KIWIS RACING ABROAD | 21-24 AUGUST WEEKEND PREVIEW 🏁
There is no shortage of Kiwi interest on the international motorsport calendar this weekend, with New Zealand drivers competing across Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR and several categories in Australia and Asia.
The headline event comes at Circuit Zandvoort, where Liam Lawson will make a surprise return to Oracle Red Bull Racing for the Dutch Grand Prix. Lawson has been called up to replace the injured Isack Hadjar, who suffered a wrist injury in the final days of Formula 1’s summer break. The Kiwi will step back into Red Bull colours for Round 12 of the championship while Yuki Tsunoda steps in for Lawson at Racing Bulls.
In the United States, the NTT IndyCar Series heads to Washington D.C. for Round 15, with Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong continuing their respective campaigns at the Grand Prix of Washington D.C.
Shane van Gisbergen will also be back in NASCAR Cup Series action, with New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosting Round 25 of the championship. The Kiwi heads into the weekend with the regular season moving towards its conclusion.
Across the Tasman, Queensland Raceway hosts a busy weekend of racing headlined by Round 9 of the Supercars Championship and the Ipswich Super 440. Ryan Wood, Matt Payne and Andre Heimgartner will fly the New Zealand flag, with Payne in line to win the Sprint Cup.
There is further Kiwi interest on the support card, with Porsche New Zealand scholarship driver Tom Bewley and Clay Osborne competing in Round 3 of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.
Ayrton Hodson will be in action in Round 4 of the Aussie Racing Cars series, while Ben Stewart will represent 99 Motorsport in Round 3 of the Toyota GR Cup Australia.
Further north in Malaysia, Marco Giltrap returns to Porsche Carrera Cup Asia at the Sepang International Circuit. Three races are on the schedule across the weekend, with Rounds 9, 10 and 11 of the championship taking place.
With Lawson making an unexpected Red Bull return, the Kiwi IndyCar trio in action in Washington and a strong New Zealand contingent competing across the Queensland Raceway weekend, there is plenty for Kiwi motorsport fans to keep an eye on.
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 Zandvoort, Netherlands
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 10:30 PM
- Sprint Qualifying: Saturday 2:30 AM
- Sprint: Saturday 10:00 PM
- Qualifying: Sunday 2:00 AM
- Grand Prix: Monday 1:00 AM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports or F1TV
Liam Lawson will make a surprise return to Oracle Red Bull Racing when Formula 1 resumes from its summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend.
The Kiwi has been called up to replace Isack Hadjar after the Frenchman suffered a wrist injury in the final days of the break. Yuki Tsunoda will fill Lawson’s usual Racing Bulls seat alongside Arvid Lindblad at Circuit Zandvoort.
Lawson heads into the weekend carrying strong form from Hungary, where he finished eighth after starting 11th. A strong opening lap and well-executed two-stop strategy helped him secure four points, while Lindblad finished 10th to give Racing Bulls a double points result.
That performance lifted Lawson to 43 points and ninth in the Drivers’ Championship, while Racing Bulls entered the summer break fifth in the Constructors’ standings.
The unexpected Red Bull opportunity will see Lawson line up alongside Max Verstappen at the Dutchman’s home Grand Prix.
Zandvoort’s narrow, fast and technical layout will provide a tough challenge, with qualifying particularly important due to the limited overtaking opportunities around the 4.259km circuit.
Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong | NTT IndyCar Series
- Where? Streets of Washington, USA.
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Sunday 1:00 AM
- Practice 2: Sunday 5:00 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 9:00 AM
- Race: Monday 5:00 AM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong will look to bounce back when the NTT IndyCar Series heads to Washington, D.C., for its inaugural event this weekend.
The Kiwi trio head into Round 15 after a challenging outing at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, where McLaughlin was the best of the New Zealanders in eighth. Armstrong finished 16th, while Dixon endured a difficult afternoon on his way to 18th.
