The weekend is nearly here and that means time to book a date with the couch and the TV to catch some of our top youngsters racing overseas.
Liam Lawson has been exceptional in his rookie DTM season. He aims to pad his championship lead this weekend at Hockenheim.
Hunter McElrea and Billy Frazer cap off their seasons at Mid-Ohio in Indy Pro and USF2000 respectively.
And Cormac Buchanan and Shane Richardson are at Donington Park for the latest round of the British Superbike Championship.
Liam Lawson
- What: DTM
- Where: Hockenheim, Germany
- When: R1 SAT 11.50 pm | R2 SUN 11.50 pm
- How to follow: YouTube Live Stream & Red Bull TV
Liam Lawson has been the man to beat the last two DTM rounds. He has finished on the podium the past four races, including two race wins.
He holds a slim ten-point lead in the driver’s standings over Marco Whittmann with two rounds left to play out.
It’s hard to fathom Lawson had barely driven a GT3 car before winning his first DTM race back in June.
His raw speed and overtaking prowess have been something to applaud, and he is doing all this while dovetailing a season in Formula 2.
Lawson has driven at Hockenheim before, including the first DTM pre-season test in April.
Hunter McElrea
- What: Indy Pro 2000
- Where: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, United States
- When: R1 SUN 7 am | R2 MON 6 am
- How to follow: Live stream
Hunter McElrea has been on top form the last few Indy Pro 2000 races.
Five podiums in five races have kept him mathematically in the championship fight for this weekend’s season finale.
The Kiwi is buzzing, and his confidence is in full swing after bouncing back from a disappointing middle portion of the year.
McElrea told Velocity News last month his focus is to win these final two races of the year and worry over championship position afterwards.
Billy Frazer
- What: USF2000
- Where: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, United States
- When: R1 SUN 8.50 am | R2 MON 4 am
- How to follow: Live Stream
Billy Frazer’s equal-best result this season came at Mid-Ohio earlier this year. He finished fourth in race one, narrowly missing out on a podium.
With two more races left in his rookie season, Frazer is as hungry as ever to claim a piece of silverware to take back to New Zealand.
He is 12th in the driver’s standings and the fourth-highest rookie.
Frazer hasn’t been in the car since August, so will have to quickly rediscover his flare before qualifying on Saturday.
Fellow Kiwi Peter Vodanovich will miss the series finale and has returned home.
Cormac Buchanan & Shane Richardson
- What: Honda Talent Cup and National Superstock
- Where: Donington Park, UK
- When: R1 SUN 2 & 2.45 am | R2 SUN 11 pm & MON 2.45 am
- How to follow: Sky Sport
Cormac Buchanan’s wild first season in Europe draws to a close this weekend.
He has missed a fair chunk of the Honda Talent Cup season due to Red Bull Rookies Cup commitments, including three races at Donington earlier this year.
It means Buchanan will be slightly on the backfoot with experience, something he’ll have to overcome quickly.
Still, he has been snapping at the heels of a first win the last few races, and no doubt he will be eager to end his season with a flourish.
Shane Richardson picked up some handy points in the previous National Superstock round at Oulton Park. However, he was left feeling he could have bagged even more were it not for some misfortune.
He has raced at Donington earlier this year, albeit on a slightly smaller track configuration, and scored points in both races.
Points will be the goal again this weekend as his season also nears its conclusion.