It’s set to be a blockbuster summer with six key events – each with an international theme – showcasing an array of the best racing categories in the country and further afield. On display will be New Zealand’s best racing talent, entertaining thousands of motorsport fans trackside or watching the broadcast both domestically and around the world.
The 2025-2026 tour commences at Hampton Downs Raceway in the Waikato, with the Alliance Services Hampton Downs GT International. Two key Australian categories, the GT World Challenge Australia, powered by AWS and Monochrome GT4 Australia, will bring more than 30 cars and 60 drivers from across the Tasman in what shapes up as one of the largest GT racing events on Kiwi shores in years.
After Christmas, the Hampton Downs International commences a thrilling four-week stretch of back-to-back events and which will include the next edition of the Castrol Toyota Formula Oceana Trophy.
Once known as the Toyota Racing Series, ‘CTFROT’ has now become the premier open-wheel category in the region and will race 15 times at four circuits in four weeks, before culminating in the 70th running of the NAPA New Zealand Grand Prix. The open-wheel category will see a mixture of both young, rising stars and more experienced hands competing in the quickest racing cars on Kiwi soil, all fighting to follow in the footsteps of famous names that include current Red Bull-backed Formula One star, Liam Lawson.
The NAPA 70th New Zealand Grand Prix will be the deciding race in the championship and stands as a celebration as one of the world’s oldest and most notable motorsport trophies and New Zealand’s impact on the global racing scene. NAPA NZ join the series as the Official Automotive Trade Partner across the 2025/26 season.
From Hampton Downs, the series heads South to Taupo for the Giltrap Group Taupo Historic GP; a melting pot of motorsport history with classics from the world of Touring Car, GT and Open-wheel racing to feature at the circuit located just outside one of the North Island’s most popular holiday locations.
From the series heads to round four at Teretonga, Invercargill, where the Repco NextGen NZ Championship returns to the southernmost racetrack on the planet at, with the Ascot Park Hotel Teretonga Park International in late January, before the show shifts to Cromwell for the Grand Prix at the stunning Highlands Motorsport Park.
There is a brief pause following the frenetic four-week stretch before we see the Grand Finale’ held at the Manifled Circuit, near Palmerston North, on the first of March.
The on-track racing across the six events offers something for everyone. While the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceana Championship headlines, the addition of the brand-new TA2 NZ Championship looks set to return thunderous V8 racing to NZ circuits for the first time in years as Mustang takes on Camaro and Challenger.
Fans of one make racing are in for a treat with the Bridgestone GR86 Championship helping to develop the next generation of touring car stars, while the Porsche Racing Series offers something for fans of the iconic German marque.
So too will the return of the Summerset GT New Zealand Championship, where top-flight GT Machinery from Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, IRC, Toyota and more go head-to-head in longer distance enduro races.
GTRNZ brings a huge grid of thunderous machines, while the NAPA Central Muscle Cars turns the clock back to the classic 60s and 70s. The NAPA NZ Formula Ford Championship rounds out the diverse mix.
Tickets for each round can be purchased via the official Repco NextGen NZ Championship website, www.nextgennz.co.nz, where fans can also find details of the championship’s broadcast package and much more.
The REPCO NextGen NZ Championship returns to racetracks across Aotearoa this summer
The REPCO NextGen NZ Championship returns to racetracks across Aotearoa this summer
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Thursday, 25 September 2025