McLaughlin had run near the front during stages of the race before eventually taking eighth, while Armstrong’s afternoon was hampered by a spin and subsequent penalty. Dixon also struck trouble during the chaotic street race, which featured several caution periods.
Attention now turns to another new challenge, with IndyCar making its inaugural visit to Washington, D.C. The 250-mile race will also be the longest street race in IndyCar history.
With only four rounds remaining, McLaughlin, Dixon and Armstrong will all be looking for a stronger weekend as the 2026 season enters its closing stages.
Shane Van Gisbergen | NASCAR Cup Series
- Where? New Hampshire Motor Speedway, USA.
- NZ Times:
- Practice: Sunday 2:30 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 3:35 AM
- Race: Monday 7:00 AM
- How to Watch? ThreeNow
Shane van Gisbergen will return to NASCAR Cup Series action at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend after a busy double-header at Richmond Raceway.
The Kiwi competed in both the Craftsman Truck Series and Cup Series last weekend, producing strong recovery drives in both.
Van Gisbergen started the Truck Series race from pole but was sent to the rear of the field following pit-lane issues. A different strategy and well-timed caution brought him back into contention, eventually crossing the line fourth.
He followed that with another fight through the field in the Cup Series, climbing 17 positions from 31st on the grid to finish 14th. Strategy again played a major role as Van Gisbergen worked his way towards the front and secured a solid result after a difficult qualifying session.
Attention now turns to New Hampshire for Round 25 and the penultimate race of the Cup Series regular season.
With The Chase approaching, Van Gisbergen will be looking to build on his Richmond result and strengthen his position heading into the final two races of the regular season.
Ryan Wood, Matt Payne and Andre Heimgartner | Supercars
- Where? Queensland Raceway, Australia
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 4:40 PM
- Practice 2: Friday 5:30 PM
- Qualifying (Race 26): Saturday 12:00 PM
- Qualifying (Race 27): Saturday 12:50 PM
- Race 26: Saturday 2:45 PM
- Race 27: Saturday 6:15 PM
- Qualifying (Race 28): Sunday 12:55 PM
- Top 10 Shootout: Sunday 1:40 PM
- Race 28: Sunday 5:20 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Ryan Wood, Matt Payne and Andre Heimgartner return to Supercars action this weekend as the championship heads to Queensland Raceway for Round 9 and the Ipswich Super 440.
The Kiwi trio arrive in Queensland following a strong showing at the previous round in Perth, particularly for championship contender Payne.
Payne was the standout performer at Wanneroo Raceway, converting pole into victory in Race 23 before finishing runner-up to Broc Feeney in Race 24. He rounded out the weekend with another victory in Race 25, overcoming a late vibration to hold off Feeney and extend his lead in the Repco Sprint Cup.
Wood also enjoyed a strong start to the Perth weekend, finishing second behind Payne in Race 23 to complete a Kiwi one-two before taking eighth in Race 24. His final race ended before it began after an issue forced him back to pit lane before the start.
Heimgartner produced a consistent weekend, recovering to eighth in the opening race before finishing seventh in Race 24 and 11th in the finale.
Attention now turns to Queensland Raceway, where all three Kiwis will be looking to carry their Perth pace into the Ipswich Super 440, and Payne will have full focus on securing the Sprint Cup as the Supercars season enters its closing stages.
Tom Bewley and Clay Osborne | Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
- Where? Queensland Raceway, Australia
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 11:50 AM
- Practice 2: Friday 2:15 PM
- Qualifying: Saturday 10:45 AM
- Race 1: Saturday 4:45 PM
- Race 2: Sunday 3:50 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Tom Bewley and Clay Osborne return to Porsche Carrera Cup Australia action this weekend as Queensland Raceway hosts Round 3 of the championship.
The Kiwi pair head to Ipswich following impressive performances at the previous round in Darwin, where Osborne emerged as the overall round winner.
