26–27 January Motor Cup — the best of both single-seater worlds, Hampton Downs

The New Zealand Motor Cup is one of the country’s oldest and most important sporting trophies. It has names on it that motor sport events all over the world — including most of the Grand Prix events — would just love on their own silverware.

Bruce Mclaren, Chris Amon, Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham, John Surtees, Stirling Moss, Keke Rosberg, and Kenny Smith are just some of the names adorning the trophy, and it’s one that the young guns want to win. The event will be fiercely fought and will provide unmissable action.

Once again, the fantastic Toyota Racing Series cars and drivers will compete for round honours and for the feature race of the weekend, the New Zealand Motor Cup, which could see their name join the list of legends on the fabulous trophy. It’ll be game on for the Formula 1 stars of tomorrow as they duke it out around the challenges of the north Waikato track.

Joining them for the weekend in their only visit to Hampton Downs over the summer season will be the Formula 5000 cars of the Tasman Revival series. These monsters of the past wow the crowds wherever they go with their noise, speed, and presence on track, and they are always spectacular around the Hampton Downs track. Watch legend Kenny Smith take on a field of these awesome machines as if you were back in the 1970s.

And that’s not all when it comes to this great motor sport event for single-seaters. The slipstreaming, all-action Formula First cars are included, along with the Historic Formula Ford, and the anythinggoes Formula Libre field, which traditionally produces some remarkably close racing.

As well as the open-wheelers, there’s the two grids of the Tradezone GTRNZ series featuring 746kw monsters and a selection of cars that will probably be among the very fastest around the track this weekend. And, if rotaries are your thing, a big field of screaming rotary-powered RX-7 and RX-8 machines is on the agenda, courtesy of the Nexen Tyre Pro 7 Mazda Racing series.

In addition, the massive muscle power of the bornagain Tranzam series will be on display, and there’ll be some of the all-time classics racing in the Historic Touring Cars class.

Contact Chris at chris@grandprix.org.nz or on 027 482 7542 for further details.