While it’s easy to get lost in the days amid lockdown, it is nearly time for the weekend and another few days of keeping up with our flying Kiwis racing abroad.
In the United States, our trio of Road to Indy stars are at New Jersey for the penultimate round of their championships.
Emma Gilmour makes history by becoming the first New Zealander to race in the Extreme E rally series, in Greenland no less.
Jaxon Evans is at Spa for another round of the Porsche Supercup where he is raring to slash some of the gap to title leader Larry ten Voorde.
And young Cormac Buchanan is at Silverstone as he pursues a first win in the British Talent Cup.
Billy Frazer & Peter Vodanovich
- What: USF2000
- Where: New Jersey Motorsport Park, United States
- When: R1 SUN 6.30 am | R2 MON 3.30 am | R3 MON 6.30 am
- How to follow: YouTube
Billy Frazer and Peter Vodanovich have been out of action since the start of July.
Both took the opportunity from the break to recharge and they now head into the final six races of the season gunning for some competitive results.
The final new circuit for the two Kiwis to learn, the 14-turn New Jersey Motorsport Park has a blend of a slow technical section and some long, fast straights.
Once again, qualifying will have heightened importance for the drivers given how tight this year’s racing has been.
Over the break, Frazer flew home to New Zealand and returns to the series on the cusp of the top ten in the points.
Meanwhile, Vodanovich scored his first top-ten result of the season at the last race before the summer pause.
That momentum will give him the confidence he needs to continue making ground in the driver’s standings.
Hunter McElrea
- What: Indy Pro 2000
- Where: New Jersey Motorsport Park, United States
- When: R1 SUN 8.30 am | R2 MON 5.30 am | R3 MON 8.45 am
- How to follow: YouTube
Hunter McElrea was slightly disappointed with a P3 finish last weekend at Gateway.
He was the fastest in just about every session bar qualifying.
Unfortunately, only starting in fifth meant he struggled to make up the necessary ground for the win.
Still, McElrea bagged some valuable points for his championship haul.
Now, with two rounds left in the season, McElrea needs to continue claiming big results to keep his title ambitions alive.
Last year at New Jersey, McElrea had two top-five finishes, but he will be targeting nothing less than the number one spot this weekend.
Emma Gilmour
- What: Arctic X-Prix
- Where: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
- When: Semi-final SUN 10 pm | Final MON 2 am
- How to follow: TVNZ Duke
Kangerlussuaq.
Even the name is extreme.
This weekend Greenland welcomes its first-ever motorsport event.
The world’s largest island, which is mostly just one massive ice sheet, plays home to the third round of the Extreme E rally championship.
Kiwi rally ace Emma Gilmour is promoted to the Veloce Racing team, where she partners Frenchman Stephane Sarrazin for the race.
The format of an X Prix is somewhat similar to rallycross, with a qualifying round, semi-finals and a final.
Both drivers for each team do one lap in the qualifying stages and are awarded points based on how fast they are relative to others.
The semi-finals and the final are like a typical rallycross race.
Five cars will go head-to-head for the overall win in the final.
Jaxon Evans
- What: Porsche Supercup
- Where: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
- When: SUN 10 pm
- How to follow: Spark Sport
Jaxon Evans has just come off a week of a lifetime, making his debut in the Le Mans 24 Hour race.
The Kiwi now has his mind focused on the final four races of this year’s Supercup.
Sitting second in the driver’s, 17 points behind Larry ten Voorde, Evans will aim to finish ahead of his Dutch rival this weekend.
Last year at Spa, Evans came home fourth. He finished third the season before that.
Spa is a happy hunting ground for Evans, and that should boost his confidence for what could be a title-crucial round this weekend.
Cormac Buchanan
- What: Honda Talent Cup
- Where: Silverstone, UK
- When: R1 SUN 3.30 am | R2 MON 3 am
- How to follow: Live timing
If there is one thing Cormac Buchanan wants to achieve before his first season in Europe wraps up, that is to claim a win.
He has come close several times in the Honda Talent Cup so far.
The 15-year-old has finished on the podium and is a regular front-runner.
Even sweeter it would be if Buchanan could win this weekend at Silverstone on the same weekend as MotoGP’s British Grand Prix.
Read our catch up with Buchanan earlier this week here.
