KIWIS RACING ABROAD | 8-12 OCTOBER WEEKEND PREVIEW 🏁
Kiwi drivers are set for another massive weekend of international motorsport, with Bathurst taking centre stage alongside Formula 1 in Singapore, NASCAR at Charlotte and sports car racing in Europe and the United States.
Liam Lawson leads the Kiwi charge in Formula 1 as the championship heads to the Marina Bay Circuit for the Singapore Grand Prix. The demanding street circuit provides one of the season’s toughest tests, with its combination of heat, humidity, and unforgiving barriers leaving little room for error.
In the United States, Shane van Gisbergen returns to NASCAR Cup Series action at Charlotte Motor Speedway, looking to put together a strong weekend as his 2026 campaign continues in North Carolina.
Mount Panorama will be a major focus for New Zealand motorsport fans, with a huge Kiwi contingent spread across the Bathurst weekend.
Supercars headlines the action, with Ryan Wood, Jaxon Evans, Andre Heimgartner, Matt Payne, Fabian Coulthard and Richie Stanaway all representing New Zealand for one of the biggest events on the Australian motorsport calendar.
There is plenty more Kiwi interest across the Bathurst support categories. Clay Osborne and Tom Bewley will tackle Round 5 of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, while Ayrton Hodson and Brendon Leitch line up for Round 4 of the Super2 Series.
Ben Stewart adds further New Zealand representation in Round 4 of the Toyota GR Cup Australia, while Touring Car Masters features one of the weekend’s largest Kiwi contingents.
Nine New Zealand drivers are set to compete in Round 4 of Touring Car Masters, with Angus Fogg, Lance Hughes, Tony Quinn, Hamish Frew, Nick Ross, Robb Lewis, Tony Galbraith, Brayden Phillips and Paul Kelly all taking on Mount Panorama.
In Europe, Emily Cotty and Zack Scoular head to Portugal’s Algarve International Circuit at Portimão for the sixth and final round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup season.
The weekend will be particularly significant for Cotty, who is set to make her LMP3 debut. Scoular will also be in action as the championship reaches its season finale.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway provides another double dose of Kiwi interest, with Ryan Yardley competing across both Pirelli GT4 America and GT World Challenge America.
Yardley will tackle Rounds 12 and 13 of the Pirelli GT4 America campaign before also competing in Round 7 of GT World Challenge America at the famous Indianapolis venue.
From the streets of Singapore to Charlotte, Indianapolis and Portimão, plus a huge New Zealand presence across the Bathurst weekend, Kiwi drivers are set for another packed few days of international motorsport.
Check out our detailed weekend preview below for everything you need to know, including session times, how to watch, and who’s racing where. ⬇️
Liam Lawson | Formula 1
- Where? Marina Bay Circuit, Singapore
- NZ Times:
- Practice: Friday 9:30 PM
- Sprint Qualifying: Saturday 1:30 AM
- Sprint Race: Saturday 10:00 PM
- Qualifying: Sunday 2:00 AM
- Grand Prix: Monday 1:00 AM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports or F1 TV
Liam Lawson heads to Singapore with momentum on his side after an impressive seventh-place finish in the rain-affected Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.
Starting 11th, Lawson made a superb start, climbing as high as fourth before spending much of the race battling inside the points. He eventually crossed the line seventh to collect six valuable points for Racing Bulls and remain ninth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Round 17 takes Formula 1 to the Marina Bay Circuit for the Singapore Grand Prix, one of the most demanding events on the calendar. The tight street circuit, high temperatures and humidity provide a major physical challenge, while the barriers leave little margin for error.
With his Formula 1 future still to be confirmed and a decision expected in the coming weeks, Lawson will be looking to continue his strong run and add more points under the lights in Singapore.
Shane Van Gisbergen | NASCAR Cup Series
- Where? Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina
- NZ Times:
- Practice: Sunday 6:00 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 7:05 AM
- Race: Monday 8:00 AM
- How to Watch? ThreeNow
Shane van Gisbergen heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend looking to build on a strong top-10 finish last time out at Las Vegas.
The Kiwi enjoyed a competitive run in Nevada, spending much of the race inside the top 10 or top 20 and battling among the front runners before crossing the line ninth.
Attention now turns to Charlotte, where van Gisbergen will look to carry that momentum into another NASCAR Cup Series weekend.
