It’s another busy weekend ahead for our Kiwi contingent around the world, with the Indy season in the US starting to wrap up for another year with a full schedule in Portland. Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin compete in the penultimate IndyCar race of the year whilst Billy Frazer and Jacob Douglas conclude their 2022 USF2000 campaigns. Hunter McElrea will also be aiming to continue his good run of form, competing in the Indy Lights .
Liam Lawson and Marcus Armstrong will take to the Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands at the Dutch Grand Prix, whilst Hayden Paddon will take to the dirts and streets of Wales in Rali Ceredigion.
IndyCar this week takes to Portland International Raceway, with the field navigating 110 laps of the 12-turn, 1.96 mile long circuit.
With only two more race weekends to go until this years champion is crowned, this years championship has lived up to expectations and provided one of the closest fought battles for outright honours in history. Seven drivers, known as ‘The Championship Seven’, are still in with a chance to win this years title, with only 58 points separating leader Will Power to seventh place Pato O’Ward.
Kiwi’s Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin are both apart of the Championship Seven, with Dixon sitting in the higher-placed third, only 14 points off Power. McLaughlin, in comparison, is sixth, 54 point off top spot.
Both have found good form late in the season, with McLaughlin claiming a podium last race weekend in Illinois. The former Supercars star has also claimed two wins this season, including the season opener in St. Petersburg and again in July at Mid-Ohio. Dixon also has two victories, in both Toronto and, most recently, Nashville, where he held McLaughlin off for a Kiwi 1-2.
Joining IndyCar in Portland will be the Indy Lights, with Kiwi Hunter McElrea taking to the track.
McElrea currently sits third in the championship standings, only one point behind second place Australian Matthew Brabham.
Runaway championship leader Linus Lundqvist leads the duo by over 100 points and will be aiming for victory in the event, which will all but seal the title with two further races still to see out the season.
McElrea has impressed in 2022, claiming his maiden and second ever victories in back-to-back fashion. The first win came at Mid-Ohio in early July, with the next coming three weeks later in Iowa.
It’s a busy weekend in Portland as the USF2000 championship also comes to an end this weekend. The event will cover three races over the weekend, with young drivers Billy Frazer and Jacob Douglas flying the New Zealand flag.
Frazer, in his second season in the competition, has impressed with a number of podiums throughout the year. He sits in fifth place in the standings with a potential to finish as high as fourth should results go his way
In his rookie year, Douglas has also performed well and will be aiming to challenge for the top 10 in the championship come the conclusion of this weekend. He currently sits 12th in the standings coming into the event.
The F2 boys are back in action again this weekend at Zandvoort, with the usual format of qualifying followed by a sprint and then feature race.
A strong showing at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend saw Lawson claim victory in the sprint, followed by a third-place in the feature. The Kiwi now sits fifth in the championship and a good weekend will see him sit as high as third come Monday.
Armstrong was bettered by strategy in Belgium, managing only two points over the weekend. He has, however, claimed two sprint race victories, first in Imola and then in Austria. He sits 11th on the table, but a tight pack could see him jump to as high as sixth should other results go his way.
Hayden Paddon will take to the hills of Wales this weekend in his Hyundai i20 R5. Based in the coastal town of Aberystwyth, the event takes place over two days, with four stages on the Saturday afternoon and evening, and eight on Sunday.
Paddon heads into the event as third seed and will have fellow Kiwi Jared Hudson alongside as his co-driver. The event has attracted a number of contending Europeans, with drivers from the Motorsport UK British Rally Championship as well as crews from the FIA European Rally Trophy and Tour European Rally series.
