Asian Le Mans Series
The Asian Le Mans Series is the ACO’s regional equivalent to the well-established European Le Mans Series. Now in its fifth season, the championship has grown in stature to attract teams from across the region and Europe, with a guaranteed entry to the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours up for grabs. Utilising the familiar ACO class structure, LMP2 cars will compete for the outright win, while well-stocked LMP3 and GT3 classes featuring plenty of familiar faces ensure impressive grids in excess of 40 cars. Round three comes from the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand.
• 4 Hours of Buriram – Saturday 28 January at 18.55
NZ Toyota Racing Series
What do Jaguar Formula E racer Mitch Evans, Williams’ new F1 star Lance Stroll and British prodigy Lando Norris have in common? All have seen and conquered the NZ Toyota Racing Series, a one-make single-seater championship that allows some of Europe’s top up-and-coming stars to dust off the cobwebs and unlock a few tricks of the trade during the regular off-season. At season’s end, drivers will compete to join the likes of Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, John Surtees, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and Keke Rosberg as winners of the illustrious New Zealand Grand Prix, one of only two races outside Formula 1 that are permitted by the FIA to use the name.
• Round 1, Ruapana Park – Saturday 28 January at 17.50
King of Europe Drift Series
Europe’s premier drifting series may look like a bunch of hooligans kicking up tyre smoke willy-nilly, but it’s actually a very precise science. Points are awarded by judges looking at four separate criteria: angle, speed, line and impact. Getting as close as possible to the inside/outside clipping points as quickly and as sideways as possible is the aim of the game, with a diverse range of competitors from across Europe gunning for the top prize in front of baying crowds.
• Ep 10 – Monday 2 January at 18.20
NZ Jetsprints
What do you get when you cram as much horsepower as possible into a tiny hull? The answer is NZ Jet Sprinting. A paradise for speed-junkies, the series caters for three separate classes, with the top Superboats category churning out a staggering 1000 bhp from their 6.5 litre engines. And that's even before you get to the racing itself, with short, sharp bursts of action proving you don't need any wheels to have riotous amounts of fun...
• Friday 6 January, Friday 13 January, Friday 20 January, Friday 27 January at 20.30
Hero Cup Le Jog
Renowned as the toughest classic rally in Europe, Le Log is an epic journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats in cars built before 1986 (including the 1953 Ford 103E ‘Flying Tortoise’). Featuring plenty of night-time driving, adverse conditions and long stages, this is not an event for the faint of heart.
• Friday 13 January at 21.30
