KIWIS RACING ABROAD | 23-26 OCTOBER WEEKEND PREVIEW 🏁
Another busy weekend of international motorsport awaits New Zealand drivers and riders, with Formula 1 heading to Austin, NASCAR at Talladega, Supercars and Porsche Carrera Cup Australia on the Gold Coast, Moto3 at Phillip Island, and the Lamborghini World Finals at Monza, Italy.
Liam Lawson returns to Formula 1 action at the Circuit of the Americas for Round 18 of the championship, the United States Grand Prix. Lawson will be looking to continue his recent run of points finishes as the season enters its final stages.
Shane van Gisbergen is also racing in the United States, heading to Talladega Superspeedway for the latest round of the NASCAR Cup Series. The high-speed oval is known for its close racing and unpredictable results, with drafting set to play a major role throughout the race.
In Australia, Ryan Wood, Matt Payne and Andre Heimgartner will represent New Zealand at the Gold Coast 500, as Supercars returns to the streets of Surfers Paradise for the opening round of the Finals Cup.
Payne enters the weekend as the championship leader, while Wood will be looking for a strong result to keep his title hopes alive. Heimgartner, despite missing out on the Finals, will be aiming to finish his season strongly.
Joining the Supercars field on the Gold Coast are Tom Bewley and Clay Osborne, who will contest Round 6 of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia. The event marks the championship’s penultimate round, with both Kiwis looking for strong results before the season finale.
Further south, Cormac Buchanan will be in action at Phillip Island for the Australian Moto3 Grand Prix. The Kiwi rider will take on the fast and flowing Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as the Moto3 World Championship continues, with Buchanan looking to put together a strong weekend on Australian soil.
Back in the United States, Callum Hedge will contest the eighth and final round of Porsche Carrera Cup North America at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. Hedge will be looking to end his 2026 campaign with a strong showing as the championship reaches its conclusion.
Meanwhile, four New Zealand drivers will be competing at the Lamborghini World Finals at Monza in Italy. Will Bamber, Liam Sceats, Brendon Leitch and Chris van der Drift will all be in action at the famous Italian circuit, adding further Kiwi interest to the weekend.
With racing across the United States, Australia and Italy, New Zealand motorsport fans have plenty to follow over the coming days.
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? Circuit of the Americas, Texas
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Saturday 6:30 AM
- Practice 2: Saturday 10:00 AM
- Practice 3: Sunday 6:30 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 10:00 AM
- Grand Prix: Monday 9:00 AM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports or F1 TV
Liam Lawson heads to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for Round 18 of the Formula 1 World Championship, looking to continue his recent run of points finishes.
The Kiwi arrives at the weekend after a seventh-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix, where he made a strong start and moved into the top four on the opening lap. Lawson held on through the pit stops to secure another six championship points for Racing Bulls.
The result continued a solid run of form for Lawson, who will be aiming for another top-ten finish as the championship heads into its final stages.
Lawson also finished fifth in the Singapore Sprint, making it a double points-scoring weekend. He now sits ninth in the Drivers’ Championship with 75 points, while Racing Bulls holds fifth in the Constructors’ standings.
The United States Grand Prix runs from October 23–25, with three practice sessions, qualifying, and Sunday’s 56-lap race.
Shane Van Gisbergen | NASCAR Cup Series
- Where? Talladega Speedway, Alabama
- NZ Times:
- Qualifying: Sunday 6:00 AM
- Race: Monday 7:00 AM
- How to Watch? ThreeNow
Shane van Gisbergen returns to NASCAR Cup Series action this weekend as the championship heads to Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
The Kiwi will look to bounce back from a difficult outing at Phoenix Raceway, where he finished 26th after struggling for pace for much of the race.
Van Gisbergen made progress through the field and climbed to 15th during the second stage, but a pit-lane speeding penalty and a challenging final stint kept him from a better result.
Tyler Reddick went on to claim his sixth victory of the season, while van Gisbergen finished 26th.
Attention now turns to Talladega, one of NASCAR’s fastest and most unpredictable circuits, where close pack racing and drafting play a major role. Van Gisbergen will be hoping for a better result as the 2026 season enters its final stages.
Ryan Wood, Matt Payne and Andre Heimgartner | Supercars
- Where? Gold Coast, Australia
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 2:45 PM
- Practice 2: Friday 4:50 PM
- Qualifying (Race 31): Friday 7:05 PM
- Top 10 Shootout (Race 31): Saturday 3:35 PM
- Race 31: Saturday 6:15 PM
- Qualifying (Race 32): Sunday 2:20 PM
- Top 10 Shootout (Race 33): Sunday 3:05 PM
- Race 32: Sunday 5:45 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Supercars heads to Surfers Paradise this weekend for the Gold Coast 500, the opening round of the 2026 Finals Cup.
Matt Payne enters the weekend as the championship leader, 5 points ahead of Broc Feeney after a strong recovery drive at the Bathurst 1000.
Payne and co-driver Will Davison finished fifth at Mount Panorama despite an eventful race that included a five-second penalty and a drive-through penalty. The pair fought their way back through the field to secure a top-five finish.
Andre Heimgartner also enjoyed a solid Bathurst outing alongside Bryce Fullwood, climbing from 15th on the grid to finish seventh.
Ryan Wood had a tougher weekend, suffering a heavy crash in practice before handling issues and damage hampered his race. Wood and co-driver Jaxon Evans eventually finished 16 laps down.
Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood claimed victory in dramatic circumstances after race leader Anton De Pasquale ran out of fuel on the final lap.
