Jack Hawkeswood has held off a charging Robbie Stokes to claim his first ever win in the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship at Rally Otago on Sunday. Hawkeswood completed a start-to-finish win in his Force Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris and becomes the first second generation driver in history to win a round of the championship, following in the footsteps of father Andrew, who won the championship in 2017 and a pair of rallies in 2004. It was also the first time Toyota has won a round of the championship since 1984 when Paul Adams and Jim Scott won the Tokoroa Rally. Stokes ..read more

This weekend the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS gets back underway with the second round taking place at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria, Australia. Kiwi drivers Brendon Leitch and Tim Miles will compete in a Melbourne Performance Centre-prepared Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2. “I’m excited,” said Leitch. “I think that we have the speed but until we get underway, we will be a bit unsure of how quick we are.” Leitch has returned to base himself in Australia after a number of seasons competing throughout Europe and Asia and brings to the team plenty of experience i ..read more

Winning last year’s ROKiT British F4 Certified by FIA title not only marked Louis Sharp’s card as one of the world’s hottest young motorsport prospects but also fuelled his progress Grand Prix stardom. The prizes for winning the F4 Championship – won by Lando Norris in 2015 – includes three money-can’t-buy experiences with current F1 teams. Soon after lifting the coveted crown, Sharp enjoyed a day on the F1 simulator at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (photos below bottom) and later this year he will spend a Grand Prix weekend embedded in the McLaren Formula 1 Team at a European Grand Prix. Both ..read more

Mason Potter has dominated the penultimate round of both the NAPA Auto Parts 2024 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship (NZFF) and the 2023/24 Giltrap Group North Island Formula Ford Series (NIFF). Four races held at the Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in Feilding have produced some intense, close and clean single seater racing in which Potter emerged with two second placings and two race victories including winning the Morrie Smith Memorial Trophy. He now leads the NIFF and has jumped to fourth overall in the NZFF title fight. “Really happy with the weekend,” said Potter. “After a great (NIFF) ro ..read more

Nominations for elected positions within MotorSport New Zealand for the 77th Annual General Meeting closed on Monday, 1 April 2024. In total six elected positions were available at the upcoming AGM, to be held in Christchurch on 25 May 2024. On the board, the position of President of MotorSport New Zealand and one Board Member position were available, with one position on each of the Race, Rally, ClubSport and Historic Advisory Commissions also available. Member Clubs are eligible to submit nominations for elected positions as well as vote in any elections held at the AGM. Deborah Day, of Auck ..read more

Tipped by many to be a future Formula One star, Louis Sharp further endorsed his credentials with a sensational debut in the GB3 Championship at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend. Building on his title winning British F4 campaign in 2023, this season the young New Zealander has graduated to GB3 – the next logical step on the ladder towards F1. Despite now competing against older and far more experienced rivals from no fewer than 11 other nations all in evenly-matched 250bhp Tatuus MSV-022 single-seaters, the 16-year-old rising star wasted no time making his mark. Having been among the pacese ..read more

The highly competitive NAPA Auto Parts 2024 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship (NZFF) gets underway again as the penultimate round takes place this weekend. It’s been five years since the national series competed at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in Feilding, a track that offers some of the best Formula Ford racing in the country. Three drivers are in a head-for-head battle for both the overall and Class 1 national titles with just 75-points between them. With four races to be contested and a maximum of 302-points available, the event also doubles as the fifth and penultimate round of the 2023 ..read more

A quality field of 117 cars – the biggest field in four years – will start this year’s Central Machine Hire Otago Rally, to be based in Dunedin from April 12 to 14. The popular event is New Zealand’s traditional start to the rally season and once again qualifies as round one of the Asia-Pacific (APRC) and New Zealand Rally Championships. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the absence of 10-time Otago Rally winner Hayden Paddon, who is expected to announce his 2024 plans very shortly. However, his place will be taken by the super-quick Indian driver, Gaurav Gill. The three-time Asia-Pacific Rally ..read more

New Zealand’s most successful rally competitors, Hayden Paddon and John Kennard, have confirmed they will contest the 2024 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) in a bid to defend their ERC title which they won on their first attempt last year. Paddon knows he has a challenge ahead of him during the eight European rallies where he’ll be maintaining his long connection with Hyundai New Zealand, again driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally 2 car. “We’ve been working to confirm our return to the European Rally Championship over the New Zealand summer and I’m very pleased, that with the support of BRC Raci ..read more

A three-way battle is looming for the overall 2023/24 Giltrap Group North Island Formula Ford Series title after the fourth round was held at the Legends of Speed meeting at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park over the weekend. Sitting third placed heading into the round, a win and two third placings has seen Blake Dowdall jump into the lead, a narrow one-point ahead of Dylan Grant (Van Diemen RF03) with Zach Blinco four-points further back. With two rounds remaining, the series has a real fight on its hands. “I’m stoked about it,” commented Dowdall. “Luck went our way this weekend. It was a little ..read more