The stage is set for a thrilling weekend of motorsport action as the Alliance Services Hampton Downs International takes the spotlight, hosting Round 3 of the NextGen New Zealand Championship, Presented by Repco.
Supercars champion Will Brown will make his second appearance of the New Zealand summer at the event, rejoining Giles Motorsport for the second round of the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship (CTFROC).
Brown was a standout performer in the class in Taupo, taking a podium and featuring towards the front of the field over the weekend, demonstrating he is just as capable in a single seater as he is in a Supercar.
Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad enters round two as the championship leader following his commanding victory in Taupo’s Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy race. He faces intense competition from Peru’s Matias Zagazeta and New Zealand’s Zack Scoular, who also featured as winners in the other races.
Among others joining the fray are Indy NXT driver Josh Pierson, American prodigy Nikita Johnson, Australian talent Patrick Heuzenroeder, and Kiwi stars Alex Crosbie and Sebastian Manson.
Four other New Zealand premier classes, as well as The Rock Pit Walk at midday on Saturday and The Rock Grid Walk ahead of the CTFROC feature on Sunday, make for an entertaining weekend of on and off-track activity for those in attendance.
The Bridgestone GR86 Championship returns for its second round of the season, with CareVets Racing’s Hugo Allan leading the series after an impressive performance at the season-opener in Taupo in November.
Hot on his heels are Hayden Bakkerus and Emerson Vincent, who took a win apiece in Round 1, while Josh Bethune, another who performed strongly, will be looking to bounce back from his feature race disqualification, which came after he wore non-compliant socks.
Over two dozen drivers from New Zealand and Australia will feature at Hampton Downs, guaranteeing thrilling one-make action throughout the weekend.
The Summerset GT New Zealand Championship promises an exceptional display of high-performance engineering featuring Porsche, McLaren, Mercedes, IRC, and Toyota vehicles, among others. Reigning champion Rick Armstrong faces strong competition from the likes of Junior Pro leader Marco Giltrap in a Porsche and Joel Giddy in a Mercedes-AMG GT2.
GT4 leader William Exton, who shone in Taupo driving a McLaren Artura, faces additional competition at Hampton Downs, with Historic GP winner Kaleb Ngatoa and Allan Sargeant combining in one Toyota Supra GT4, and Super2 competitor Ayrton Hodson and Mark Mallard linking up in another.
Meanwhile, the Nexen Tyres NZ Mazda Racing Series delivers close one-make competition as series leader Rex Edwards contends with challenges from Karl Gaines, Callum Pratt, Stuart Lawton, and others in this unpredictable championship.
Edwards holds a 27-point advantage over Gaines entering Round 3 of the North Island Series but faces a nervous wait ahead of the round as he awaits clutch parts from Japan.
Fans will also be treated to the thunderous spectacle of the Shell Lubricants Super V8s. Brady Wild leads the charge in the V8 Open Class, while Grant Brennan’s eye-catching Corvette is at the top in the V8 Extreme division.
Track activity begins Friday with practice sessions ahead of a full weekend of racing on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets are on sale now, and kids aged 16 and under are free.
Live coverage will be available on Stuff Speedhub, ensuring fans across New Zealand and the world won’t miss the action.
