Kiwis excel around the world: Your week in motorsport

Giltrap and van der Drift go two from two at Shanghai

Marco Giltrap and Chris van der Drift have continued their commanding performance in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia series at Shanghai this week. Having won all but two races, the driver pairing had already locked in the championship with two rounds to spare and headed to China without the same pressure but with every intention of asserting some dominance, and they did so convincingly. Giltrap laid down a sensational qualifying lap for the first race and stayed out front before handing over to van der Drift at the mandatory driver change, who extended Giltrap’s lead. John Cecotto was caught behind amateur drivers in the final stint of the race but set about reclaiming time to finish second. Another Pole Position start for race 2, this time with van der Drift at the wheel and again leading the field before handing over to Giltrap, who crossed the line to make it 8 out of 10 races. The season concludes on November 16, not in Asia but at Vallelunga circuit, Italy.

Hartley second at 6 Hours of Fuji

It was a dream 1-2 finish for Toyota Gazoo Racing at a home event on the World Endurance Racing calendar, with the No. 7 Toyota, driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez, and Mike Conway, winning the 6 Hours of Fuji, followed by the No. 8 sister car of Kiwi Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi, and Ryo Hirakawa, 39 seconds behind. Hartley’s friend and fellow multi-Le Mans-winning Kiwi, Earl Bamber, had a challenging race with various issues to finish up 10th in the Cadillac Racing Entry with teammates Alexander Lynn and Richard Westbrook. The event drew a record crowd of 54,700 fans, making it the most attended Japanese round of the WEC. Porsche Penske Motorsport finished third with their No. 6 Porsche, while Ferrari AF Corse rounded out the top 5. The final round of the 2023 FIA WEC season will be the 8 Hours of Bahrain, scheduled for the beginning of November in the Middle East.

Marcus Armstrong secures Rookie of the Year and a full-time Indy Car seat with Chip Ganassi Racing

Marcus Armstrong has been a standout Rookie performer in his first season of IndyCar, racing only on the street circuits. The Christchurch native has achieved multiple top ten finishes, and wrapping up the IndyCar Rookie of the Year competition this weekend has more than proven he deserves a full-time seat next year. And what a seat to secure, with the Championship-winning Chip Ganassi Racing team. Armstrong will again be Scott Dixon’s teammate and will contest all rounds of the 2024 season, including ovals, which will be a whole new test for Armstrong. He will also be racing in the Indy 500.

McElrea second in IndyCar NXT Championship after a win and P2 at Laguna Seca

Hunter McElrea has secured second place in the IndyCar NXT Championship following a commanding lights-to-flag victory in the penultimate race of the 2023 season at Laguna Seca, following up with a second place behind the championship-winning Christian Rasmussen. McElrea, driving for Andretti Autosport, clinched pole position with a best lap of 1:12.3117 in the first race and went quicker again in qualifying for the final race with a time of 1:11.8420, but Rasmussen just pipped him. Come race time, McElrea was unstoppable with a commanding lights-to-flag victory in the first race.

Rasmussen kept up the pressure after multiple restarts, staying within half a second of the lead. The race ultimately ended under a Safety Car due to a crash between Jamie Chadwick and Nolan Siegel on the penultimate lap. "What a crazy race. I was driving at 90 percent and built a six-second lead. The car was phenomenal. The restarts weren't easy, but I knew we had the speed. I just have to win two races and hope for the best," McElrea said, delighted with the result. Rasmussen only needed to roll over the start line in the final race to secure the NXT championship, but he finished the season in style, converting the pole position to a win over a hard-chasing McElrea.

McElrea has been a strong and consistent performer for Andretti Autosports all year, with multiple race wins and podiums. Focused on securing an IndyCar opportunity for next year, McElrea is now meeting with teams to discuss potential options for 2024, but it isn’t an easy road, and the budget required to open doors in the main game is a significant hurdle to overcome. But with investor support, there may still be a chance at a partial drive, similar to Kiwi Marcus Armstrong’s introductory season.

Dixon wins crazy race to end the IndyCar 2023 season

It was full-on action from the first lap at Laguna Seca in the final Indy car race of the year. A bunch of cars came together at turn two, triggering a reshuffle of the racing order, penalties, and pit repairs. All three Kiwis – Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, and Marcus Armstrong – were caught up. McLaughlin, who had qualified in P2, was collected from behind and speared off the track, creating a melee behind. Upon restart, it was looking like a tough battle ahead for the Kiwis, and at some point in the early stages of the race, all three were impeded, none more so than McLaughlin, who was frustratingly served several penalties that were largely out of his hands. Dixon had already been hit with a starting grid penalty for an engine change but was also served a race penalty after lap one, leaving him at the rear of the field and fuming.

However, in a race with so many race cautions, the Honda safety car actually needed to refuel, making strategy more and more critical. That allowed Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing team to initiate a strategy that miraculously saw Dixon claw his way back to third and his rookie teammate, Marcus Armstrong, move all the way up to second, with every safety car lap offering the duo more fuel savings for a sprint to the finish. Armstrong unfortunately got caught in a bunch-up on yet another restart and spun, falling back down the grid, but managed to stay on the lead lap. Dixon and McLaughlin were on the same strategy in the final stint and didn’t require a pit stop heading into lap 75 of 95. The 7th safety car of the race saw Dixon pounce. The Iceman picked off 5 drivers in less than a lap to move into second behind Romain Grosjean.

And another safety car period was triggered; Grosjean needed to pit, and Dixon moved into the lead. McLaughlin also moved through the field from 7th with ease to fall into second behind Dixon. Armstrong moved from 14th up to 9th. From there, Dixon just blew the field away, stretching his lead out to nearly 7 seconds over McLaughlin in the final sprint. McLaughlin was also extending his lead over the following Alex Palou in third, and Armstrong was in a grudge match with fellow Rookie, Augustine Canapino, the Kiwi overtaking his rival to lock in top Rookie honours for the year. Dixon drove what can only be described as a masterful race for a win that left his competitors scratching their heads as to how the Kiwi does it.

And here’s the kicker: after 19 years of IndyCars, it’s Dixon’s first win at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit. “I certainly didn’t agree with the [penalty] call earlier in the race. I had nowhere to go, so I don’t know what they thought I did wrong. But, we won. That’s all that matters,” said Dixon following the race. McLaughlin was second, and Armstrong was eighth.