Motor Cup Meeting - January 27th and 28th at Hampton Downs

MOTOR CUP 2018 - OPEN WHEEL HEAVEN

January 27th and 28th at Hampton Downs

The stars of tomorrow and the thunderous cars of yesteryear are set to provide New Zealand motorsport fans with a unique double header in January at the Hampton Downs Motorsport Park.

The New Zealand Motor Cup meeting on January 27 and 28 will be a joint promotion between Speedworks Events and HRC Events and will have a distinctive single seater flavour with the Castrol Toyota Racing Series and it's up and coming global single seater stars fighting it out for the Motor Cup and the spectacular F5000 series making its only visit to the Hampton Downs circuit of the forthcoming season.

There will also be Formula Ford and Formula Libre single seaters on the card for the two day event, which should bring together more single seaters at a single race meeting than for many seasons in New Zealand. All's not lost for the tin top fans, however, with TRADEZONE GTRNZ's two grids, NEXEN Pro 7 Mazda, Improved Production and Motul Honda Cup also on a bulging schedule.

The Motor Cup will be the third round of the 2018 Castrol Toyota Racing Series, which is established as the major global championship for up and coming single seater stars and F1 team juniors looking for a compact wings and slicks racing championship ahead of European and North American summer championships.

No fewer than four current Formula One drivers cut their teeth in the category including McLaren tester Lando Norris, Danil Kvyatt, Lance Stroll and our own Brendon Hartley, who will run a full season in F1 in 2018 for Scuderia Toro Rosso. F1 teams have sent their junior drivers to compete in the championship in recent seasons too, with the likes of Ferrari, Force India and Red Bull all having obvious involvement.

The real appeal of this meeting, however, will be the quality and depth of the single seater content and with Brendon Hartley's rise to the top racing category in the world, it is hoped it will help ignite renewed interest from both fans and owners of single seaters 'in sheds'.

"It really is an exceptional meeting on paper, with arguably our most historically significant trophy up for grabs, as well as the feast of Formula 5000 racers and cars every petrolhead still loves to see," explained Speed Works Geoff Short.

"It absolutely makes sense for the two promoters to work together on this meeting and bring together many excellent classes to strengthen the overall appeal of the weekend. The racing in the Toyota Racing Series will be intense as it always is; the F5000s will bring noise, presence and nostalgia to the party and everything else will add huge variety and good fields. There's really something for everyone."

Tickets available on www.speedworksevents.co.nz