Pitstop: Hartley heads for Spain

New Zealand Super Licence holder and Red Bull development driver Brendon Hartley will contest the Formula Renault 3.5 finale at Motorland Aragon in Spain this weekend. Hartley made an impressive return to the class at the previous round at Nurburgring, Germany, by topping the superpole session and earning pole position for the feature race.

Weekend action in Taupo
The Independent Races Classes summer series roars into action at Taupo this weekend. The event features the third season of the NZV8 Ute championship and is supported by the Bridgestone Porsches, Sport Suzuki, SS 2000, Pro 7s, Formula First and Pre 65 Saloons. The new GTRNZ category has three separate classes of big, fast, radical saloons.

Innes to drive Mazda
Last season's Mini Challenge winner Craig Innes has been unable to organise a Porsche GT3 drive for the upcoming season and will now drive the ex-Gene Rollinson Mazda MPS3. He'll campaign the championship-winning car in the New Zealand Production Racing category at the opening round at Pukekohe on November 6-8.

24th MG classic
The Wellington MG Car Club hosts the Tasman Revival Formula 5000 single seaters at its 24th annual historic and classic race meeting at Manfeild Park on November 14-15. The event is the longest continuous running classic race event in New Zealand. As well as the F5000s, there will be 300 other cars competing in 35 races over two days, led by the Muscle Car races and 40-plus fields of classic sports and saloon cars.

Karting champs
New Zealand's top karters will be fighting it out over the weekend during the North and South Island championships in Palmerston North and Blenheim respectively. More than 120 karts will be at Palmerston North and more than 80 are set to compete in Blenheim. Nine class titles will be contested at the North Island meeting and six at the South Island meeting with the North Island meeting run over three days and the South Island one over two.

Offroaders hit final round
The Offroad Racing National Championship heads to Christchurch this weekend for the final round of the Asset Finance-sponsored series. Overall championship leader Dennis Andreassend faces the most competitive class one field of the year, with defending national champion Daniel Powell and top North Island racers ready to knock him off. Fifty cars are expected to make the starting line.