Homebound highs – offshore lows for Kiwi drivers. Your week in motorsport.

Paddon clinches seventh Rally of Whangarei win. Ben Hunt in second.

Hayden Paddon went into this weekend’s International Rally of Whangarei as the clear favourite, with no fewer than six past wins in the North. He was also the only full-time professional Kiwi rally driver contesting the event. Supercar legend Shane van Gisbergen piloted an Audi S1 AP4 for the first time, and consistent Skoda New Zealand Rally Team front runner Ben Hunt were the other two most likely challengers.

As predicted, Paddon stormed to victory, winning all stages. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen was plagued with an issue with the car’s power distribution module, creating a raft of issues. He had to retire early on day 1, but the team was able to get the vehicle running again for the Pohe Island Super Special stage, and SVG put on a great spectacle for the fans in attendance, driving to second on each run of the evening stage.

When running, the car was strong, with van Gisbergen and co-driver Glen Weston also grabbing the second fastest time on stage 13 on day 2, but the mechanical issues returned on SS14 and he was forced to call it a day.

The wet and slippery clay and mud suited Ben Hunt’s smooth driving style. While not as flamboyant to watch, he was consistently quick and kept a hard-charging Rana Horan, also in a Fabia R5, at bay to claim the second step on the podium.

Dixon first Kiwi home at Indianapolis road course

Kiwis had a bit of a mare in Indycars at the Indianapolis road course, with veteran driver Scott Dixon finishing top of the three Kiwi drivers crossing the line in 6th after both he and Scott McLaughlin were victims of contact on the opening lap. Dixon would recover remarkably from 16th to 6th. McLaughlin made a similar charge from 23rd, making it up to 11th, but as the tyres degraded, he would ultimately finish 16th.

Meanwhile, rookie Marcus Armstrong can take comfort in his 15th placing, having also been swept up in early race incidents not of his doing. Speaking with Marcus’s father, Rick, before he flew out to Indianapolis, he says Marcus is taking a measured approach to the season. “Indycars is not an easy category to be immediately quick in. Marcus is learning a lot and has the best in the business guiding him. Chip (Ganassi) has been impressed with how Marcus has been adapting,” Armstrong said.

In the IndyCar Lights feeder category, Kiwi up-and-comer Hunter McElrea claimed P4 but lamented not delivering a stronger finish. “Bit of a shame,” said McElrea. “The car was great and pace was mega! Just missed pole with a slight mistake yesterday and ended up starting 2nd. I was a sitting duck on the start, stuck with no tow on the outside front row, and dropped back in the pack before turn 1. On the bright side, nice little points haul for the big picture.” The Kiwi posted on social media.

Earl Bamber Motorsport - Reid Harker race at Thailand

Auckland Reid Harker and Co Driver, Setiawan Santoso, have come home in 12 for Race 1 of the GT World Challenge Asia held at Chang circuit in Thailand. Wet but drying conditions made for a challenging race setup and strategy, Harker driving cleanly to 11^th.

With full dry conditions, the Earl Bamber Motorsport team could extract more grip and speed from the Porsche 911 GT3 R Harker would climb from 15^th on the grid to as high as 7^th before pitting at the mid-way point. Santoso couldn’t maintain that track position however and the team would settle again for P12.

Jonny Reid and Sam Fillmore win Golden Homes North Island Endurance Series 3-Hour title

The duo were made to work for their spoils, however, with Paul and Ant Pedersen (Mercedes AMG GT3) keeping them busy throughout the race, the win never looking a certainty for either team.

It ultimately came down to a Reid and Ant Pedersen battle for the win, the former New Zealand A1GP driver running right behind the Mercedes for the entire middle portion of the race, setting the scene for a thrilling final hour.

It was only when Ant Pedersen dove into the pits as the race entered the final hour that Reid took the lead, which he retained after boxing the very next lap to cover Pedersen. Reid ultimately pulled away over the final half hour, taking the win by 17 seconds.

Glenn Smith and John De Veth (McLaren GT3 650S) finished on the podium once again, taking third following a late battle between themselves and the Audi R8 GT3 of Bill Riding and Steve Brooks. In that case it was De Veth who was able to power past Riding, ultimately taking third comfortably.