F1 pundit suggests Scott McLaughlin as option to join 2026 Cadillac team
Former F1 drivers Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher and Zhou Guanyu have been linked to
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NZ Herald
39 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Silver Ferns: Kelly Jackson signs with Queensland Firebirds for 2026
RNZ has reported that current Silver Ferns midcourter Maddy Gordon and former Silver Fern Te Paea Selby-Rickit will be announced as the final two signings to complete the Firebirds roster in the coming days. RNZ also reported that another Fern, Karin Burger, is in talks with the Sunshine Coast Lightning. The Firebirds finished with the wooden spoon in this year's SSN competition. Karin Burger in action for the Silver Ferns against the Uganda She-Cranes. Photo / Photosport Wills was signed on as coach after most of the 2025 contracting had been done but she has been able to build her own roster for 2026. Jackson will be a big loss to the ANZ Premiership after 10 seasons. She started her career at the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, debuting in 2016 before moving to the Central Pulse in 2020 and later becoming captain. 'I'm incredibly grateful to the Central Pulse and Netball New Zealand for the role they've played in my career, and for their support in allowing me to take this next step,' Jackson said. 'Playing in the SSN has been on my netball bucket list for a while, so I'm really excited to be joining the Queensland Firebirds. 'The club has a proud legacy and a passionate fan base, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play, learn, and challenge myself in a new environment – both with and against some of the best netballers in the world.' The Firebirds thanked Netball New Zealand for granting Jackson an exemption and Wills was excited about what she could offer. 'She doesn't just have height, she also has the ability to read the game, a disruptive lean and rebounding ability that will give SSN attackers plenty to think about in 2026,' Wills said. Jackson played under Wills at the Youth World Cup in 2017 when the New Zealand Under-21 team won the title. The 72-test cap Silver Fern would have been on the radar of a few SSN teams, with her 1.92m frame a huge asset. The 28-year-old won a third consecutive Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award last year – the country's highest netball accolade. Grace Nweke (left) has been a trailblazer for Kiwi netballers playing in Australia. Now Kelly Jackson will follow suit. Photo / Photosport Jackson is likely to double her domestic level earnings as a result of crossing the ditch. RNZ understands that international defenders can earn $120,000 contracts in the SSN. Under the old agreement the most ANZ Premiership players could earn was up to around $60,000. But that is likely to decrease next year, with the collective employment agreement being negotiated now in light of Netball New Zealand reaching a broadcast agreement with TVNZ next year. The ANZ Premiership will lose Australian shooter Donnell Wallam, who replaced Nweke at the Northern Mystics this year and had an impressive season. Donnell won't be returning to the Auckland-based franchise in 2026 and is likely to return to the SSN to push her case for Diamonds' re-selection. – RNZ
1News
8 hours ago
- 1News
Team owner predicts SVG will make a deep run in NASCAR playoffs
Labelling statistics as 'kind of an American thing,' Shane van Gisbergen avoids dwelling on his record-setting rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series. 'It normally hits me on the plane ride home or at 4am after a few beers,' van Gisbergen said after conquering the Watkins Glen International road course in New York for his fourth victory this year. 'I try to reflect on it, but I also try and get to the next week pretty quick. I'll try not to tweet at 4am this morning.' If the laid-back Kiwi were into chest-pounding on social media, the list of heady accomplishments includes being the third driver with four consecutive Cup wins on road or street courses, joining 2020 champion Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. It also includes being the first rookie with four victories — breaking a tie with seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson and three-time champion Tony Stewart — and the largest margin of victory (11.116 seconds) in Watkins Glen history, and second largest this season behind his 16.567-second win at Mexico City that was the biggest gap from first to second since 2009. Shane van Gisbergen (88) is introduced before the start of a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Watkins Glen (Source: Associated Press) ADVERTISEMENT The next achievement could be the loftiest yet for the driver from Auckland, who struggles massively on the ovals that comprise most of the season. Can van Gisbergen be a legitimate championship contender in Year 1? Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks, who put his reputation on the line and convinced sponsors to risk millions on an audacious plan to make the Cup playoffs with an inexperienced and unheralded rookie, suggests a deep run awaits the No. 88 Chevrolet. 'Shane just continues to go showcase why we've made a long-term commitment to him, why we brought him over here from New Zealand and built this team around him,' said Marks, who signed van Gisbergen to a multiyear extension last week. 'Because in a sport like this where winning is so important and so hard to do, if you can catch some lightning in a bottle like we've got with SVG, you've got to really lean into it. That's what we've done. It's like seeing a plan come together.' Shane van Gisbergen (88) drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Watkins Glen (Source: Associated Press) The plan now has a path to the doorstep of a Cup title. The first round of 16 drivers is contested on three ovals, but van Gisbergen has a sizeable 22-point cushion (victories are worth five points apiece for the playoffs) to overcome a 26.9 average finish on ovals. ADVERTISEMENT Pared down to 12 drivers, the second round features a road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A win there would catapult a driver into the third round, where eight drivers will square off for four berths in the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including poll numbers paint grim picture for leaders, Trump sending the National Guard into Washington, and where have all the coaches gone? (Source: 1News) 'He's in a really good position,' Marks said. 'I think we have a real opportunity to get to the Round of 8.' The playoffs open at tricky Darlington Raceway, whose odd shape is among the most difficult layouts in NASCAR, but van Gisbergen is more concerned about the first-round cutoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He finished 38th in his April 13 debut on the Tennessee short track. 'I ran terrible there,' said van Gisbergen, who finished 20th a week earlier at Darlington. 'Bristol was so far from anything I've ever done, and that's a really tough place. That's probably the biggest worry. Darlington, I feel fine, especially now that we have a lot of points. You've just got to have three solid weeks, and you might get through. We just have to play the averages, make no mistakes and make sure we're in a good spot every week.'
NZ Herald
10 hours ago
- NZ Herald
F1 pundit suggests Scott McLaughlin as option to join 2026 Cadillac team
A Formula One pundit has suggested Liam Lawson could have some Kiwi company on the grid next season, putting Indycar winner Scott McLaughlin's name down as a potential driver for the new Cadillac team. Former F1 drivers Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher and Zhou Guanyu have been linked to
