Without question, the biggest news in Motorsport this week was Shane van Gisbergen’s historic victory in NASCAR. But aside from that stellar drive, Kiwis elsewhere around the world also flew the flag with strong performances across multiple codes. ![](https://ik.imagekit.io/vyro/public/giltrap-articles/40a687f6da0753c05faf1f39d4e24d9486d5ac08a0fa0654a2f725aa147072e0.jpg)

SVG Takes to NASCAR Like a Duck to Water

Shane van Gisbergen has made NASCAR history becoming the first driver in 60 years to win on debut in the series. Read our race report here.

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Challenges at Spa for Kiwis, Leitch granbs Double Podiums

Kiwis faced numerous challenges at the Spa Francorchamps circuit during the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa this weekend. Racing alongside experienced competitors, Stephen and Brenton Grove and Anton de Pasquale, Kiwi Earl Bamber finished 15th in the Bronze Cup and 47th overall in the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) managed by Earl Bamber Motorsport. The car performed well throughout the grueling event.

Meanwhile, Brendon Leitch finished ninth in the Pro-Am category, racing the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO 2 of Leipert Racing with co-drivers Gerhard Watzinger, Kerong Li, and Jean-Francois Brunot. This result placed them 64th overall. However, the highlight for Leitch was his double podiums in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe championship. With two second-place finishes, Leitch moved into the lead of the Pro championship standings.

In the first race, Leitch finished behind the dual driver entry of Mattia Michelotto and Gilles Stadsbader, while in the second race, Leitch secured his position at the top of the standings by half a point, as Michelotto and Stadsbader finished 12th. The first race saw Michelotto leading from pole, with Loris Spinelli overtaking Thomas Laurent and Frederik Schandorff to take second place. Stadsbader managed to maintain the lead despite a penalty, securing the win. The second race was heavily affected by wet weather and incidents, resulting in no racing laps. Cedric Wauters won due to his pole position, while Leitch finished second. Although the race did not reach the required time for full points, Leitch's performance was enough to put him at the top of the drivers' leaderboard.

The ultimate victor of the event was ROWE Racing's BMW M4 GT3, completing 537 laps with an 11-second lead over Team WRT, which included Moto GP legend Valentino Rossi.

Sadly, a black cloud was cast over the weekend following a tragic accident in the Formula Regional class that took the life of 18-year-old Dutch driver Dilano van 't Hoff. The incident occurred in the same section that claimed French F2 driver Anthoine Hubert in 2019, leading many top names in Formula One, including countryman Max Verstappen, to call for a review of protocols around wet race conditions at Spa. Our thoughts are with van 't Hoff's loved ones.

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Hunter McElrea Scores Good Points, Iceman Dixon Shows Experience at Mid-Ohio

Hunter McElrea competed in the Mid-Ohio Indy NXT race on Monday morning (NZ Time) and secured valuable points with a fourth-place finish. Christian Rasmussen, who secured pole position in the final moments of qualifying, led the field at the start of the race, successfully fending off challenges from Louis Foster. During the race, Foster maintained pressure on Rasmussen and eventually made an impressive overtaking move around the outside of Turn 4, seizing the lead despite a significant lock-up and a flat-spotted tire.

A safety car intervention bunched up the field with four laps remaining. Kyffin Simpson took advantage of the situation, overtaking Rasmussen to claim second place. Despite Simpson's efforts, Foster maintained his position and crossed the finish line 0.7 seconds ahead of his closest rival. Rasmussen managed to hold off McElrea and secure third place.

McElrea currently sits just 2 points behind Christian Rasmussen in the Championship standings and 11 points behind the leader, Nolan Siegel.

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In the main Indycar race, the three Kiwis Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin, and Marcus Armstrong all qualified quite strongly, with Dixon in 6th, McLaughlin in 8th, and Armstrong as the top rookie in 18th.

During the race, Armstrong's extensive European open wheel racing experience proved beneficial on the undulating Mid-Ohio circuit, where precision and commitment are key. By lap 49 of the 80-lap race, Armstrong had moved into the top ten, drawing praise from the Indycar commentary team, not just for his Mid-Ohio performance, but for his strong and consistent performance throughout his rookie season.

McLaughlin worked his way into seventh place by the same point in the race. Although he was struggling for pace, he could easily maintain track position against Graham Rahal, who had dropped from his P2 starting position to 6th.

Scott Dixon, once again demonstrating why he is called the Iceman in Indycars, showcased his patience and racecraft. While the #9 car lacked qualifying and race pace, Dixon bridged the gap through strategic and fuel-saving manoeuvres. At the first pit stop, Dixon only required a small amount of fuel, dramatically reducing his time in the pit lane. This clever strategy, coupled with Dixon's execution, allowed him to emerge in P2. Although he moved down the order again on cold tires, he held onto third place in the second stint and replicated the same masterful strategy to claim P2 for the final run to the flag. In the last five laps, Dixon closed the gap on his teammate Alex Palou by 3 seconds. However, he settled for a Chip Ganassi 1-2 finish.

McLaughlin moved into P5, and Armstrong finished inside the top ten in P9.

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Van der Drift Remains in the Fight for Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Championship

Kiwi driver Chris van der Drift kept his battle for the Asia Porsche Carrera Cup alive at Suzuka this weekend. Midway through the championship, van der Drift drove two clean races, finishing P6 in the first race and P4 in the second race at the legendary circuit.

Van der Drift, who also competes in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Championship, currently sits 37 points behind championship leader Florian Latorre. There is a month's break before heading to the Chang International Circuit in Bangkok in August.