While van Gisbergen is not among the 16 drivers competing in the Chase, he remains on track alongside the other non-playoff contenders and will be looking to finish his 2026 campaign strongly over the remaining rounds.
Ryan Wood, Jaxon Evans, Andre Heimgartner, Matt Payne, Fabian Coulthard and Richie Stanaway | Supercars
- Where? Mount Panorama, Bathurst
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Thursday 3:30 PM
- Practice 2: Thursday 5:45 PM
- Practice 3: Friday 12:05 PM
- Practice 3: Friday 3:15 PM
- Qualifying: Friday 6:10 PM
- Practice 5: Saturday 12:05 PM
- Practice 6: Saturday 3:10 PM
- Top 10 Shootout: Saturday 7:05 PM
- Warm Up: Sunday 10:30 AM
- Race: Sunday 1:30 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
The Supercars field heads to Mount Panorama this weekend for the Bathurst 1000, with six Kiwi drivers on the grid for Round 11.
The endurance season got underway in wet and chaotic conditions at The Bend, where Fabian Coulthard and Chaz Mostert came away with the win. Coulthard led the wet opening stages before handing the car to Mostert.
Ryan Wood and Jaxon Evans also had a strong weekend, with Evans finishing third after spending much of his stint near the front. The result was Evans’ first Supercars podium.
Matt Payne finished sixth following a late penalty, while Richie Stanaway and James Golding crossed the line seventh and Andre Heimgartner finished ninth.
This weekend the focus shifts to the Bathurst 1000, with Coulthard again joining Mostert, while Wood and Evans will share the #2 entry as the Kiwi contingent takes on 1000 kilometres around Mount Panorama.
Clay Osborne and Tom Bewley | Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
- Where? Mount Panorama, Bathurst
- NZ Times:
- Practice: Thursday 12:25 PM
- Qualifying: Thursday 7:00 PM
- Race 1: Friday 4:25 PM
- Race 2: Saturday 5:25 PM
- Race 3: Sunday 11:30 AM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Tom Bewley and Clay Osborne head to Mount Panorama this weekend for Round 5 of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.
Bewley is coming off a solid weekend at The Bend, where he started Race 1 from pole before dropping back to fourth in the opening stages. He held on to that place through to the finish, while the second race was cancelled due to heavy rain.
Osborne had a tougher weekend after engine issues affected his qualifying. His Race 1 ended on the opening lap after contact from behind damaged the steering and forced him into the pits, costing him second place in the championship standings.
Both Kiwis will now turn their attention to Bathurst, with Bewley making his first visit to Mount Panorama as the championship heads into its closing rounds.
Ayrton Hodson and Brendon Leitch | Super2 Series
- Where? Mount Panorama, Bathurst
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Thursday 11:00 AM
- Practice 2: Thursday 4:50 PM
- Qualifying (Race 1): Friday 11:00 AM
- Top 5 Shootout: Friday 11:30 AM
- Race 1: Friday 5:20 PM
- Qualifying (Race 2): Saturday 11:05 AM
- Race 2: Saturday 6:10 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Ayrton Hodson will have some extra Kiwi company in Super2 this weekend, with Brendon Leitch joining the grid for Round 4 at Mount Panorama.
Hodson arrives in Bathurst after finishing 11th and 12th in Perth’s two races.
Leitch will make his Super2 debut with Team Kiwi Racing, driving a Holden ZB Commodore in the team’s familiar black-and-white colours. It will be his first race in a Supercar and his first in a touring car championship.
While the car will be new to him, Leitch already has experience at Mount Panorama. He took pole on his Bathurst debut in GT World Challenge Australia in 2024 and has also competed twice in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Leitch got his first taste of the Gen2 Supercar during an evaluation at Winton Raceway last month and will now step up to Super2 as Team Kiwi Racing returns to Bathurst.
Ben Stewart | Toyota GR Cup Australia
- Where? Mount Panorama, Bathurst
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Thursday 10:25 AM
- Practice 2: Thursday 2:55 PM
- Qualifying: Thursday 7:40 PM
- Race 1: Friday 1:15 PM
- Race 2: Saturday 4:55 PM
- Race 3: Sunday 11:00 AM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Ben Stewart heads to Mount Panorama this weekend for Round 4 of the Toyota GR Cup Australia, coming off a strong showing at Queensland Raceway.
