All you need to know: Super Sprint Round One

Round one of the Super Sprint Motorsport NZ Championship gets underway over the weekend of January 13 to 15, so here’s everything you need to know if you’re heading along to the venue at Highlands Motorsport Park or watching from home.

There will be a variety of classes to cheer on including the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship, Toyota 86 Championship, GT New Zealand, and Pirelli Porsche Series.

Racing will be televised live on Sky Sport in New Zealand and Fox Sports in Australia on both the Saturday and Sunday, with TV3 airing the Sunday afternoon race programme.

Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship

The weekend’s main focus will be on the Toyota Formula Regional which will see 14 drivers from across the world, including an abundance of Kiwi talent, get behind the wheel to battle it out over three races this weekend.

Among the New Zealanders are Callum Hedge, James Penrose, Breanna Morris and Liam Sceats who will be looking to start the five round season off well.

Track action starts on Friday for practice, while qualifying begins on Saturday along with the first race later that day. Sunday will see drivers contest two races, including the weekend’s Dorothy Smith Memorial Cup feature race.

Toyota 86 Championship

The 2023 Toyota 86 Championship marks its tenth anniversary this year in which we have been promised some thrilling racing.

Names like Brock Gilchrist, Dion Pitt and Christina Orr-West stand out following their strong performance at the non-championship Pukekohe round last year.

The first round will see 18 drivers take to the track on Friday for practice, while qualifying will get under way on Saturday before the first race in the afternoon. Sunday morning will see the second race commence before the afternoon’s feature race.

GT New Zealand

The 2023 season of the GT New Zealand Championship will kick off at Highlands Motorsport Park this weekend, featuring a field of six different manufacturers including Porsche, Ginetta, Aston Martin, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes-Benz.

Each of the 23 entries will use Friday for practice while qualifying gets underway on Saturday before a 60-minute race that afternoon. There will be two 30-minute races on Sunday.

Pirelli Porsche Series

From Boxters to a 991.2 GT3 Cup car, 28 Porsches will take to Highlands Motorsport Park in the opening round of the Pirelli Porsche Series.

Qualifying will be held on Saturday morning before two races later on that day. Another race will take place on Sunday morning, preceding the 30-minute enduro in the afternoon.

Event Schedule

Friday, January 13:

Saturday, January 14:

Sunday, January 15:

Spectator Information

Tickets for the event cost $40 for a Day Pass or $60 for a Weekend Pass and can be purchased on the day or online. However, prices are expected to go up at the gate on the days of racing.

• Parking
  • General Admission parking is the large grass area prior to the pits and in the car park by the museum entry.
  • Overflow parking will be on Cemetery Road. Highlands will be offering a complimentary shuttle from the parking area to the main gates.  
• Food and Beverages
  • There will be food vendors on site located near the main National Motorsport Museum building.
• Weather
  • The weather forecast for the weekend predicts it will be sunny with some clouds with little to no rain predicted.
  • It’ll be a scorcher though with temperatures tipped to hit 28C degrees on the Sunday.
• What to wear
  • Sunscreen and a hat will be essential in unshaded areas.
• Toilets
  • Toilets can be found near the main National Motorsport Museum building, the go kart track and near the motorhome park viewing area on the far side of the circuit.
• Track Map
  • A track map and key can be found below.

_{Main image: Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ}