Mixed results for Kiwis after last week's races

Otago Daily Times

3 days ago

EDITORIAL
Well, what an interesting and, in some ways, unexpected week it was for motorsport.
The Indy 500 lived up to its billing as America's great race, with drama at regular intervals and close racing to the end. It was a fairytale win for Alex Palou, who, despite being a three-times Indycar champion (2021, 2023 and 2024), had never made it to the top of the Indianapolis 500 podium before.
Palou's win makes it five wins and a second place from the opening six rounds of this year's Indycar series. That's an extraordinary show of dominance by the Spaniard in a category where even winning two championship races in a row is quite an achievement.
Not such a great Indy 500 for the Kiwis though. Scott McLaughlin was embarrassingly eliminated on the warm-up lap when he lost control and crashed into the inner wall while warming up his tyres; Scott Dixon was looking every inch the canny racer in the early stages, but lost three laps in the pits with brake problems; Marcus Armstrong, who started on the second-from last row of the grid, came home 18th of the 20 finishers after a fairly anonymous run. Formula One
Far better news in F1, with Liam Lawson finally showing his talent by qualifying well, claiming eighth place in the Monaco GP, and playing the perfect team-mate to Isak Hadjar, who finished a strong sixth. The race itself was dull, but this was Lawson's best-ever F1 finish, and a result that should give him confidence ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.
With Lawson seemingly finding form, and a great championship tussle evolving up front between McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Llando Norris, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, Barcelona will be a magic place for a Kiwi F1 race fan this week. Canterbury Rally
Turning to rallying, having won last weekend's second round of the Australian Rally Championship, Hayden Paddon is giving this weekend's Canterbury Rally a miss. Emma Gilmour has also pulled the pin, electing to stay close to home due to family illness.
Defending national champion and current series leader Ben Hunt carries top seed for the Canterbury event ahead of fellow Skoda driver Robbie Stokes, Jack Hawkeswood (Toyota Yaris), Jack Stokes (Ford Fiesta AP4) and Josh Marston (Holden Barina AP4).
In Paddon's absence, I'd have to rate Hunt as favourite given his recent form, although running first on the road comes with its challenges. Hunt also has to contend with three locals, Marston and the two Stokes brothers, who grew up rallying on these roads and will be pressing for home success.
This will be the first time since 2019 that the Canterbury event has been part of the national series. For the record, the winner on that occasion was one Ben Hunt, by a tidy margin over Josh Marston.
Held tomorrow, the event comprises nine stages, of which the first eight are a mix of forestry, and public road tests, all to the North of Christchurch. The finale is at the Ruapuna race track. Supercars
Speaking of Ruapuna, I saw last week that the Christchurch track has now been confirmed ahead of Highlands Park as the venue for this country's second Australian supercars round. The contract will run from 2026 to 2028 and, together with the round at Taupo, form a New Zealand double-header for the series.
My parochial side harbours some disappointment that Ruapuna got the nod over Highlands Park in this instance; there's no doubt the Cromwell track venue would have been more scenic and provided something different in terms of the racing challenges too.
Ruapuna, though, has the advantages of being in New Zealand's second-largest city and handy to Christchurch International Airport. There has also been strong political support for Ruapuna, both from central government and Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger, who comes from a motorsport minded family, and has himself been a race and rally competitor for many years.
The Supercars deal is accompanied by a commitment for a big upgrade of the facilities at Ruapuna, which can only be good news for circuit racing in the South Island.
Next year's inaugural Supercars meeting at the track will mark the first time the category has raced in the South Island. Ruapuna will also become the fourth venue in New Zealand to host a Supercars championship round, after Pukekohe, Hamilton (on that city's short-lived street circuit) and Taupo.
David Thomson
Editor
Drivesouth