With the Enduro Cup now complete, attention turns to the Finals Cup, where Payne will be looking to maintain his championship lead.
Wood enters the weekend ninth in the standings and will aim for a strong result to keep his title hopes alive, while Heimgartner, despite missing out on the Finals, will look to finish his season strongly with just three rounds remaining.
Tom Bewley and Clay Osborne | Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
- Where? Gold Coast, Australia
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 2:05 PM
- Practice 2: Friday 5:45 PM
- Qualifying: Saturday 1:15 PM
- Race 1: Saturday 4:55 PM
- Race 2: Sunday 1:00 PM
- Race 3: Sunday 4:25 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Tom Bewley and Clay Osborne return to Porsche Carrera Cup Australia action this weekend as the championship heads to the streets of Surfers Paradise for its penultimate round.
Both Kiwis will be looking for strong results after a challenging outing at Bathurst, where an incident in Race 2 hampered Bewley’s weekend.
A starting procedure issue left several front-running cars stationary as others launched off the grid, and Bewley made contact with Aaron Love. The incident left the young Kiwi with damage and a puncture, forcing him out of the race.
Osborne, meanwhile, finished in the top ten in Race 2, gaining valuable experience at Mount Panorama.
Harri Jones went on to win the Bathurst round, extending his championship lead to 235 points. Osborne now sits third in the standings, just three points behind second-placed David Russell, while Bewley is 14th.
With three sprint races scheduled over the Gold Coast weekend, Osborne will aim to reclaim second in the championship, while Bewley will hope to put his recent run of bad luck behind him on the challenging Surfers Paradise street circuit.
Cormac Buchanan | Moto3
- Where? Phillip Island, Victoria
- NZ Times:
- Free Practice 1: Friday 11:00 AM
- Practice: Friday 3:15 PM
- Free Practice 2: Saturday 10:40 AM
- Qualifying 1: Saturday 2:45 PM
- Qualifying 2: Saturday 3:10 PM
- Race: Sunday 1:00 PM
- How to Watch? ThreeNow
Cormac Buchanan is set to make his return to the Moto3 World Championship this weekend as the series heads to Phillip Island for the Australian Grand Prix.
The Kiwi has spent recent weeks recovering from an ankle fracture, undergoing rehabilitation before being cleared to return to the bike.
The Australian Grand Prix will mark Buchanan’s first race weekend back following his injury, with the young New Zealander looking to rebuild his confidence and race fitness after time on the sidelines.
Buchanan’s last race came at Aragon in Spain, where he showed promising pace throughout the weekend before crashing on the third lap and shattering his right ankle, which required surgery in Barcelona.
The 20-year-old returned home to Invercargill to undergo intensive rehabilitation, working with the ILT Academy Southland team to prepare for his comeback.
After missing four rounds, Buchanan is targeting a return at Phillip Island, subject to medical clearance, with five races remaining in the championship. He hopes to regain his rhythm and finish a difficult 2026 season on a positive note.
Callum Hedge | Porsche Carrera Cup North America
- Where? Circuit of the Americas, Texas
- NZ Times:
- Practice: Saturday 8:00 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 3:10 AM
- Race 1: Sunday 8:35 AM
- Race 2: Monday 4:35 AM
- How to Watch? Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube Channel
Callum Hedge heads to the Circuit of the Americas in Texas this weekend for the eighth and final round of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship.
The Kiwi enters the season finale after a successful outing at Road Atlanta, where he secured two third-place finishes over the weekend.
Hedge showed consistent pace throughout the round, taking podiums in both races to build on his 2026 campaign.
Hedge’s double podium brought his season tally to nine and leaves the JDX Racing driver third in the Pro championship standings on 202 points, behind Tyler Maxson and Aaron Jeansonne.
Maxson won both races at Road Atlanta and heads into the final round with a 27-point lead over Jeansonne.
With two races remaining at Circuit of the Americas as part of the United States Grand Prix weekend, Hedge will be aiming to add to his podium tally and secure third in the championship standings.
Will Bamber, Liam Sceats, Brendon Leitch and Chris van der Drift | Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals
- Where? Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy
- NZ Times:
- Asia Series Race 1: Friday 11:00 PM
- North America Series Race 1: Saturday 12:15 AM
- Europe Series Race 1: Saturday 1:35 AM
- Asia Series Race 2: Saturday 2:30 AM
- North America Series Race 2: Saturday 9:15 PM
- Europe Series Race 2: Saturday 10:35 PM
- World Finals:
- Qualifying 1 and 2: Saturday 11:55 PM
- Race 1: Sunday 3:10 AM
- Race 2: Sunday 11:45 PM
- How to Watch? Lamborghini Squadra Corse YouTube Channel
Four New Zealand drivers will take to the track at Monza this weekend as the Lamborghini Super Trofeo regional championships reach their conclusion ahead of the World Finals.
Liam Sceats and Chris van der Drift will contest the final round of Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia, while Will Bamber represents New Zealand in the North American series and Brendon Leitch competes in the European championship.
The weekend begins with the sixth and final round of each regional series, with two races scheduled to decide the remaining championship titles.
Attention then turns to the Lamborghini World Finals, where competitors from all three regional championships come together to compete for international honours.
Sceats, Bamber and Leitch will all compete in the Pro class, while van der Drift will share a VSR Lamborghini with Todd Kingsford in Pro-Am.
With all four Kiwis competing across the regional finales and World Finals, Monza is set for a busy weekend of Lamborghini racing.
Header Image: Alastair Staley/LAT Images via Red Bull Content Pool
