Champion crowned and history made at 69th Running of the New Zealand Grand Prix

History was made, and a champion crowned as the 69th Running of the New Zealand Grand Prix took centre stage at Round 6 of the NextGen New Zealand Championship at Highlands Motorsport Park.

Supercars champion Will Brown became the first Australian to win the New Zealand Grand Prix since 1975, leading home breakthrough Kiwi talent Zack Scoular and Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad to win the famed race.

For Scoular, second place caps off a superb season that culminated with him winning the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title at Teretonga last weekend with a round to spare.

Lindblad, meanwhile, wrapped up the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship (CTFROC) title on Saturday afternoon with two races in hand.

“The NZ Grand Prix weekend once again proved why this event is such an important part of New Zealand’s motorsport legacy,” said NextGen New Zealand Championship CEO Josie Spillane. “The passion, skill, and dedication from all the teams and drivers have made this an event to remember.

“Motorsport is in great hands with the talent we have coming through this series. Every driver on the grid has shown their potential, and we’re proud to be part of their journey.

“The level of competition this year has been remarkable, with drivers pushing each other to new heights. We are seeing the future unfold before our eyes, and it’s incredibly exciting.

“To win the NZ Grand Prix is to join a list of legends, and Will delivered a performance worthy of that legacy. He showed immense skill, composure, and racecraft to take the victory, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for him.

“Also, a huge congratulations to Arvid on an outstanding campaign and a well-deserved Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship title. He has shown incredible skill, consistency, and determination throughout the season, and this title is a testament to his hard work.”

Australia’s Patrick Heuzenroeder was untouchable in Saturday’s CTFROC race, securing victory by over six seconds.

Lindblad’s second-place finish was enough to secure him the overall title.

There was chaos at the start of Race 2, where a multi-car incident forced Lindblad into the barriers, sustaining significant damage. The same crash also ended the races of Michael Shin and Heuzenroeder while Brown and Broc Feeney scrambled to avoid further contact, the former losing his front wing.

Nikita Johnson took advantage, claiming victory ahead of Brazil’s Nicholas Monteiro and American driver Shawn Rashid.

For the Grand Prix, Feeney had secured pole position in his first-ever Toyota FT60 qualifying session on Saturday morning, with Brown alongside. Due to his earlier crash, Lindblad was forced to switch to a spare car for Sunday afternoon’s race.

Brown got off to a flyer, while Feeney fell into grasps of Scoular and Shawn Rashid, dropping to fourth by the end of Lap 1.

An early safety car was needed after Enzo Yeh made contact with James Lawley, and Brown led the field back to green to start Lap 6.

The Supercars champion bolted at the front, closely pursued by Scoular, with Lindblad soon moving into third and chasing down the leaders. The front three put a large gap on the field, Brown holding on for the win.

The Bridgestone GR86 Championship continued to thrill, with Josh Bethune emerging as the round winner ahead of championship leader Hayden Bakkerus and contender Hugo Allan.

Allan rebounded from a tough Teretonga round by winning the opening race ahead of Bakkerus. Bethune then secured his long-awaited first win of the season in Race 2, finishing ahead of Zach Blincoe and Bakkerus, who both benefited when Simon Hunter was heartbreakingly denied second place after running out of fuel on the final lap. Bethune held off Bakkerus in the final race, while Allan followed in third, keeping his championship hopes alive.

The Summerset GT New Zealand Championship began with a one-hour race on Saturday, won by junior-pro competitor Marco Giltrap in a Porsche 992. The Open Class podium featured Rick Armstrong (Porsche 992), Luke Manson (Porsche 992), and Joel Giddy (Mercedes-AMG GT2), with Armstrong reclaiming the championship lead.

Giltrap continued his winning ways in Sunday’s first 30-minute race, while Armstrong claimed the Open Class victory from Giddy and Manson.

A round sweep followed for Giltrap, who led Armstrong, Manson, and Giddy home on Sunday afternoon.

In the GT4 class, leader William Exton triumphed in Race 1 in a McLaren Artura, edging out the Toyota Supra GT4 Evos of Ayrton Hodson and the Kaleb Ngatoa-Allan Sargeant duo.

Hodson, who is set to compete in Super2 in 2025, edged out Exton for Race 2 victory, with James Sax rounding out the podium in a Mercedes-AMG GT4.

Exton was back to winning ways in Race 3, heading the Supra of Sargeant and Ngatoa and the Mercedes of Sax.

Will Kitching continued his strong start to the season in the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing National Series, winning all three races.

He finished ahead of Mac Templeton and Stuart Lawton in the opener, Dalan Price and Matthew Dodd in Race 2, and Lawton and James Black in the finale.

Blake Dowdall continued his strong form in the Napa Auto Parts New Zealand Formula Ford Championship, winning Race 1 ahead of Australian visitor Lincoln Taylor. Will Neale’s third-place finish secured him the South Island title.

Taylor took Race 2 victory, finishing ahead of Dowdall and James Penrose.

Race 3 provided a thrilling conclusion, with Neale emerging victorious over Taylor and Dowdall. However, post-race penalties for track limits violations dropped Taylor and Dowdall to third and fourth, respectively, promoting Dylan Grant to second.

Over two dozen Porsches competed across five Pirelli Porsche Race Series classes. Race 1 overall saw Garry Derrick take victory in a Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup, followed by Vin Schelp in a 997 Cup S and Brian Scott in a 991.2 Cup. Derrick repeated his success in Race 2, leading Daniel Angus and Brian Scott.

Scott won a dramatic 30-minute finale from the 944 S2 of Daniel Gross and the Boxster 2.5 of Jacob Bellamy.

Of the Boxsters, Steven Fang won both Race 1 and Race 2 ahead of Iain Hill and Chris Taylor.

Bellamy’s overall podium in the final outing saw him as the first Boxster home ahead of Fang and Chris Taylor.

The 2024/25 NextGen New Zealand Championship, presented by Repco, concludes with the Dayle ITM Hampton Downs International on March 21-23, where more exhilarating racing action awaits.