Motorsport Diary: Kiwis racing overseas this weekend

KIWIS RACING ABROAD | 11-14 SEPTEMBER WEEKEND PREVIEW 🏁

Kiwi drivers are competing across Formula 1, Supercars, NASCAR, international rallying and sportscar racing this weekend, with action taking place across Australia, Spain, Portugal, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Liam Lawson remains with Red Bull for the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit in Madrid, continuing to fill in for the injured Isack Hadjar.

Across the Tasman, Ryan Wood, Andre Heimgartner and Matt Payne line up for the AirTouch 500 at The Bend, the opening round of the Supercars Enduro Cup. Jaxon Evans joins Wood as his co-driver, while Fabian Coulthard partners Chaz Mostert and Richie Stanaway joins James Golding.

The Bend also hosts Round 4 of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, with Clay Osborne, Tom Bewley and Marco Giltrap representing New Zealand, while Angus Fogg, Hamish Frew, Lance Hughes and Nick Ross contest Round 5 of Touring Car Masters Australia.

In Japan, Scott McLaughlin, Brendon Leitch and Daniel Gaunt take on the Suzuka 1000, Round 4 of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, adding three more Kiwis to the weekend’s international endurance racing action.

In Portugal, Bryn Jones returns to Rali da Água for Round 3 of the Peugeot Rally Cup Portugal, one year after making his international rally debut at the event.

Shane van Gisbergen continues his NASCAR Cup Series campaign at World Wide Technology Raceway, while Zack Scoular heads to Silverstone for Round 5 of the Michelin Le Mans Cup.

With Kiwis competing across eight categories and six countries, another busy weekend of international motorsport awaits.

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? Madring, Spain
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Friday 11:30 PM
  • Practice 2: Saturday 3:00 AM
  • Practice 3: Saturday 10:30 PM
  • Qualifying: Sunday 2:00 AM
  • Grand Prix: Monday 1:00 AM
    
• How to Watch? Sky Sports

Liam Lawson remains with Red Bull for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, continuing to fill in for the injured Isack Hadjar as Formula 1 heads to the new Madring circuit in Madrid.

Lawson comes into the weekend looking to bounce back from a frustrating Italian Grand Prix, where a promising recovery drive was derailed by front wing damage following contact with Nico Hulkenberg.

Starting from the pit lane after taking a power unit penalty and changes under parc fermé, the Kiwi worked his way towards the points before the damage forced an additional stop and dropped him back through the field. He eventually recovered to finish 14th, with Red Bull encouraged by the pace he showed throughout the race.

Madrid presents a fresh challenge, with the entire Formula 1 field tackling the new Madring circuit for the first time.

For Lawson, it will be a third consecutive weekend behind the wheel of the RB22 and another opportunity to turn his recent pace into a strong result for Red Bull.

Ryan Wood, Andre Heimgartner, Matt Payne, Jaxon Evans, Richie Stanaway and Fabian Coulthard | Supercars

• Where? The Bend Motorsport Park, South Australia
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Friday 1:55 PM
  • Practice 2: Friday 4:15 PM
  • Practice 3: Friday 6:10 PM
  • Practice 4: Saturday 12:20 PM
  • Practice 5: Saturday 2:30 PM
  • Qualifying (Race 29): Saturday 5:15 PM
  • Top 10 Shootout: Saturday 7:30 PM
  • Race 29: Sunday 4:15 PM
    
• How to Watch? Sky Sports

Supercars switches to endurance racing this weekend, with the AirTouch 500 at The Bend opening the 2026 Enduro Cup and five New Zealanders involved across the 500-kilometre race.

Full-time Kiwis Matt Payne, Ryan Wood and Andre Heimgartner will be joined by co-drivers Jaxon Evans and Fabian Coulthard, with Evans partnering Wood in an all-Kiwi combination and Coulthard reuniting with Chaz Mostert.

Payne heads to South Australia looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking end to his Sprint Cup campaign at Queensland Raceway. After taking two pole positions and a podium earlier in the weekend, a mechanical failure in the finale ended his title hopes as Broc Feeney secured the Sprint Cup.

Wood and Heimgartner will also be looking to move forward as the championship enters its endurance phase, while Wood sits ninth in the standings and remains firmly in the fight to secure a place in the Supercars Finals.

The weekend also marks the Toyota GR Supra Supercar’s first endurance race, adding another unknown as the field prepares for 500 kilometres of racing on Sunday ahead of next month’s Bathurst 1000.

Clay Osborne, Tom Bewley and Marco Giltrap | Porsche Carrera Cup Australia

• Where? The Bend Motorsport Park, South Australia
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Friday 1:15 PM
  • Practice 2: Friday 5:30 PM
  • Qualifying: Saturday 1:45 PM
  • Race 1: Saturday 6:00 PM
  • Race 2: Sunday 2:45 PM
    
• How to Watch? Sky Sports

Three New Zealanders will line up at The Bend this weekend as Porsche Carrera Cup Australia returns for Round 4, with Tom Bewley, Clay Osborne and Marco Giltrap on the grid.

Bewley heads to South Australia looking to build on an impressive run of form, which included his maiden Carrera Cup pole position at Queensland Raceway last time out. The 18-year-old also completed a positive test at The Bend last week as he prepares for the final circuit on this year’s calendar that he has previously raced at.

He will be joined at Earl Bamber Motorsport by Giltrap, who returns to the Australian championship while currently leading Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, while Osborne adds a third Kiwi to the field and sits second in the championship standings, 56 points behind championship leader Harri Jones.

