Usually held down at Manfield, Hampton Downs hosts the New Zealand Grand Prix for the very first time in 2021. As well as being the biggest race in the Toyota Racing Series calendar, it's also the world's first Grand Prix of the year.
Usually filled with young Formula 1 hopefuls, full managed isolation facilities for international travellers mean that the grid is made up of sixteen of New Zealand's best racers.
Kiwi racing legend Kenny Smith will make his 50th start at a New Zealand Grand Prix this year, lining up alongside racers that he's mentored as they climbed the racing ladder.
Current Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen will also take the grid alongside fellow competitor Andre Heimgartner. Greg Murphy, Daniel Gaunt, Chris van Der Drift, Brendon and Damon Leitch are some other known NZ names taking the grid.
FIA super licence points are up for grabs, which are important for drivers who are looking to climbing the international racing ladder.
On top of this, $5,000 will be awarded to the winner, with second and third position taking home $3,000 and $2,000 respectively.
At 79, Smith is the oldest racer in the grid, but has years of experience on his side, and has been recently getting up to speed in his older generation TRS car following an injury.
After kicking off with support categories this morning, racing will resume tomorrow at 1PM, with the main event starting at 2PM. Full coverage is available on Spark Sport.