KIWIS RACING ABROAD | 10-13 APRIL WEEKEND PREVIEW 🏁
It’s another busy weekend on the global motorsport stage, with Kiwi drivers competing across Supercars, NASCAR, and the World Rally Championship as action unfolds in New Zealand, the United States, and Europe.
The Supercars Championship heads to the North Island for the opening leg of its historic New Zealand double header, with Taupō International Motorsport Park hosting Round 3 of the 2026 season.
All eyes will be on the Kiwi contingent as they return to home soil. Matt Payne continues to build momentum with Grove Racing and will be eager to deliver a strong result in front of a home crowd. Rising star Ryan Wood lines up with Walkinshaw TWG Racing, while Andre Heimgartner represents Brad Jones Racing.
Over in the United States, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to one of its most iconic venues, Bristol Motor Speedway, for Round 8 of the season with Kiwi Shane Van Gisbergen targeting another personal best oval result.
Meanwhile, in Europe, the World Rally Championship continues with Round 4 at the Rally Croatia. Kiwi pairing Hayden Paddon and John Kennard return to the world stage, tackling Croatia’s notoriously demanding asphalt stages.
From home support in Taupō to the high banks of Bristol and the technical tarmac of Croatia, Kiwi drivers are once again flying the flag across the globe in what promises to be an action-packed weekend of motorsport.
Check out our detailed weekend preview below for everything you need to know, including session times, how to watch, and who’s racing where. ⬇️
Ryan Wood, Matt Payne & Andre Heimgartner | Supercars
- Where? Taupō International Motorsport Park, NZ
- NZ Times:
- Practice 1: Friday 1:50 PM
- Practice 2: Friday 2:30 PM
- Qualifying (Race 8): Saturday 10:15 AM
- Qualifying (Race 9): Saturday 11:10 AM
- Race 8: Saturday 12:55 PM
- Race 9: Saturday 4:05 PM
- Qualifying (Race 10): Sunday 11:40 AM
- Top Ten Shootout: Sunday 12:35 PM
- Race 10: Sunday 3:05 PM
- How to Watch? Sky Sports
The Supercars Championship arrives at Taupō International Motorsport Park for Round 3 of the 2026 season, with Kiwi trio Matt Payne, Ryan Wood, and Andre Heimgartner all looking to capitalise on home advantage.
In Melbourne, the results only told part of the story. Payne emerged as one of the form drivers of the weekend, combining aggressive racecraft with strong pace to claim back-to-back second-place finishes in Races 4 and 5. He was right in the fight for victory on both occasions, narrowly missing out while applying sustained pressure to the race leader.
Wood also enjoyed a breakthrough moment, backing up a solid Race 4 with an impressive drive to third in Race 5. Despite a brief off-track excursion while battling at the front, he held firm to secure his maiden Supercars podium and Toyota’s first in the category.
Heimgartner showed resilience throughout, battling in the midfield before capitalising on the chaos of Race 5 to climb into the top ten with a composed recovery drive.
But a chaotic Race 6 brought frustration for all three. Opening-lap incidents left Wood with damage, Heimgartner was forced off track avoiding the carnage, and Payne’s race unravelled with a tyre delamination while running near the front.
➡️Melbourne Supersprint Race 4 Recap HERE
➡️Melbourne Supersprint Race 5 Recap HERE
➡️Melbourne Supersprint Race 6 Recap HERE
With speed clearly on their side, the shift to Taupō presents a prime opportunity. Backed by home support and with unpredictable weather potentially in play due to Cyclone Vaianu, the Kiwi drivers will be aiming to turn that Melbourne pace into podiums or even race wins on home soil.
Shane Van Gisbergen | NASCAR Cup Series
- Where? Bristol Motor Speedway, Tennessee
- NZ Times:
- Practice: Sunday 8:30 AM
- Qualifying: Sunday 9:40 AM
- Race: Monday 7:00 AM
- How to Watch? ThreeNow
After another solid outing at Martinsville Speedway, Shane van Gisbergen heads to Bristol Motor Speedway aiming to build on his progress in the NASCAR Cup Series.
At Martinsville in the Cook Out 400, Van Gisbergen showcased one of his most complete short-track performances to date. Starting from a career-best oval qualifying position of fifth, the Trackhouse Racing driver ran consistently inside the top 10 through the opening stages, collecting valuable stage points and establishing himself as a contender in the closing laps.
