RACING BULLS Formula One driver Liam and Tony Quinn Foundation ambassador Liam Lawson will be an off-track star of the show at Round 2 of the Repco NextGen NZ Championship at Hampton Downs in January.

New Zealand’s F1 ace, who will tackle his second full-time FIA Formula One World Championship season this year with Red Bull’s junior team, will attend the Allied Petroleum Hampton Downs International to be held on January 9-11 on the Sunday only.

Lawson’s appearance in January corresponds with the opening round of the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceana Trophy (CTFROT) which commences the same weekend.

Lawson will also attend key autograph sessions planned on the Sunday, enabling Kiwi fans to meet and greet their own F1 hero. His appearance will support the ongoing activities of the Tony Quinn Foundation, for which Lawson is an ambassador and active participant.

“Liam was the first Tony Quinn Foundation ambassador in 2021 and has remained a loyal and generous participant with the foundation ever since,” said Repco NextGen NZ Championship CEO, Josie Spillane.

“He returns to Highlands most years for hot laps and today has been on track raising funds for Breast Cancer NZ thanks to several hot laps auctioned off in Tony Quinn’s Aston Martin Vulcan.

“Liam is part of the TQF family and even though he’s made it to the pinnacle of the sport he’s still more than happy to give back – he’s still the lad from Pukekohe who loves his home country, is a great ambassador for NZ Motorsport and loves to drive fast cars!

“Having him at Hampton Downs in January will be great for the local fans to meet our only F1 driver and wish him well before he heads back to Europe for the new season and it will add another layer to what is already shaping up as an incredible event.”

The Hampton Downs event will be Lawson’s only motorsport event appearance in January prior to returning to Europe ahead of F1 testing commencing.  

Lawson contested two-seasons of CTFROT – then known as the Toyota Racing Series – in 2019 and 2020, winning the title in 2019 for M2 Competition in a year that included five race wins and success in the New Zealand Grand Prix.

His return in 2020 saw him finish runner-up, prior to commencing his campaign in FIA Formula 3 and then Formula 2 on his pathway to his F1 racing debut in 2023.

Lawson will be on hand at Hampton Downs to help inspire the next crop of CTFROT stars as they attempt to follow in the footsteps of 2025 champion Arvid Lindblad, who will join on the F1 grid this year.

Tickets are on sale now for the Allied Petroleum Hampton Downs International, with fans able to save on tickets if they pre-book.

Fans who pre-book tickets will go into the draw to win the ultimate trackside moment – waving the chequered flag for the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Feature Race on Saturdays at all Repco NextGen NZ Championship events in January – including the NAPA 70th New Zealand Grand Prix.

The Allied Petroleum Hampton Downs International will also feature the second round of the Bridgestone GR86 Championship – following a thrilling opener in late November at the same venue – plus the next stop on the NZ Porsche Racing Championship tour and the thrills of the multi-class GTRNZ Series.

Tickets can be purchased at www.nextgennz.co.nz, while all the action will be shown live on Sky Sport NZ, Fox / Kayo Australia and live on YouTube via the Repco NextGen NZ Championship and Toyota GAZOO Racing NZ YouTube Channels.