It will be anyone’s title when the BNT V8s Championship gets underway this weekend at Pukekohe for the ITM V8 Supersprint.
With plenty of returning faces, there are a number of new drivers looking to make their debut in the championship.
Championship veteran Nick Ross and his Total Lubricants Nissan Altima return again for the 2018/19 season, the Cambridge drivers 16th consecutive season in the championship.
The Nissan driver finished third last season and will be looking to add another title to his 2013/14 Championship win.
Also coming into the new season as a Championship favourite will be Australian Jack Smith in his Supercheap Auto Holden Commodore. The 19-year old won the Class One rookie title scooping a number of podiums and a win along the way last season.
Smith will race along his teammate and car owner Lance Hughes in his Hamilton Asphalts Holden Commodore.
Graduating from Class Two, Chelsea Herbert makes the step into Class One aboard the Championship winning Toyota Camry driven by Andre Heimgartner last season.
She is joined in another Camry in the Richards Team Motorsport stable by newcomer, 21-Year old Brenton Grove from Australia who is a regular competitor in the second tier Australian Super 2 Championship. The third Toyota Camry will be driven by another Australian, Scott Taylor.
Also stepping up to Class One will be Rob Wallace aboard the ex Greg Murphy SuperTourer. The Tauranga racer will be taking a cautious approach to the opening rounds as he gets to grips with the more powerful Class One car.
Matt Tubbs returns and will be looking to build on his rookie season from last year. He will campaign the Holden Commodore, which Nick Ross won his championship title in.
Having raced in Class Two for a number of seasons, Brad Lathrope made the step up to Class One last season in what was a part campaign. This year he will look to compete in all six rounds in his Ford Falcon SuperTourer.
Class Two of the championship looks to be a tight battle again. 2017/18 Rookie of the year Brock Timperley returns and will be looking to win at Pukekohe this weekend.
He’ll be chased by the Ford Falcon of Matt Podjursky from Taranaki who will compete in the full Championship this year having run a part campaign last season.
Justin Ashwell from Christchurch makes a return and will be looking for more regular finishes, having been plagued by an electrical issue in his Digga Ford Falcon for most of the season.
Matthew Clark in a Holden Commodore also makes a return to the Championship after a number of seasons out of the seat.
Class Three will see regulars Nigel Karl and Tony Anderson line up in their Ford Falcons as well as John De Veth in his Holden Commodore.
Todd Murphy returns in his Hyundai i45 SuperTourer and Darryl Clarke lines up in his newly purchased Ford Falcon.
The Class Three grid will be rounded out by Matt Griffin and Kent Baigent in their BMW’s.
The BNT V8s will have one 16-lap race on Saturday followed by two 16-lap outings on Sunday.