A bold strategy call in the final stage briefly vaulted him to second, putting him right behind race leader Chase Elliott. While the move ultimately didn’t deliver a top finish, Van Gisbergen navigated the chaos of late-race incidents and traffic to secure 11th, narrowly missing the top 10 but further demonstrating his growing proficiency on oval circuits. The result marked his fifth top-15 finish of the season and his strongest short-track showing so far.
➡️Martinsville Speedway Recap HERE
Bristol presents a fresh challenge. Known as one of NASCAR’s most intense and unpredictable tracks, the high-banked concrete oval demands precision, patience, and aggressive racecraft.
With his confidence building and experience stacking up, Van Gisbergen will be aiming to turn his speed and consistency into a top-10 finish, or better this weekend, further cementing his upward trajectory in his rookie Cup Series season.
With his WeatherTech-backed #91 Chevy and a team firing on all cylinders, the Kiwi will be looking to take the momentum from Martinsville and make a strong statement at one of NASCAR’s most iconic venues.
Hayden Paddon & John Kennard | World Rally Championship
- Where? Croatia, Europe
- NZ Times:
- SS1 Vodice – Brest 1 (14.12 km): Friday 7:13 PM
- SS2 Lake Butoniga – Motovun 1 (13.78 km): Friday 8:11 PM
- SS3 Beram – Cerovlje 1 (23.78 km): Friday 9:14 PM
- SS4 Učka 1 (11.75 km): Friday 10:02 PM
- SS5 Vodice – Brest 2 (14.12 km): Saturday 1:15 AM
- SS6 Lake Butoniga – Motovun 2 (13.78 km): Saturday 2:13 AM
- SS7 Beram – Cerovlje 2 (23.78 km): Saturday 3:16 AM
- SS8 Učka 2 (11.75 km): Saturday 4:04 AM
- SS9 Platak 1 (16.26 km): Saturday 6:43 PM
- SS10 Ravna Gora – Skrad 1 (10.13 km): Saturday 7:41 PM
- SS11 Generalski Stol – Zdihovo 1 (22.48 km): Saturday 9:05 PM
- SS12 Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novaki 1 (9.11 km): Saturday 10:03 PM
- SS13 Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novaki 2 (9.11 km): Sunday 12:12 AM
- SS14 Generalski Stol – Zdihovo 2 (22.48 km): Sunday 1:05 AM
- SS15 Ravna Gora – Skrad 2 (10.13 km): Sunday 2:23 AM
- SS16 Platak 2 (16.26 km): Sunday 3:22 AM
- SS17 Bribir – Novi Vinodolski 1 (14.17 km): Sunday 6:05 PM
- SS18 Alan – Senj 1 (14.56 km): Sunday 7:05 PM
- SS19 Bribir – Novi Vinodolski 2 (14.17 km): Sunday 8:38 PM
- SS20 Wolf Power Stage, Alan – Senj 2 (14.56 km): Sunday 11:15 PM
- How to Watch? Rally.TV
- Live Timing HERE
New Zealand rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard are prepared and motivated for their next WRC outing at Rally Croatia, running 9–12 April in the team’s third Hyundai i20N Rally1.
With more time to prepare physically and mentally than for their season opener in Monte Carlo, Paddon says the feeling going into this rally is a lot more “normal.” Having contested new rallies with Kennard before in Europe and Australia, the duo are confident in approaching unfamiliar stages.
Rally Croatia features 20 asphalt special stages across around 300 competitive kilometres, moving from high-grip coastal roads and mountain passes of the Kvarner Gulf and Istria regions, with the rally base now in Rijeka. Stages will challenge crews with narrow, medium-to-fast roads and the risk of dirt, mud, and stones cutting onto the tarmac. Starting last on Friday’s opening loop will mean early damage limitation, with a focus on recovery once reseeded on Saturday and Sunday.
Paddon and Kennard have spent valuable time with Hyundai Motorsport in Europe to acclimatise to the Rally1 car, and while official testing is limited, the pair are confident and ready to push for competitive stage times and strong points finishes, aiming to close the gap to their teammates and showcase Kiwi pace on the WRC stage.
Header Image: Walkinshaw TWG Racing
