International talents, seasoned campaigners and the next generation of motorsport stars combined to make for a weekend of thrilling action at the Hampton Downs International.
The Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship, Bridgestone GR86 Championship, GT New Zealand Championship, Mazda Racing Series, and SuperV8s took centre stage at the event and presented plenty of entertainment across a busy weekend of motorsport for Round 3 of the NextGen New Zealand Championship, Presented by Repco.
“This weekend has been a fantastic showcase of motorsport,” said NextGen New Zealand Championship CEO Josie Spillane.
“The level of competition we’ve seen here at Hampton Downs highlights just how much talent we have—both internationally and locally.
“It’s been inspiring to see the mix of seasoned professionals and rising stars pushing their limits on the track. This is what motorsport is all about.
“What’s special about events like this is that they create opportunities—not just for drivers to show what they’re capable of, but also for fans to connect with the sport in such an exciting way.
“The Rock Pit Walk and The Rock Grid Walk continue to be popular additions to the series, allowing those in attendance to get up and close to world-class machinery and drivers.
“Three rounds in, it’s a real credit to the team to make this such a professional and enjoyable experience so far.”
In the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship, Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad continued his stunning run of form in New Zealand, taking two pole positions, a win in the opener, and a run to the Dorothy Smith Memorial Cup in the feature.
Lindblad also set a new lap record in the process, his blistering 1:28.340 flyer in the feature bettering the 1:28.469 effort set by Supercars champion Will Brown earlier in the same race.
While dominant on the timing sheets, Lindblad was pushed hard for his spoils, Kiwi sensation Zack Scoular and Brown keeping him on his toes and following him home in the opener.
Sebastian Manson became the second New Zealander to win in the series this summer in Race 2, leading home American star Nikita Johnson and Lindblad, the latter again a standout by climbing from eighth to third.
The battle between Lindblad, Scoular and Brown carried over into the Dorothy Smith Memorial Cup feature race, with Lindblad facing early pressure from the Kiwi and the Australian.
Brown spun out of third mid-race, allowing Indy NXT driver Josh Pierson through for the position. The American finished a distant third, over four seconds behind the leading pair, with Lindblad pulling 2.9 seconds clear of Scoular for victory.
The Bridgestone GR86 Championship delivered three action-packed races with three different winners.
Justin Allen claimed victory in Race 1, fending off Josh Bethune and Harry Townshend. Australian Lachlan Evennett led Race 2, crossing the line ahead of Cameron Hill and Emerson Vincent.
A dramatic feature was delayed by an early red flag following two significant incidents within seconds of each other. Hill emerged victorious, followed by Cooper Barnes and Hugo Allan, who retained his championship lead.
The Summerset GT New Zealand Championship thrilled fans with tight battles and unpredictable outcomes. Paul Pedersen edged out Marco Giltrap in the opening sprint, but contact in Race 2 between Pedersen and Joel Giddy on the penultimate lap opened the door for Giltrap to claim victory. Rick Armstrong clinched the one-hour enduro, joined on the podium by Luke Manson and Giltrap.
In GT4, series leader William Exton won the opener in a McLaren Artura from the two Toyota Supra GT4 Evos, driven by Kaleb Ngatoa and Mark Mallard.
A three-car collision between Exton, Ayrton Hodson, who partnered with Mallard in one Supra GT4, and Allan Sargeant, who partnered with Ngatoa in the other, shook up the early order of Race 2, but Hodson recovered from a full spin to win from Australian visitor Zoe Woods and James Sax. Exton recovered from his Race 2 incident to win the one-hour feature from the pairings of Sargeant and Ngatoa, and Mallard and Hodson.
South Islander Mac Templeton dominated in the Nexen Tyres NZ Mazda Racing Series, the third round of the North Island series, taking victories in Races 1 and 3 and a second-place finish in Race 2.
Templeton fended pulled to a comfortable 3.3-second advantage to win the opener from Rex Edwards and Karl Gaines but was overcome by Stuart Lawton in Race 2, with Edwards completing the podium. Templeton led home Lawton and Edwards in the finale.
The combined Super V8s and TA2 grid delivered plenty of entertainment, with Brady Wild piloting his Holden Commodore to victory in Race 1, keeping the Chevrolet Corvette of Grant Brennan at bay for the majority of proceedings. Brennan struck back in Race 2 and Race 3, winning both ahead of Wild. Jonathan Udy was the best of the eight-strong TA2 field, topping the class in each race and finishing third overall on all three outings.
The NextGen New Zealand Championship returns with the Just Tanks Manfeild International next weekend, a free event for attendees featuring the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship and GTRNZ.
Header Image: Shots By TayB
