The NZV8 Utes season kicks off with Octoberfast at Manfeild this weekend of October 24-26, boasting a strong field of 14 utes, including several newcomers, past season champions and multiple race winners.
New to the NZV8 Utes this season will be Jordan Mundy stepping into the Holden VE ute formerly raced by Brett Rudd, then later by Kyan Davie.
Pocket rocket Mitch Sparrow will be driving the Pokeno Motel Holden ute for the season – he showed exceptional pace during his first outing last season.
After setting the lap record at Timaru last year, Blair Gribble-Bowring has moved up to a newly-imported Ford FG, so expect even bigger performances from him this season.
Round One will be supported by last season’s major sponsor, UDC Finance. Yokohama also continues to support the utes in so many ways, including providing a set of Yokohama tyres to one lucky driver each round, with Glen Collinson being the latest winner of the lucky draw.
This will be a big boost in helping Glen defend his title against the high-flying new talents and past champions, including Brad Kroef, along with proven race-winners, including Phill Ross, series veteran Simon Ussher and many others.
Feilding locals will be able to get up close and personal with the V8 utes in the town square on the Friday night, October 24th, as they join a convoy of race cars from all the weekend’s categories.
This free event will be a great initiative to promote Octoberfast – and NZ motor racing in general.
Lining up on the grid just behind the V8 Utes will be the ‘NZ Six’ sedans. This category sees 6-cylinder Commodores and Falcons competing in an affordable, grassroots category designed for close racing while also nurturing up-and-coming talent.
What NZ Sixes and V8 Utes also have in common is that both are strictly controlled categories in terms of weight and power output, ensuring close, competitive racing, favouring drivers with the smartest playbooks rather than the biggest chequebooks.
With two configurations of Falcons and Commodores on track across two categories, they’re keeping alive the classic Ford vs Holden rivalry that has been a staple of motor racing on both sides of the Tasman for decades.
The NZV8 Utes 2025-26 season spans three racing circuits over six months. After the Manfeild season opener, they head to Hampton Downs in November ’25, then again in March ’26, followed by Taupo in late March, then again in April ’26, wrapping up with a season finale at Hampton Downs in May.
Manfeild’s Octoberfast weekend officially kicks off on Friday, the 24th, with practice for the V8 Utes. Qualifying is Saturday Morning, then Race One in the afternoon, with the final races on Sunday. Buckle up, Octoberfast is coming.
Header Image: Dillon Photography
