be a part of the 2024 edition of The Great Race, with a larger contingent also featuring in the support categories.

Further afield, there’s Petit Le Mans, a 10-hour enduro at Road Atlanta which features five New Zealanders. Specifically, Scott Dixon, Brendon Hartley, Tom Blomqvist, Hunter McElrea, and Earl Bamber.

Also at Road Atlanta is the penultimate round of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, featuring Ryan Yardley and Madeline Stewart.

Then, of course, a crucial playoff race for Shane van Gisbergen in the Xfinity Series in Georgia.

There’s also an important rally in Poland for Hayden Paddon, who is in the box seat to successfully defend his European Rally Championship title.

As you can see, it’s all going on this weekend!

To see which Kiwis are in action, and how and when you can follow, see below.

Bathurst 1000

• Where? Mount Panorama, Bathurst, Australia
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Thursday 3.20 pm
  • Practice 2: Thursday 6.55 pm (co-drivers)
  • Practice 3: Friday 12.05 pm
  • Practice 4: Friday 3.05 pm
  • Qualifying: Friday 6.15 pm
  • Practice 5: Saturday 12.05 pm (co-drivers)
  • Practice 6: Saturday 3.10 pm
  • Top 10 Shootout: Saturday 7.05 pm
  • Warm-up: Sunday 10.15 am
  • Race: Sunday 1.30 pm
• How to watch: Sky Sport

Six Kiwis will compete in the 2024 edition of The Great Race, with Richie Stanaway entering the event as the reigning champion.

Stanaway is joined by Dale Wood at Grove Racing as he looks to defend the title he won with Shane van Gisbergen one year ago.

His teammate, Matt Payne, is the highest ranked Kiwi in the 2024 Supercars Championship, currently sitting fifth. Payne has Garth Tander as his co-driver this weekend.

Ryan Wood and Fabian Coulthard join forces for an all-Kiwi line-up at Walkinshaw Andretti United.

Andre Heimgartner is joined by Declan Fraser at Brad Jones Racing, while Jaxon Evans partners up with Dean Fiore.

Shane van Gisbergen: NASCAR Xfinity & Cup Series

• Where? Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (Road Course)
• NZ Times:
  • Xfinity Series Qualifying: Sunday 4.00 am
  • Cup Series Qualifying: Sunday 7.00 am
  • Xfinity Series Race: Sunday 8.30 am
  • Cup Series Race: Monday 7.00 am
• How to watch: Three Now (Races only)

Shane van Gisbergen has work to do should he qualify for the Xfinity Series round of eight. This will be determined over the weekend on the road course at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The three-time race winner sits 10 points below the cutoff zone in 10th, but is favoured to perform strongly on the oval.

Van Gisbergen is running double duties and will also feature in Monday’s Cup Series race.

Hayden Paddon: European Rally Championship

• Where? Rally Silesia, Poland
• NZ Times:
  • SSS1: Saturday 7.05 am
  • SS2-SS8: Saturday from 8.00 pm
  • SS9-SS14: Sunday from 7.55 pm
• How to watch: Paid live stream (rally.tv) or free live updates (ERC)

Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard feature in a European Rally Championship title showdown in Silesia, Poland. The Kiwi holds a 27-point advantage over Mathieu Franceschi ahead of the event, with drop rounds yet to be taken into consideration.

Thirty-five points are up for grabs in the 180.15 kilometres all-tarmac Polish round.

Scott Dixon, Brendon Hartley, Tom Blomqvist, Hunter McElrea, & Earl Bamber: IMSA Petit Le Mans

• Where? Road Atlanta, Georgia
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Saturday 8.25 am
  • Race: Sunday 5.10 am- 3.10 pm
• How to watch: Sky Sport (Race only)

Five Kiwis will take part in the final round of the 2024 IMSA season, being the 10-Hour endurance race at Road Atlanta.

Brendon Hartley, Scott Dixon, and Tom Blomqvist will feature in the GTP (Hypercar) class, while Hunter McElrea returns to LMP2 and Earl Bamber to GTD Pro.

