From open-wheelers to two-wheeled machines, this weekend has a bit of motorsport excitement for everyone this weekend.
IndyCar has its third round in as many weeks, Brendon Hartley kicks off his year in Belgium and best up-and-coming stars hit Sydney for the latest round of the Australian Motorsport championship.
Here is your guide to it all.
Scott Dixon & Scott McLaughlin
- What: Genesys 300
- Where: Texas Motor Speedway, United States
- When: R1 SUN 11.30 am | R2 MON 9.10 am
- How to follow: Sky Sport
Scott Dixon is always there or thereabouts in the IndyCar standings.
After the opening two races of the year, the flying Kiwi is second in the championship. He also heads to a circuit for a race he has won four times before.
Texas Motor Speedway hosts the season’s first oval event, which also acts as the year’s first doubleheader.
Dixon dominated the 2020 race, leading 157 of the 200 laps en route to the first of three consecutive victories.
For the other Kiwi in the field, Scott McLaughlin will finally experience the awe of oval racing.
The former Supercars champion will only have one practice to learn the circuit but has the advantage of all cars made to qualify in race trim due to new parc ferme rules.
Brendon Hartley & Jaxon Evans
- What: 6 Hours of Spa
- Where: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
- When: SAT 11.30 pm
- How to follow: Sky Sport
It has been a long time between drinks for Brendon Hartley, but at last the two-time Le Mans winner is back in action.
This weekend’s season-opening six hour enduro at Spa marks the first time the Le Mans Hypercar will be put to the test in an official race.
Pre-season testing suggested the hypercars are far from superior to the detuned LMP2 machines. Yet Toyota believe more performance is still to be unlocked form their new beast.
Surprisingly, Hartley has never won a World Endurance Championship race at Spa.
Jaxon Evans starts his second WEC race over the weekend as well. He will be racing in the GTE-AM class in the Proton Competition Porsche.
This year, Evans has already taken a podium in the European Le Mans Series and was one of the fastests driver in Porsche Supercup testing.
Callum Hedge & Madeline Stewart
- What: Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge
- Where: Sydney Motorsport Park, Australia
- When: R1 SAT 11.35 am | R2 SAT 5.10 pm | R3 SUN 4.05 pm
- How to follow: Sky Sport
Callum Hedge burst onto the Aussie Porsche scene in round one of the Sprint Challenge last month and is currently second on the points ladder.
The youngster notched up Earl Bamber Motorsport’s first win on Australia soil at Phillip Island and will be looking to add to that tally this weekend.
Hedge will have fellow New Zealander Madeline Stewart as his teammate for the weekend.
Stewart recently made her Bathurst debut at the Bathurst 6 Hour event, where she finished 35th overall after an intercooler drama.
Kaleb Ngatoa
- What: S5000
- Where: Sydney Motorsport Park
- When: R1 SAT 12.45 pm | R2 SAT 2.35 pm | R3 SUN 2.10 pm
- How to follow: Sky Sport
Kaleb Ngatoa enters the final round of the 2021 S5000 championship as one of the hottest rookies in town.
The Marton teenager secured a maiden win in a wet race at Sandown, as well as another podium finish.
While his position in the standings doesn’t reflect the short season Ngatoa has had, he has proven how adept he is at adapting to an entirely foreign car and being competitive from the get-go.
Sydney Motorsport Park is another new circuit for Ngatoa. But if his current form is anything to go by, that challenge won’t faze the young Kiwi in his pursuit of a solid ending to the season.
Cormac Buchanan
- What: Red Bull Rookies Cup
- Where: Jerez, Spain
- When: Race times TBC
- How to follow: Red Bull TV (free)
The next Kiwi on the road to MotoGP, Cormac Buchanan gears up for his second round of the Red Bull Rookies Cup this weekend at Jerez.
One of the most iconic circuits in motorcycle racing, the Spanish circuit is another new track for Buchanan to wrap his head around ahead of two races.
Round one in Portugal had Buchanan continue to get stronger as the weekend progressed. He set his personal best lap in the final race.
Buchanan will be hoping the same upwards trajectory carries on heading into Jerez.
