Motorsport Preview: Night racing in Sydney, a nail biter in London and Crocs in America?

Giltrap, Murphy and Stichbury in Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge

A massive field of 31 cars will tackle the third round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia Series at Sydney Motorsport Park next week and three young Kiwis dominate the front end of the field.

One of the most broadly competitive grids assembled in series history, the field includes 13 drivers in each the Pro and Pro / Am classes – a record since the introduction of the current class structure. A further 5 drivers will contest the Group B category.

The series heads to Sydney Motorsport Park with Marco Giltrap leading the standings following victories in the first two rounds, at Phillip Island and Symmons Plains, respectively. Hot on Giltrap’s heals is countryman Ronan Murphy and another young Kiwi, Zac Stichbury, is in fourth place.

He leads Ronan Murphy in the series standings, the second-generation racer fresh from his first race win on Aussie soil last time out in Tasmania.

The series hits the track for the first time at 11:35am (NZ Time) on Friday, July 28 for practice one, followed by the second session at 12:30pm.

The grid will be set at 4:40pm that afternoon with the three races spread across Saturday and Sunday.

Race one will be run under lights at 8:25pm on Saturday evening as the lead-in act to the Supercars Championship race that evening.

Races two and three will start at 12:00pm and 3:35pm respectively on Sunday. All three races will be broadcast live on Sky Sports NZ.

Pressure cooker for Evans and Cassidy in nail biting final round of Formula E in London

Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has been an incredibly competitive thanks to the introduction of the third generation GEN3 race car, which is the fastest, lightest, most powerful, and efficient Formula E car to date.

Throughout the season, four drivers have been battling for supremacy on both established and new circuits and Kiwis Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy have been in that mix. Brit, Jake Dennis currently holds a significant lead in the standings with nine podium finishes, but either Cassidy or Evans could still pull off a championship upset but it would require Dennis to have a near pointless round. As they say, it’s not over till its over and none of that front pack will be pulling any punches.

The championship lead has been tight between Cassidy, Dennis, and Germany’s Pascal Wehrlein throughout the second half of the season. However, in the final race before the London finale, Evans secured an impressive win in Rome, but the Jaguar TCS Racing car of Evans had a catastrophic rear brake lock up and he and Cassidy collided, losing crucial points for both in the championship battle. The heartbreaking issue was a consistent issue with both Jaguar TCS Racing cars in Rome and Evan’s teammate, Sam Bird also crashed out spectacularly due to the problem.

The first qualifying session airs 11.30 pm on Saturday (NZ Time), with race coverage starting 3.30 am on Sky Sport. That timing is replicated the following day for the season finale at 3.30 am on Monday.

Supercars at Sydney Super Nights

The Sydney Supernight event this weekend promises to be a spectacle as always, not only because V8 Supercars at night are something pretty special, but with some very close racing and a very tight-knit fight for the championship, it’s going to be a good one.

With flaming exhausts and glowing brake discs, Kiwi legend, Shane van Gisbergen will be looking to improve on his fourth place in the championship.

Van Gisbergen has had a frustrating Supercars season in 2023, he and the new Gen 3 car don’t seem to be getting along, nevertheless he is still just 71 points shy from the Championship lead. Coca Cola Erebus driver and Championship leader, Brodie Kostecki, might as well have a target on the back of his car.

That rivalry will also play out on US Soil as both SVG and Kostecki are confirmed starters for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, at the Indianapolis Road Course on August 13.

Kiwi Supercars rookie, Matthew Payne will also be having his first taste of Supercars under lights this weekend, Payne’s first season in Supercars driving for Penrite Racing has been full of learning. The former Karting champion has managed more than one top ten finish championship ahead of veteran James Courtney, more importantly, he’s driven cleanly all season as he settles into the challenge of Supercars. He sits 18^th in the championship, just 2 places behind one of the series stars, Anton De Pasquale, and ahead of veteran drivers James Courtney and Nick Percat. Here’s hoping Payne’s race craft translates to a strong showing at the night race.

New Jibbitz for Callum Hedge in New Jersey?

While the on-track talent of rising star, Callum Hedge is unquestionable, his fashion sense could warrant greater scrutiny.

As the 20-year-old heads into another round of the Formula Regional Americas open wheel championship at the top of the leaderboard, he’s revealed an unusual motivation for race wins this season.

Hedge will receive a chequered flag Jibbitz charm to apply to his Crocs footwear for each race win he racks up in 2023.

Jibbitz are an increasingly popular Croc’s brand charm, that fit into the holes on each pair of the shoe.

Hedge’s Manager, Steve Horne, and his wife, Christine, found the chequered flag Jibbitz while travelling, so present a new charm to Callum after each race win.

“Crocs are the best shoes you can buy, they’re like walking on a cloud,” said Hedge.

A successful brand partnership in the making perhaps!?

Hedge leads the Formula Regional Americas series by 25 points after 9 rounds. Like other Formula Regional development series around the world, including our own Toyota-run series in New Zealand, the category is a breeding ground for the next top tier of open wheel athletes.

Hopefully Hedge’s track performance will be turning as many heads Stateside as his choice of footwear.

Watch Formula Regional Americas on Youtube