The 2025 North Island Endurance Series (NIERDC) gets underway this weekend at the Taupo International Motorsport Park, kicking off a condensed but action-packed three-round championship that forms a critical part of the New Zealand Endurance Racing Championship.
Following Taupo (May 31–June 1), the series heads to Hampton Downs for a doubleheader on June 13–14 and June 20–21. But it’s the season opener that promises to set the tone, especially with sweeping rule changes and a wide-open title fight in both the 1-Hour and 3-Hour races.
Rule Changes Shake Up the Grid
This year’s series arrives with major regulatory shifts aimed at levelling the playing field and injecting fresh strategy into the mix. A collaborative effort between the South Island and North Island endurance series organizers (SIERDC and NIERDC), the 2025 rules introduce Balance of Performance (BOP) adjustments for the GT3-dominated Class 1.
Air intake, weight, and boost restrictions will be adjusted across the class to ensure no single car dominates, giving fans the prospect of closer, more unpredictable battles at the front.
In the 3-hour races, Elite (Pro) drivers paired with Amateurs in Classes 2 to 5 are also set for change. Professional drivers will now have up to 95 minutes of seat time, a 25-minute increase from last season.
This should result in closer, more intense racing, offering drivers greater opportunities to showcase their skills. The impact extends to Class 2, where drivers can now realistically challenge their Class 1 counterparts.
Championship Implications
To be eligible for the New Zealand Endurance Class Championship, drivers must compete in at least one round in both islands—ensuring that Taupo marks a key early opportunity to bag points. With the 2024 champions absent from this year’s North Island grid, the door is wide open.
Defending 3-Hour champions Glenn Smith, John De Veth, and Damon Leitch are not entered for 2025, nor is Joel Giddy, the reigning 1-Hour champ who won last year’s title with a Round 3 comeback at Hampton Downs. Their absence guarantees new names atop the standings this year.
3-Hour Race
Several big names are set to light up Taupo in the 3-Hour enduro:
- Glen Brazier and Andrew Waite, fresh off their 2024 overall New Zealand Endurance 3-Hour Championship win, return in their Lamborghini Huracan. The pair will be looking to start strong as they seek back-to-back national honours.
- Steve Brooks and Bill Riding, second overall in 2024 and dominant in the South Island Series, arrive in their Audi R8 GT3 (#888). They’ll also contest the 1-Hour Race in a Porsche 992, showing their intent across both formats.
- Samuel Fillmore and Jonny Reid bring firepower in the #27 Audi R8, while Simon Gilbertson and John McIntyre are ones to watch in Class 2 aboard their Porsche 991.
- Rising Kiwi stars Glenn Cotterill and Brock Gilchrist (#912 Porsche 992) and the talented trio of Kane Lawson, Hayden Knighton, and Ronan Murphy in a Huracan GT3, add further depth to a stacked field.
1-Hour Race
The 1-Hour Race features a mix of seasoned endurance racers and emerging talent, with a wide variety of machinery spread across five classes:
- Class 1 sees strong contenders in Adam Julian (Audi R8), Steve Brooks & Bill Riding (Porsche 992), and Francois Beziac (Porsche 991.2). With Giddy absent, this is anyone’s championship to win.
- Class 3 is packed with McLarens and includes Nigel Cromie, David Rogers, and David Cranna, all driving 570S models. Keep an eye on Stephen Scoles in the newly-entered 2024 Ginetta G55.
- Pel Arnott, who nearly swept the 2024 Class 4 and 5 1-Hour championship, is not on the entry list, leaving the door open for others like Nathan Grammer (Toyota 86) and Conley Webley (BMW Z4) to shine.
- The field also includes eclectic entries like Tony Barrow’s Holden Commodore and Allan Sargeant’s 2024 Toyota Supra, proving the variety and appeal of New Zealand endurance racing.
With multiple classes, new technical regulations, and a blend of youth and experience across the field, the 2025 NIERDC is poised to deliver some of the most competitive endurance racing in recent memory. Taupo will offer the first glimpse at who’s hot, who’s not, and how the new rules will shape this year’s title chases.
All eyes are on the Central Plateau this weekend. The lights go out soon—and when they do, the Race to endurance glory begins.
3 Hour Driver Entries:
| Car # | Drivers | Car | Class |
| 18 | Simon Gilbertson & John McIntyre | 2016 Porsche 991 | Class 2 |
| 24 | Paul Southam & Robert Steele | 2023 Porsche 992 | Class 1 |
| 26 | Samuel Fillmore & Jonny Reid | 2019 Audi R8 | GT Class |
| 27 | Glen Brazier & Andrew Waite | 2016 Lamborghini Huracan | GT Class |
| 34 | Steven Sullivan & Tayler Bryant | 2014 Lamborghini Gallardo | GT Class |
| 89 | Kane Lawson, Hayden Knighton & Ronan Murphy | 2019 Lamborghini Huracan | GT Class |
| 888 | Steve Brooks & Bill Riding | 2017 Audi R8 | GT Class |
| 911 | Samuel Cotterill & Max Vidau | 2023 Porsche 992 | Class 1 |
| 912 | Glenn Cotterill & Brock Gilchrist | 2024 Porsche 992 | Class 1 |
1 Hour Driver Entries:
| Car # | Driver | Car | Class |
| 8 | Tony Barrow | 2009 Holden Commodore | Class 3 |
| 10 | Grant Aitken | 2021 Porsche 718 GT3 | Class 1 |
| 14 | Nicholas Chester | 2005 Holden Commodore | Class 1 |
| 24 | Nigel Cromie | 2018 McLaren 570S | Class 3 |
| 28 | Conley Webley | 2007 BMW Z4 | Class 4 |
| 50 | Nathan Grammer | 2013 Toyota 86 | Class 5 |
| 54 | David Cranna | 2017 McLaren 570S | Class 3 |
| 58 | Stephen Scoles | 2024 Ginetta G55 | Class 3 |
| 61 | David Rogers | 2022 McLaren 570S | Class 3 |
| 84 | Adam Julian | 2011 Audi R8 | Class 1 |
| 88 | Steve Brooks & Bill Riding | 2020 Porsche 992 | Class 1 |
| 107 | Allan Sargeant | 2024 Toyota Supra | Class 3 |
| 128 | Kent Quinn | 2022 Porsche 982RS | Class 3 |
| 718 | Oliver Saxton & Hamish Fraser | 2016 Porsche Cayman | Class 3 |
| 909 | Francois Beziac | 2020 Porsche 991.2 | Class 1 |
| 999 | Regan Scoullar | 2018 Porsche 991.2 | Class 1 |
Header Image: Richard Opie