Hartley joins Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque in the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti #10 Acura ARX-06.

Dixon partners Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais in Cadillac Racing’s #1 V-Series.R. Blomqvist returns to Whelen Cadillac Racing with Jack Aitken and Pipo Derani, also in a V-Series.R.

McElrea links up with TDS Racing’s Steven Thomas and Mikkel Jensen in LMP2.

Bamber has Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg for company in Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

Ryan Yardley & Madeline Stewart: Porsche Carrera Cup North America

• Where? Road Atlanta, Georgia
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Friday 1.35 am
  • Race 1: Friday 10.05 am
  • Race 2: Saturday 3.55 am
• How to watch: Free live stream

New Zealanders Ryan Yardley and Madeline Stewart take to Road Atlanta for the penultimate round of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America.

Yardley sits third in the standings, 95 points behind runaway leader Loek Hartog, but only 19 points behind second placed Alex Sedgwick.

Stewart remains 16th in the standings, but has scored points in each of her past four outings.

Brendon Leitch: Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe

• Where?  Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
• NZ Times:
  • Race 1: Sunday 3.50 am
  • Race 2: Sunday 10.45 pm
• How to watch: Free Live Stream (YouTube)

Reigning Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe Champion Brendon Leitch will rejoin Leipert Motorsport for Round 5 of this season’s competition at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Leitch will share driving duties of a Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 with Anthony McIntosh for two 50-minute races in the Pro-AM class.

Marco Giltrap & Fabian Coulthard: Porsche Carrera Cup Australia

• Where? Mount Panorama, Bathurst, Australia
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Thursday 5.40 pm
  • Race 1: Friday 4.25 pm
  • Race 2: Saturday 5.25 pm
  • Race 3: Sunday 11.15 am
• How to watch: Sky Sport

A 24-strong field will tackle the three races at Bathurst this weekend, with Kiwis Marco Giltrap and Fabian Coulthard in the mix.

Coulthard is running double duties, also partnering Ryan Wood in the Bathurst 1000. He is currently seventh in the standings. Giltrap is 11th, only 20 points outside the top ten.

Hunter Robb: Toyota GR86 Cup

• Where? Mount Panorama, Bathurst, Australia
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Friday 10.00 am
  • Race 1: Friday 2.35 pm
  • Race 2: Saturday 4.55 pm
  • Race 3: Sunday 10.45 am
• How to watch: Sky Sport

Hunter Robb will make his Toyota GR86 race debut at Bathurst, driving one of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia customer cars.

Heritage Touring Cars: Bathurst 1000

• Where? Mount Panorama, Bathurst, Australia
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Thursday 1.25 pm
  • Race 1: Thursday 6.20 pm
  • Race 2: Friday 10.30 am
  • Race 3: Friday 1.15 pm
  • Race 4: Saturday 1.20 pm
• How to watch: Sky Sport

A large contingent of New Zealand Super Tourers from the John Fairhall Historic Touring Car Series have made the trip to Bathurst to join an incredible 55-car Heritage Touring Car grid.

Included in the mix is Scott O’Donnell (Ford Mondeo), Lindsay O’Donnell (Volvo S40), Matthew O’Donnell (BMW 318i) , Allan Dippie (Rover Vitesse), Warren Good (BMW 318is), Dale Chapman (BMW 318i), Steve Kelly (BMW 320i), Kane Lawson (Holden Commodore VP) and New Zealand Formula Ford Champion Blake Knowles (1997 Nissan Primera).

The field also includes Greg Murphy, who will drive a Holden Commodore VN Group A car.

Cormac Buchanan: FIM Jr GP World Championship

• Where? Motorland Aragón, Spain
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying 1: Saturday 9.40 pm
  • Qualifying 2: Sunday 3.05 am
  • Race: Sunday 11.59 pm
• How to watch: Free live stream

Southland’s Cormac Buchanan is back in action for AGR Team in the FIM Junior GP for a single-race meeting at Motorland Aragon in Spain.

Buchanan enters the round eighth in the standings, but only 25 points off third place.