Hot competition at Hampton Downs - Motorsport Recap

Despite a number of fast drivers joining for this round, Giltrap Motorsport drivers Marco Giltrap and William Exton came to the Waikato hoping to replicate the heroics that earned them a clean sweep in Taupo. The pair started strong by taking pole position in the Open and GT4 classes.

Exton opened the weekend with a GT4 class win in the first race, with Giltrap also taking to the podium after what would become a weekend-long battle with Joel Giddy and Paul Pedersen in a pair of Mercedes-AMG GT2 cars.

Giltrap was able to take the advantage over the Mercs in the second race and return to the top step of the podium. There was plenty of drama for the McLaren of Exton though, who returned to the pits after lap one to have bodywork secured after contact with another car - but the 19 year-old was still able to fight his way to a P5 finish.

The weekend finale saw Exton take his second win of the weekend, with Giltrap taking to the podium in P3 – enough for both drivers to secure round wins in their classes. Marco Giltrap also leaves Hampton downs with a considerable lead of 174 points in the Porsche Endurance Trophy Junior Pro class.

Over in the United States, newly minted teammates Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin took to the iconic Daytona International Speedway Road course for the Roar Before the 24, a full weekend test session precluding the Rolex 24 at Daytona – one of the most prestigious endurance races in the world.

The pair of Kiwi ex-rivals finished the weekend with the ninth fastest time in the GTD Pro class.