Young New Zealand karting champion Daniel Bray will be among the blue-bloods of motor racing when he lines up at next weekend's finale of the United States SuperPro championship.

Aucklander Bray will be competing for a spot on the grid with Germany's seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, Toro Rosso's Swiss driver Sebastian Buemi, and Brazil's Nelson Piquet Jr, a former Renault driver.

Bray, 22, who has been racing shifter (gearbox) karts in the US this year will be taking on a selection of current US and European champions in KZ2 class karts at Las Vegas.

"It's definitely a big meeting, so in terms of the top kart guys from here (the US) and Europe I had a fairly good idea of what to expect.

"But Michael Schumacher? Honestly, I don't know what to say. It's amazing, overwhelming, incredible."

New Zealand was one of the first countries outside Europe to go with the six-speed-gearbox-equipped, 125cc KZ2 class.

The fact that the SuperPro class is run to international KZ2 rules means that Bray is intimately familiar with the power and handling of the 40-plus horsepower karts and the grip levels from their spec tyre.

- NZPA