Osborne claimed victory in Race 1 at Hidden Valley before finishing second in Race 2, securing the round honours and strengthening his position at the top of the Pro championship standings.
Bewley also impressed in just his second Carrera Cup round, racing among the leading group throughout the weekend. The Porsche New Zealand scholarship driver finished sixth in the opening race before charging from seventh to fifth in Race 2.
With both Kiwis showing strong pace in Darwin, they will be looking to continue that form as the championship resumes at Queensland Raceway as part of the Ipswich Super 440 weekend.
Ayrton Hodson | Aussie Racing Cars
- Where? Queensland Raceway, Australia
- NZ Times:
- Practice: Friday 10:20 AM
- Qualifying: Friday 1:10 PM
- Race 1: Friday 3:40 PM
- Race 2: Saturday 11:25 AM
- Race 3: Sunday 10:30 AM
- Race 4: Sunday 2:35 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Ayrton Hodson returns to Aussie Racing Cars action this weekend as Round 4 of the championship takes place at Queensland Raceway as part of the Ipswich Super 440.
The Kiwi heads into the weekend sitting third in the championship standings on 131 points with Corish Motorsports after an up-and-down third round in Townsville.
Hodson showed plenty of pace on the street circuit and came away with a podium finish, but his weekend was also hampered by a crash with another driver that cost him the opportunity to add more valuable points to his championship tally.
Despite the mixed results, Hodson remains firmly in the championship fight heading into Queensland Raceway.
With three rounds completed, the Kiwi will be looking to turn his pace into a consistent haul of points as the Aussie Racing Cars season moves into its second half.
Ben Stewart | Toyota GR Cup Australia
- Where? Queensland Raceway, Australia
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 11:20 AM
- Practice 2: Friday 1:40 PM
- Qualifying: Friday 4:10 PM
- Race 1: Saturday 4:15 PM
- Race 2: Sunday 12:10 PM
- Race 3: Sunday 3:05 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
Ben Stewart returns to Toyota GR Cup Australia action this weekend as the championship heads to Queensland Raceway for Round 3.
The Kiwi rookie arrives in Ipswich following a strong second round on the streets of Townsville, where he secured his first podium of the weekend alongside two further top-10 finishes.
Stewart qualified fourth before climbing to third in the opening race, putting together an impressive drive to secure a podium. He backed that up with fourth in Race 2, narrowly missing another trip to the podium.
The final race proved more challenging, with Stewart caught in several battles that shuffled him down the order before eventually finishing eighth.
Despite the difficult finale, Stewart left Townsville with a solid haul of championship points and plenty of positives from his second round in the category.
The Ninety9 Motorsport driver will now look to carry that pace into Queensland Raceway as his rookie Toyota GR Cup Australia campaign continues.
Marco Giltrap | Porsche Carrera Cup Asia
- Where? Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
- NZ Times:
- Unknown at this time.
- Unknown at this time.
- How to Watch? Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific YouTube Channel
Marco Giltrap returns to Porsche Carrera Cup Asia action this weekend, with Sepang International Circuit hosting Rounds 9, 10 and 11 of the championship.
The Team Porsche New Zealand driver heads to Malaysia following a strong showing at Bangsaen in July, where difficult weather and several disrupted sessions made for a challenging weekend.
Giltrap qualified seventh for the opening race before making progress in the first dry running of the weekend to finish fourth.
He followed that with an even stronger performance in Race 2, moving into second at the opening corner and holding the position through an early Safety Car period. The race was eventually red-flagged following a multi-car incident, securing Giltrap second place and second overall for the round.
The strong points haul moved Giltrap into second in the championship standings on 108.5 points, keeping the Kiwi firmly in the title fight heading into the second half of the season.
With three races on the schedule this weekend, Giltrap will look to build on his Bangsaen momentum and strengthen his championship challenge at Sepang.
Header Image: Walkinshaw TWG Racing