Two 45-minute races are scheduled across the weekend, with Bewley targeting another strong qualifying performance and valuable race mileage before the championship heads to Bathurst, Surfers Paradise and Adelaide.

Angus Fogg, Hamish Frew, Lance Hughes and Nick Ross | Touring Car Masters Australia

• Where? The Bend Motorsport Park, South Australia
• NZ Times:
  • Practice: Friday 12:45 PM
  • Qualifying: Friday 5:00 PM
  • Trophy Race: Saturday 1:15 PM
  • Race 1: Saturday 6:55 PM
  • Race 2: Sunday 10:30 AM
  • Race 3: Sunday 1:15 PM
    
• How to Watch? Sky Sports

Four New Zealanders will line up at The Bend this weekend as Touring Car Masters Australia returns for Round 5 of the season, supporting the Supercars AirTouch 500.

Angus Fogg, Hamish Frew, Lance Hughes and Nick Ross will represent New Zealand as the popular category of classic touring cars heads to South Australia for its latest round.

The quartet will take on The Bend’s West Circuit across the weekend, adding further Kiwi interest to a packed support programme alongside the opening round of the Supercars Enduro Cup.

With the championship moving into the latter stages of the season, all four Kiwis will be looking to make the most of the weekend and come away with strong results from Tailem Bend.

Bryn Jones | Peugeot Rally Cup Portugal

• Where? Chaves, Portugal
• NZ Times:
  • SS1: Saturday 3:05 AM
  • SS2: Saturday 3:52 AM
  • SS3: Saturday 5:40 AM
  • SS4: Saturday 8:02 AM
  • SS5: Saturday 9:40 PM
  • SS6: Saturday 11:08 PM
  • SS7: Saturday 11:51 PM
  • SS8: Sunday 1:33 AM
  • SS9: Sunday 3:08 AM
  • SS10: Sunday 3:43 AM
    
• How to Watch? Cami Facebook Page Livestream

Bryn Jones returns to familiar territory this weekend as the Kiwi takes on Rali da Água in Chaves for Round 3 of the Peugeot Rally Cup Portugal alongside co-driver Max Freeman.

The event marks one year since Jones made his international rally debut at the same rally, where he finished 19th overall and sixth in class.

Jones returns with considerably more experience on European tarmac after further outings in Portugal and Wales, including the recent Mewla Stages, while a test in Fafe this week has allowed the PT Racing team to make final adjustments to the Peugeot ahead of the weekend.

With more experience behind him and some familiarity with the roads around Chaves, Jones will be looking to build on his 2025 result as his Peugeot Rally Cup Portugal campaign continues.

Shane Van Gisbergen | NASCAR Cup Series

• Where? Worldwide Technology Raceway, Illinois
• NZ Times:
  • Practice: Sunday 7:30 AM
  • Qualifying: Sunday 8:35 AM
  • Race: Monday 7:00 AM
    
• How to Watch? ThreeNow

Shane van Gisbergen will be looking to bounce back this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to World Wide Technology Raceway following a difficult outing at Darlington.

The Kiwi struggled for grip throughout the Southern 500, and his Trackhouse Racing team made significant set-up changes to improve the #97 Chevrolet. Van Gisbergen ultimately finished 26th as the first driver one lap down, although he was the highest-finishing of the three Trackhouse entries.

World Wide Technology Raceway presents another challenge for van Gisbergen, with the 1.25-mile oval combining long straights with tight, differently shaped corners.

With his hopes of reaching The Chase ending at Daytona, the rest of the season gives van Gisbergen and Trackhouse a chance to keep building their oval programme and target stronger results in the closing rounds of 2026.

Zack Scoular | Michelin Le Mans Cup France

• Where? Silverstone, United Kingdom
• NZ Times:
  • Practice: Saturday 4:40 AM
  • Qualifying: Sunday 12:10 AM
  • Race: Sunday 4:10 AM
    
• How to Watch? FIAWEC+

Zack Scoular heads to Silverstone this weekend for the penultimate round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup, looking to finish his first European sportscar campaign on a positive note.

The Kiwi comes into Round 5 after finishing 14th last time out, continuing a challenging run of results following a promising start to the season at the opening round.

With just Silverstone and the season finale remaining, Scoular will be aiming to rediscover that early-season form and turn his pace into a strong result at the famous British circuit.

A positive weekend at Silverstone would give the young New Zealander some valuable momentum heading into the final round of the 2026 season.

Brendon Leitch, Daniel Gaunt and Scott McLaughlin | Intercontinental GT Challenge

• Where? Suzuka Circuit, Japan
• NZ Times:
  • Night Practice: Friday 8:50 PM
  • Pre-Qualifying: Saturday 1:40 PM
  • Qualifying 1: Saturday 8:40 PM
  • Qualifying 2: Saturday 9:02 PM
  • Qualifying 3: Saturday 9:25 PM
  • Race: Sunday 3:50 PM
    
• How to Watch? GT World YouTube Channel

Three New Zealanders will take on one of the biggest endurance races of the weekend as the Intercontinental GT Challenge heads to Japan for Round 4 and the Suzuka 1000.

Scott McLaughlin, Brendon Leitch and Daniel Gaunt will all be on the grid for the 1000-kilometre race, representing Johor Motorsports Racing, Harmony Racing and Tsunami RT respectively.

For McLaughlin, the weekend adds another major international endurance event to his 2026 programme, while Leitch heads to Japan before turning his attention to his upcoming Super2 debut at Bathurst.

Gaunt completes the Kiwi contingent with Tsunami RT, as the trio prepare to tackle the demanding Suzuka Circuit and one of the longest races on the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar.

Header Image: Supercars