Stewart claimed his first pole position of the series before finishing second in Race 1 and third in Race 2, giving the Kiwi two podiums for the weekend.
He wrapped up the round with fifth place in Race 3 and will now look to carry that form into Bathurst.
With three rounds completed, Stewart will get his next opportunity at one of Australia’s most famous circuits as the GR Cup joins the Bathurst weekend.
Angus Fogg, Lance Hughes, Tony Quinn, Hamish Frew, Nick Ross, Robb Lewis, Tony Galbraith, Brayden Phillips and Paul Kelly | Touring Car Masters Australia
- Where? Mount Panorama, Bathurst
- NZ Times:
- Practice: Thursday 9:25 AM
- Qualifying: Thursday 11:55 AM
- Trophy Race: Friday 10:05 AM
- Race 1: Saturday 10:30 AM
- Race 2: Saturday 4:25 PM
- Race 3: Sunday 9:30 AM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
New Zealand will have a big presence in Touring Car Masters this weekend, with nine Kiwi drivers set to line up for Round 4 at Mount Panorama.
Angus Fogg, Lance Hughes, Tony Quinn, Hamish Frew, Nick Ross, Robb Lewis, Tony Galbraith, Brayden Phillips and Paul Kelly make up the Kiwi contingent taking on Bathurst.
The category brings a field of classic V8 touring cars to the Mountain, with several races across the weekend giving Kiwi drivers plenty of opportunities to feature.
With the largest New Zealand contingent across the Bathurst support programme, Touring Car Masters will be another category for Kiwi fans to keep an eye on throughout the weekend.
Emily Cotty and Zack Scoular | Michelin Le Mans France
- Where? Algarve International Circuit, Portimão
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Thursday 9:50 PM
- Practice 2: Friday 4:05 AM
- Qualifying: Saturday 12:45 AM
- Race: Saturday 9:30 PM
- How to Watch? FIAWEC+
Emily Cotty and Zack Scoular will bring Kiwi interest as the Michelin Le Mans Cup heads to Portimão this weekend for its sixth and final round of the season.
Cotty will make her LMP3 debut with Bretton Racing after spending the past two seasons competing in Formula 4. The British-Kiwi driver will share the team’s #26 Ligier JS P325 with Brazilian Bruno Ribeiro.
It will be Cotty’s first race in an endurance prototype, as well as her first visit to the Algarve International Circuit, following recent testing in a range of Formula and GT machinery.
Scoular returns for the season finale after finishing 10th at Silverstone last month.
The pair will now take on the final Michelin Le Mans Cup race of 2026 as part of the European Le Mans Series weekend at Portimão.
Ryan Yardley | Pirelli GT4 America and GT World Challenge America
- Where? Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indiana
- NZ Times:
- Pirelli GT4 America:
- Practice 1: Friday 9:00 AM
- Practice 2: Saturday 4:35 AM
- Qualifying 1: Saturday 7:45 AM
- Qualifying 2: Saturday 8:05 AM
- Race 1: Sunday 3:00 AM
- Race 2: Monday 3:25 AM
- GT World Challenge America:
- Practice: Friday 12:00 PM
- Qualifying 1: Saturday 8:35 AM
- Qualifying 2: Saturday 8:57 AM
- Qualifying 3: Saturday 9:20 AM
- Pole Shootout: Saturday 10:35 AM
- Race: Sunday 5:30 AM
- How to Watch? GT World YouTube Channel
Ryan Yardley has a busy weekend ahead at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, competing in both Pirelli GT4 America and GT World Challenge America.
Yardley and Harry Hot are coming off a difficult GT4 America weekend, with an incident in the opening race followed by a mid-pack finish in Race 2.
He had a better result in GT World Challenge America alongside Joe Musial Jr., finishing seventh in the Pro-Am class and 11th overall after taking over the car for the closing stages.
That result kept Yardley in the Pro-Am championship hunt, sitting third in the standings and just six points behind Tom Sargent and Kyle Washington.
Yardley now heads to Indianapolis for Rounds 12 and 13 of GT4 America, as well as Round 7 of GT World Challenge America, where the Pro-Am championship will be a key focus for the Kiwi.
Header Image: Penrite Racing
