The Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series heads to Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in Feilding this weekend for the fourth and final round of their New Zealand Championship and Round 4 of their North Island Championship which is the penultimate round of that series.
Prebbleton driver, Chris White, having already wrapped up the South Island title leads the points in both championships as they come to the Manawatu but one thing that the series has produced this year is spectacular racing and several drivers have shown the ability to take the battle to White at the front of the field. One of those is Auckland driver, Warren Crowther who sits second in both the National and North Island points and is fresh from a round win last time out at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in North Waikato.
Ex-pat South African, Stiaan Kriel of Auckland, currently third in the National Championship, has also raced well since arriving in the series while young Timaru rookie Will Kitching has been right amongst the action as well and sits fourth in the points. Aucklanders Sam Dashfield and Karl Gaines plus Wellington driver Stu Lawton have had some good results in the national series while young South Island rookies, Arthur Broughan of Tuamarina and Mac Templeton of Prebbleton, have shown great speed since joining the fray.
Aucklanders Leo Bult, Nigel Edger and Steve Brown are drivers who are prominent in the North Island Championship and will line up this weekend.
The Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series competitors will take part in two fifteen-minute test sessions on Friday before a fifteen-minute qualifying session late on Friday afternoon. Competitors face a ten-lap race from a grid based on qualifying times on Saturday morning before their second race later in the day over twelve laps with the top ten on the grid established from the reverse order of the opening race. On Sunday morning, the final race of the round, with a grid based on points, takes place over ten laps.
The weekend will confirm the New Zealand Champion while setting the scene as to how the final round of the North Island Championship might play out in May. In addition, Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand and the Nexen Tyre Mazda Racing Series have teamed up to offer the top Under 25 and Master in the entire Nexen Tyre Mazda Racing Series a test in the new Toyota GR86 Championship car. That will be decided after the final round of the North Island Championship back at Hampton Downs during May.
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