The North Island Endurance Series will return to Hampton Downs Motorsport Park on November 21, with the rescheduled third and final round set to complete the 2026 one-hour championship.
The season finale was originally scheduled to take place at Manfeild but was postponed, and NIERDC has now confirmed the event will instead be held at Hampton Downs in association with the NZIGP Association.
The round will see the one-hour championship for Classes 1 through 5 decided after a lengthy break since the series last raced at Hampton Downs in May.
Unofficial practice will be available on Friday, November 20, before the official programme gets underway on Saturday morning.
A 30-minute practice session is scheduled for 9.30 am, followed by a 30-minute qualifying session at 10.30 am. The final one-hour race of the season will then get underway at 1 pm.
The rescheduled event also comes as NIERDC looks to adapt its endurance racing model to better suit the changing needs and budgets of its competitor base.
“We need to adapt to the rapidly changing socio-economic requirements of our competitor base or perish,” NIERDC Chairman Mark Petch said.
“The fact is that we read the tea leaves wrongly, and I am as guilty as anyone in thinking bigger is better when, in reality, we needed to cut our cloth to meet the market.
“There’s obviously a market for FUN racing, but there’s also a market for class racing on a level playing field, and that’s long been the strength of SIERDC and NIERDC endurance racing.
“In partnership with the NZIGP, we will make endurance class racing more affordable, starting with our 2026 final round at Hampton Downs.”
With several months having passed since Round 2, here’s a quick refresher on how the one-hour championship has played out so far.
ROUND 1 – TAUPŌ
Jacob Bellamy opened his 2026 campaign in dominant fashion at Taupō, taking pole in the #83 Lamborghini Huracán before overcoming an early challenge from Matt Whittaker.
Bellamy initially dropped to third before working his way back to the front, passing Whittaker for the lead on Lap 8. From there, the 18-year-old controlled the race and eventually won by 20.554 seconds.
Whittaker finished second, while Simon Gilbertson held off a late charge from Sam Cotterill to take third by just three-tenths of a second.
Brady Wild won Class 2, Wei Zhou and Josh Bethune took Class 3, Toby Elmiger claimed Class 4 and Marcel Bartley won Class 5.
ROUND 2 – HAMPTON DOWNS
Bellamy continued his unbeaten start at Hampton Downs, again qualifying on pole before Whittaker grabbed the early lead in slippery conditions.
The Lamborghini driver reclaimed the top spot on Lap 6 before switching to slick tyres as the circuit dried. A later safety car erased his advantage, but Bellamy was untouchable following the restart and quickly pulled away.
He eventually crossed the line 36.4 seconds ahead of Sam Cotterill, with Glenn Cotterill completing the podium.
Marco Holtrigter claimed Class 2 honours, Brent Forman won Class 3, and Nathan Grammar took the Class 4 victory.
Bellamy will therefore return to Hampton Downs with a perfect record of two poles and two victories, as the one-hour championship reaches its conclusion on Saturday, November 21.
North Island Endurance Series 1 Hour Points Table After Round 2 –
Header Image: Chelsea Karl
