KIWIS RACING ABROAD | 14 NOVEMBER – 16 NOVEMBER WEEKEND PREVIEW 🏁
From the heritage of Sandown to the heat of Barcelona, Kiwi racers are gearing up for another thrilling weekend of international motorsport action — with season finales and crucial championship battles on the line.
Australia’s motorsport spotlight turns to Melbourne for the Sandown 500, the penultimate round of the 2025 Supercars Championship. Four New Zealanders will take on the historic Sandown International Raceway — Matt Payne (Grove Racing), Ryan Wood (Walkinshaw Andretti United), Andre Heimgartner and Jaxon Evans (Brad Jones Racing).
The endurance classic marks the final stop before the Adelaide finale, with 500 kilometres of strategy, stamina, and teamwork set to shape the title fight. Expect the Kiwis to be right in the thick of it across qualifying, the Top Ten Shootout, and Sunday’s marquee race.
Supporting the Supercars are two key categories featuring rising New Zealand talent.
In the Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia, Tom Bewley (Earl Bamber Motorsport/Team Porsche New Zealand) and Hunter Robb (Jones Motorsport) line up for the sixth and final round of their season. Bewley heads in off the back of a victory in Adelaide, while Robb looks to close out his campaign with a strong showing at one of the nation’s most demanding circuits.
Also wrapping up their year at Sandown is Ben Stewart, who contests the Toyota GR Cup Australia finale with 99 Motorsport. The young Kiwi has impressed throughout the season and will aim to finish on a high at the fast and flowing Melbourne venue.
Meanwhile, over in Europe, Zack Scoular returns to action in the Eurocup-3 championship finale at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Palou Motorsport driver will look to cap off his maiden international campaign with another solid performance against some of the continent’s brightest single-seater prospects.
From Sandown’s storied grandstands to Barcelona’s Formula 1 circuit, Kiwi drivers are set to take on some of motorsport’s most iconic tracks this weekend — all with the silver fern proudly on display.
Check out our detailed weekend preview below for everything you need to know, including session times, how to watch, and who’s racing where. ⬇️
Matt Payne, Ryan Wood, Andre Heimgartner & Jaxon Evans | Supercars
- Where? Sandown International Raceway, Melbourne
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 3:30 PM
- Practice 2: Friday 5:55 PM
- Qualifying (Race 30): Saturday 1:50 PM
- Top 10 Shootout: Saturday 2:40 PM
- Race 30: Saturday 5:20 PM
- Qualifying (Race 31): Sunday 1:20 PM
- Top 10 Shootout: Sunday 2:10 PM
- Race 31: Sunday 5:20 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
It was a wild weekend on the streets of Surfers Paradise, with New Zealand’s Supercars contingent fighting through chaos, contact, and comeback drives at the Gold Coast 500.
Andre Heimgartner led the Kiwi charge with a brilliant podium finish in Race 2, backing up an eighth-place result on Saturday after navigating a race full of penalties and safety cars.
Matt Payne impressed with pace and resilience, recovering from a costly pit-lane penalty in Race 1 to finish 11th before returning to the top ten on Sunday. Ryan Wood showed front-running form early, leading laps from pole in Race 1 before a fuel issue derailed his race, though he bounced back to ninth in Race 2.
Jaxon Evans and Richie Stanaway both endured challenging outings amid the Gold Coast chaos, with Evans retiring from Race 1 and finishing 14th in Race 2, while Stanaway’s weekend was hampered by penalties and contact.
➡️Gold Coast Race 1 Recap
➡️Gold Coast Race 2 Recap
Between rounds, it was confirmed that Stanaway has parted ways with PremiAir Racing effective immediately, meaning the 2023 Bathurst winner will not line up for the upcoming Sandown 500.
The focus now shifts to Sandown, where Heimgartner, Payne, Wood, and Evans will carry the Kiwi flag into the penultimate round of the 2025 Supercars Championship.
Tom Bewley & Hunter Robb | Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia
- Where? Sandown International Raceway, Melbourne
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 11:00 AM
- Qualifying: Friday 1:30 PM
- Race 1: Friday 4:45 PM
- Race 2: Saturday 12:50 PM
- Race 3: Saturday 4:10 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
It was a weekend of highs and lows for young New Zealanders Tom Bewley and Hunter Robb in the latest round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia at The Bend Motorsport Park, with both showing impressive pace but enduring contrasting fortunes across three action-packed races.
Bewley opened the weekend in superb form, qualifying on pole with a record-breaking 1:50.13 lap before converting it into victory in the Pro class and second overall in Race 1. The result brought him right back into title contention, just 43 points off the class lead.
Robb was also on the pace early, qualifying sixth and finishing sixth in the opener after a strong run in the top five.
The following day brought more drama. Bewley briefly led Race 2 before gearbox troubles dropped him to seventh, while Robb’s race ended early after contact damaged his suspension. Both looked to bounce back in Sunday’s 45-minute finale.
Starting from seventh, Bewley climbed to fourth before contact and front-end damage left him to finish fifth at the flag. Robb impressed with a superb recovery from the back of the grid to claim sixth, showcasing strong racecraft and determination.
