Motorsport Diary: Kiwis racing overseas this weekend

There’s a massive weekend of motorsport ahead, with top-class racing all over the world.

The IndyCar Series concludes in Nashville, where New Zealanders Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, and Marcus Armstrong are in action. Callum Hedge is racing in Indy NXT at the same venue.

A road course double-header awaits Shane van Gisbergen at Watkins Glen, with the Kiwi expected to feature heavily in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series.

In Japan, Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber are competing in the 6 Hours of Fuji in the penultimate round of the World Endurance Championship.

Enduro season has arrived in Supercars, with six New Zealanders competing across five entries in this weekend’s Sandown 500. Marco Giltrap and Fabian Coulthard are also featured on the support bill, competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix adds to an already busy weekend, as do some top-level events on our own shores, including the Racer Products South Island Endurance Series opener at Teretonga and the Daybreaker Rally.

We’re spoilt for choice over the coming days!

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the racing.

Shane van Gisbergen: NASCAR Cup & Xfinity Series

• Where? Watkins Glen, New York
• NZ Times:
  • Xfinity Series Qualifying: Sunday 2.00 am
  • Cup Series Qualifying: Sunday 5.00 am
  • Xfinity Series Race: Sunday 7.00 am
  • Cup Series Race: Monday 7.00 am
• How to watch: Three Now (races only)

Shane van Gisbergen is expected to feature in this weekend’s NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series road-course races at Watkins Glen.

All three of the Kiwi’s 2024 wins have come on road or street courses in the Xfinity Series, and he was in contention in the Cup Series race on the Streets of Chicago before he was taken out.

Van Gisbergen has already qualified for the Xfinity Series playoffs and is 12th in the regular season standings.

Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin & Marcus Armstrong: IndyCar

• Where? Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tennessee
• NZ Times:
  • Practice: Sunday 3.00 am
  • Qualifying: Sunday 6.15 am
  • Final Practice: Sunday 10.00 am
  • Race: Monday 7.00 am
• How to watch: Sky Sport

Scott McLaughlin is still mathematically in contention in the IndyCar Series but will be eliminated when Alex Palou starts Monday’s race in Nashville.

Palou holds a 33-point advantage over Australia’s Will Power entering the season’s final round. McLaughlin is a further 17 points behind in third.

Six-time champion Scott Dixon is fifth in the standings, while Marcus Armstrong is 15th. Both CGR drivers are out of championship contention.

Stanaway, Payne, Wood, Evans, Heimgartner & Coulthard: Supercars Sandown 500

• Where? Sandown Motor Raceway, Melbourne
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Friday 12.45 pm
  • Practice 2 (co-drivers): Friday 2.45 pm
  • Practice 3: Friday 5.40 pm
  • Practice 4: Saturday 11.55 am
  • Practice 5: Saturday 2.05 pm
  • Qualifying: Saturday 4.15 pm
  • Top 10 Shootout: Saturday 7.25 pm
  • Sandown 500: Sunday 4.05 pm
• How to watch: Sky Sport

Endurance season has arrived in Supercars, with Matt Payne leading the five-strong full-time Kiwi contingent in fifth in the standings. Payne is partnering with Garth Tander for this season’s enduros. His teammate Richie Stanaway (14th) has Dale Wood as his co-driver.

Ryan Wood (17th) joins Fabian Coulthard for an all-Kiwi lineup at Walkinshaw Andretti United.

Declan Fraser joins Andre Heimgertner (12th) at BJR, while Jaxon Evans (22nd) shares the BJR SCT Motorsport Camaro with Dean Fiore.

Brendon Hartley & Earl Bamber: World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Fuji

• Where? Fuji Motor Speedway, Japan
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Saturday 5.40 pm
  • Race: Sunday 2.00 pm- 8.00 pm
• How to watch: Paid live stream (WEC app)

The World Endurance Championship heads to Japan for the penultimate round of the 2024 season with the 6 Hours of Fuji.

Mathematically, Brendon Hartley and TGR teammates Ryo Hirakawa and Sebastien Buemi are in with a chance to defend their drivers’ championship, although if championship leaders Kevin Estrem Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor score 17 points, they will be eliminated from contention.

The #8 GR010 Hybrid team are sixth in the standings, 55 points off the lead. However, Toyota does hold an 11-point lead over Porsche in the manufacturers’ standings.

Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn climbed to 12th following their fourth-placed finish at Circuit of the Americas but are out of championship contention.

Callum Hedge: Indy NXT

• Where? Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tennessee
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Sunday 7.45 am
  • Race: Monday 3.50 am
• How to watch: Paid live stream (IndyCar Live)

The 2024 Indy NXT season concludes with an oval outing at Nashville Superspeedway in Tennessee.

Kiwi Callum Hedge is fourth in the championship but out of contention for a top-three spot. He does, however, have competition for the top five, with drivers ranked fourth to seventh, separated by just 27 points.

Britain’s Louis Foster has already secured the title.

Marco Giltrap & Fabian Coulthard: Porsche Carrera Cup Australia

• Where? Sandown Motor Raceway, Melbourne
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Friday 4.55 pm
  • Race 1: Saturday 11.15 am
  • Race 2: Saturday 4.55 pm
  • Race 3: Sunday 2.00 pm
• How to watch: Sky Sport

The Porsche Carrera Cup Australia contest its 150th points-paying round this weekend at Sandown with two Kiwis in the field.

Fabian Coulthard, running double duties at Sandown, leads the Kiwi charge in eighth in the championship but is 319 points behind runaway leader Harri Jones.

Marco Giltrap is 11th, 22 points outside the top ten.