All of the Kiwi drivers entered in the two AEC rounds in New Zealand - the Highlands 501 from November 10-12 is the season finale - will be eligible for the inaugural NZ 1001 trophy which will be awarded to the driver with the most combined points from the two events.
"We were hoping for a few more Kiwi entries," says Tony Quinn, the owner of Hampton Downs and the Australian GT Championship. "Some cars and drivers that were hoping to make it had to pull the pin in the last week or so and some of the Australian teams haven't made the trip this year."
"The risk that you run by having an event at the end of the year is that some cars are in various states of disrepair. Some of the drivers are dealing with budget constraints. Others haven't had a great start to the season, so it's understandable why some of the Aussies haven't made the trip across the Tasman. I'm still really looking forward to what should be a great weekend of racing."
It's shaping up to be a busy weekend at Hampton Downs with big fields for the two support categories, Central Muscle Cars and the Ssangyong Racing Series which will be making its debut on the Hampton Downs circuit.
The Fast & Furious Racing format will also make its debut at Hampton Downs this weekend. Fifteen cars have been confirmed for the inaugural event including a Lotus, McLaren and a Crawford DP. Fast & Furious Racing has been called the Twenty20 of motorsport with the focus on short, sharp sprint races.
Qualifying for the Laser Plumbing & Electrical Hampton Downs 500 starts on Saturday with live coverage of the Top 10 Shootout from 2 pm.