Everything from classic Minis to GT3s is on the cards for our Kiwi international stars this weekend.
Brendon Hartley is at the famous Goodwood revival meeting. He is racing a 1965 Austin Mini Cooper against some of the world’s biggest stars.
Scott Dixon needs a big result this weekend at Laguna Seca for the penultimate round of the 2021 IndyCar series.
Fresh off back-to-back wins in Austria, Liam Lawson is hoping to continue his recent dominance in DTM as he heads to the Assen TT circuit.
And Brendon Leitch is at Hockenheim in the Leipert Lamborghini Huracan for the GTC championship.
Brendon Hartley
- What: John Whitmore Trophy
- Where: Goodwood circuit, UK
- When: SAT 10.50 pm
- How to follow: YouTube Live Stream
From the hybrid power of a Le Mans Hypercar down to the raw mechanical grip of a 1960s Austin Mini Cooper, this weekend is a sure change of pace for Brendon Hartley.
The Kiwi is part of a star-studded line-up contesting for the John Whitmore Trophy.
Ex-Formula 1 stars, fellow Le Mans winners and even AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson are getting in on the action.
The 45-minute endurance race will be a highlight for this year’s revival, which celebrates 60 years of Mini Cooper.
Thirty classic Mini Coopers have entered the race.
Minis aren’t overly foreign for the Hartley clan.
Brendon’s father Bryan used to spend his weekends racing Mini Sevens.
Bryan and Hartley’s brother Nelson have also taken a 1964 Mini over to the United States to set land speed records on the Bonneville salt flats.
Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin
- What: IndyCar
- Where: Laguna Seca, United States
- When: MON 7 am
- How to follow: Sky Sport
It is now or never for Scott Dixon if he is to win this year’s IndyCar championship.
The Chip Ganassi racer is fourth in the standings with two races remaining.
The points situation between the front runners is intense, and Dixon is only 49 points behind leader Alex Palou.
However, with this year’s season drawing to a close next weekend, Dixon needs two big results to give his title challenge the leg-up it needs.
Fortunately, he has often gone well at Laguna Seca.
He finished third here when IndyCar returned to the venue in 2019, and before that he finished fourth and sixth in his CART days.
Meanwhile, Scott McLaughlin can put one hand firmly on the Rookie of the Year prize this weekend.
He arrives at a circuit he has previously tested at, meaning he can focus on speed instead of learning a new track.
Liam Lawson
- What: DTM
- Where: TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands
- When: R1 SAT 11.30 pm | R2 SUN 11.30 pm
- How to follow: YouTube Live Stream
TT Circuit Assen perhaps is more familiar to those who enjoy racing on two wheels instead of four.
The Cathedral of motorcycle racing has been a regular fixture on the MotoGP calendar since the world championship launched in 1949.
However, it has often played host to car racing as well.
Slight tweaks to the back straight do little to remove the technicality that is Assen.
This weekend is the third time the circuit has had DTM racing after the series debuted here in 2019.
Liam Lawson was the man to beat last time out in Austria, something nobody could do as he claimed back-to-back wins.
He has surged squarely back into title contention. He will be eager to carry forward his momentum from last time into this weekend.
Brendon Leitch
- What: GTC
- Where: Hockenheim, Germany
- When: Goodyear 60 SUN 1 am | GTC R1 SUN 8.50 pm | GTC R2 MON 12.10 am
- How to follow: YouTube Live Stream
Earlier this month, Brendon Leitch was announced as the first driver confirmed to be a part of Leipert’s 2022 GT World Challenge Europe endurance campaign.
The news locks in Leitch’s commitments for next year, and he will have a few more hit-outs in the team’s Lamborghini Huracan between now and then.
The first of those comes this weekend with the GTC field at Hockenheim.
There are three races over the weekend.
The Goodyear 60 is a one-hour endurance race with a compulsory pitstop. The following two GTC sprint races are 30 minutes and have no pitstop.
Leitch steered the raging yellow bull to a podium finish at Hockenheim in a 12 Hour race in May. So, expect to see him immediately on the pace.
All the races are available live on the GTC website and the GTC YouTube channel.
