It’s Bathurst weekend. With that, we’re brought a wide range of support series, Kiwis featuring in both the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia and the Dunlop Super2 in addition to the Bathurst 1000.
We also won’t forget about Louis Sharp as he rounds out his season in British Formula 4 at Brand Hatch.
We’re not spoilt for choice at all over the next few days, the Japanese Grand Prix, although not featuring a Kiwi, in a prime-time slot of 6pm if you won’t be watching the end of The Great Race.
We have eight Kiwis on the grid in the 2022 Bathurst 1000, full-time drivers Shane van Gisbergen, Andre Heimgartner and Chris Pither joined by compatriots Jaxon Evans, Fabian Coulthard, Matt Payne and the wildcard entry of Richie Stanaway and Greg Murphy.
| Lead | Co-driver |
|---|---|
| Shane van Gisbergen | Garth Tander |
| Andre Heimgartner | Dale Wood |
| Chris Pither | Cameron Hill |
| Richie Stanaway | Greg Murphy |
| Jack Smith | Jaxon Evans |
| Chaz Mostert | Fabian Coulthard |
| Lee Holdsworth | Matt Payne |
We have a full summary on our Kiwis competing in the Bathurst 1000, whilst our “All you need to know: The 2022 Bathurst 1000″ article holds race information and a full schedule.
Having turned 20 on Monday, Payne currently sits third overall in his maiden Super2 season, claiming his first win in Round 2 in Perth, his other win coming at Sandown last time out.
It’s Declan Fraser who leads Super2, 150 points to the good over the Kiwi who sits third, Zak Best separating the duo.
It’s a tough Super2 field in 2022, eight drivers competing in the Bathurst 1000 showcasing the talent on hand. Six of those drivers are running double-duties, including Payne, Best and Fraser, whilst Matt Chada and Jaylyn Robotham will skip this round to focus on their Bathurst wildcard entry.
Three Kiwis will launch an assault on Bathurst in the Porsche Carrera Cup, Callum Hedge the best placed New Zealander in the series, currently sitting seventh.
It’s been a year of growth for the 18-year-old, his first win in the series coming in Townsville in July, a weekend which saw him podium in all three races. Since then he’s gone on to score a further two podiums, success at Bathurst a very real possibility.
Ryan Suhle is another one to watch, a consistent top 10 finisher who has been unlucky to not be on the podium this year. He continues to show growth in the series and a strong weekend would not come as a surprise.
Finally, New Zealand motorsport icon Tim Miles will compete in the Pro-AM class, currently sitting ninth in the field but third in the endurance standings.
Unlike previous rounds, the endurance race will come first up on Friday, with 15 laps of Mount Panorama, followed by a nine lap race on each of Saturday and Sunday.
Louis Sharp is a race winner at Silverstone. Not many Kiwis can say that, and it speaks to the calibre of the young New Zealander in his maiden British Formula 4 season.
That win came last time out in Race 1 at the iconic circuit, and is included in the 10 podiums the 15-year-old has achieved in the series this year.
Sharp currently sits fourth in the British Formula 4 standings, despite missing the first round because of his age, and a strong weekend here could see him finish in the top three of the championship.
The three races at Brands Hatch conclude the British Formula 4 season.
Only a week on from his famous WRC2 win in Rally New Zealand with John Kennard as co-driver, Paddon was quickly on the plane to Italy to compete in Rally Terra Sarda, this time with Jared Hudson in tow.
Paddon will be competing in a Hyundai R5 prepared by HMI – Italian Rally Team in a tarmac-dominant rally over 11 stages.
This will close in 8 seconds
