At the mid-November MG Classic at Manfeild’s Circuit, Chris Amon, New Zealand’s sportscar and single-seater racers, kicked off the 2025/26 season under a unified Formula Libre-style format.
For this season, NZ Sports Car Racing and Formula Racing NZ have combined on-track, bringing together ex-Pacific Atlantics, FT40s and FT50s, plus Open and 2 Litre class sports cars in one field.
Series organisers describe the format as “exciting and deliberate,” pairing open-wheelers with sports cars to ensure larger fields and more varied racing. Formula Racing NZ aims to develop emerging talent in modern carbon-chassis machinery, while also keeping historic formula cars active.
NZ Sports Cars continues to promote everything from Radicals and Junos to NZ-built specials.
NZ Sports Car Racing chair Richard Kelly called the merged format “essential for providing a place to race an exciting variety of cars,” while veteran Kenny Smith praised it as “magic” racing with cars that are “a hell of a race car for the money.”
Strong Entry for the New Format
Nearly 20 cars took the green flag, with Radicals and Tatuus FT-series cars making up much of the grid. The MG Classic, long regarded as one of New Zealand’s premier race meetings, again delivered a healthy turnout despite rising costs.
The field featured FT40/50 and Formula Pacific cars running in period spec alongside Open-class sportscars from Radical, Juno and NZ constructors.
The combined entry produced close sessions in practice and qualifying, setting up an action-packed pair of feature races.
Edgell Dominates; FT40/50 Drivers Impress
In the weekend’s main events, Tim Edgell’s Albany ITM Radical SR10 was untouchable. He set a new Sports Car lap record of 1:02.820, took pole, and won both feature races.
In Sunday’s finale, Edgell finished over 15 seconds clear, followed by two Tatuus single-seaters: Toby McCormack in an FT50 and Campbell Owens in an FT40.
McCormack podiumed in both races, while Owens scored consistent top-five points, showcasing the format’s aim of mixing seasoned wings-and-slicks racers with sports-racers.
Within the Formula Racing NZ classes, standout drives included:
• Bryan Hartley (Swift DB4) – Atlantic class winner
• Blake Dowdall – overall FT50 class winner, with a 1:06.80 lap in Race 2
• Campbell Owens – FT40 class winner
The sportscar group saw strong runs from Queensland’s Matt Powell in his Radical SR10 debut, and Mark Galvin, who charged from the back to finish fifth. In the 2 Litre class, Richard Kelly led the points, with Anton Aalders close behind.
Further down the order, Aalders, Leo Francis, Tony Hembrow and Gary Rush traded places throughout the final race, with Paul Couper and Morgan Tunnicliffe also in close battles.
Veteran Voices on FT Single-Seaters
Many drivers praised the FT40/50 machinery. Kiwi legend Kenny Smith, back in his 1989 Swift DB4, noted that the FT cars offer “the same technology and speed as current overseas equivalents” and are “a must for any Formula Ford driver wanting to advance.”
His comments reflect the series’ goal of positioning the class as both a training ground and a showcase for historic wings-and-slicks racing.
MG Classic: A Premier Stage
The annual MG Classic again proved a fitting stage, celebrated for its variety and friendly atmosphere. Including the NZ Sports Car Racing/Formula Libre group among its feature classes highlighted the event’s prestige and diversity.
The strong turnout and exciting racing suggest the new combined format has hit the mark, setting up an engaging championship season ahead.
Header Image: Supplied