➡️The Bend Race 1 Recap
➡️The Bend Race 2 Recap
Despite the setbacks, both Kiwis left The Bend with valuable points and momentum ahead of this weekend’s season finale at Sandown International Raceway, where Bewley and Robb will once again fly the New Zealand flag and aim to end the season on high, with Bewley aiming for that runner-up title.
Ben Stewart | Toyota GR Cup Australia
- Where? Sandown International Raceway, Melbourne
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 12:25 PM
- Practice 2: Friday 2:55 PM
- Qualifying: Saturday 11:05 AM
- Race 1: Saturday 3:35 PM
- Race 2: Sunday 11:50 AM
- Race 3: Sunday 2:55 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
It was a tough and testing weekend for Ben Stewart at the Gold Coast 500, with the 99 Motorsport rookie facing setbacks but showing resilience across the Toyota GR Cup Australia series.
A heavy crash in qualifying ruled Stewart out of Race 1, while a valiant effort in Race 2 ended in retirement after starting from last. Undeterred, Stewart mounted a gritty comeback in Race 3, moving through the field to finish 19th and demonstrate his determination and racecraft.
Stewart’s weekend was contrasted by fellow Kiwi Chris Pither, who returned as a guest entrant and enjoyed a solid campaign. Pither climbed steadily through the field in all three races, finishing sixth in Race 2 and inside the top ten in the finale, showing his experience on the challenging street circuit.
With the Gold Coast behind him, Stewart now turns his focus to the season finale at Sandown International Raceway from November 14–16, aiming to close out his rookie Toyota GR Cup campaign on a strong note.
Zack Scoular | Eurocup-3
- Where? Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain
- NZ Times:
- Test Session 1: Friday 2:50 AM
- Test Session 2: Saturday 12:20 AM
- Qualifying: Saturday 11:40 PM
- Race 1: Sunday 3:10 AM
- Qualifying 2: Sunday 9:30 PM
- Race 2: Monday 3:05 AM
- How to Watch? YouTube (Races only)
New Zealand’s Zack Scoular enjoyed a productive weekend at the penultimate round of the 2025 Eurocup-3 season at Circuito de Jerez, taking valuable steps forward in his rookie European campaign.
Scoular quickly adapted to the unfamiliar Spanish circuit across Friday testing, completing multiple laps and steadily improving his pace. By the end of Free Practice, he was running consistent low-1:39s, just shy of breaking into the Top 20.
In Qualifying 1, he set a 1:39.866 to start 23rd on the grid and carried that momentum into Race 1. The Tony Quinn Foundation ambassador made a clean getaway, navigated early Safety Car interruptions, and steadily moved into the Top 20, finishing 20th — a solid result on a challenging track.
Sunday brought further gains. Scoular posted a personal best 1:38.738 in Qualifying 2, securing 23rd on the grid. In Race 2, he made a sharp start and executed a consistent drive, finishing 21st after a mix of overtakes and retirements shuffled the order.
While the rookie still has progress to make in terms of outright results, the weekend highlighted his learning curve and adaptability in European single-seaters.
Scoular now turns his focus to the Eurocup-3 season finale at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where he will aim to cap off his rookie campaign in Europe with another strong showing.
Full Weekend Schedule:
| Date/Time | Category | Event |
| Friday 2:50 AM | Eurocup-3 | Test Session 1 |
| Friday 11:00 AM | Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia | Practice 1 |
| Friday 12:25 PM | Toyota GR Cup Australia | Practice 1 |
| Friday 1:30 PM | Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia | Qualifying |
| Friday 2:55 PM | Toyota GR Cup Australia | Practice 2 |
| Friday 3:30 PM | Supercars | Practice 1 |
| Friday 4:45 PM | Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia | Race 1 |
| Friday 5:55 PM | Supercars | Practice 2 |
| Saturday 12:20 AM | Eurocup-3 | Test Session 2 |
| Saturday 11:05 AM | Toyota GR Cup Australia | Qualifying |
| Saturday 12:50 PM | Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia | Race 2 |
| Saturday 1:50 PM | Supercars | Qualifying (Race 30) |
| Saturday 2:40 PM | Supercars | Top 10 Shootout |
| Saturday 3:35 PM | Toyota GR Cup Australia | Race 1 |
| Saturday 4:10 PM | Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia | Race 3 |
| Saturday 11:40 PM | Eurocup-3 | Qualifying |
| Saturday 5:20 PM | Supercars | Race 30 |
| Sunday 3:10 AM | Eurocup-3 | Race 1 |
| Sunday 11:50 AM | Toyota GR Cup Australia | Race 2 |
| Sunday 1:20 PM | Supercars | Qualifying (Race 31) |
| Sunday 2:10 PM | Supercars | Top 10 Shootout |
| Sunday 2:55 PM | Toyota GR Cup Australia | Race 3 |
| Sunday 5:20 PM | Supercars | Race 31 |
| Sunday 9:30 PM | Eurocup-3 | Qualifying 2 |
| Monday 3:05 AM | Eurocup-3 | Race 2 |
Header Image: Walkinshaw Andretti United
