Strong field for South Island enduros

Growing domestic endurance scene prepares for South Island series

Kiwi endurance racing is in the spotlight with the three-round South Island endurance series getting under way this weekend.

The opening round of the Carters Tyre Services South Island Endurance Racing Series takes place at Teretonga Park near Invercargill, on Saturday.

An influx of new cars is expected to headline the southern enduro series with the population of late-model FIA GT3 cars campaigned by local teams having grown further with the team of Matt and Dwayne Carter set to debut a Mercedes-AMG SLS GT3.

The front-running Tulloch Motorsport SaReNi Chevrolet Camaro GT3 will be piloted by John McIntyre and Simon Gilbertson, while Trass Family Motorsport will chase southern success with its Ferrari 458 GT3 driven by Sam Fillmore and Danny Stutterd.

A new 991 generation Porsche Carrera Cup car will be raced by the front-running South Island crew of Scott O'Donnell and Allan Dippie, while defending series champions Angus and George MacFarlane have upgraded to a 997 model Carrera Cup car.

The South Island Series includes one and three-hour categories. Following the Teretonga opener, the series continues at Ruapuna (Christchurch) on October 1, with the final round at Timaru on October 1 before the Kiwi endurance racing scene takes an international focus, with the Hampton Downs 101 (October 28-30) and Highlands 101 (November 11-13) weekends.