Kiwi star Shane van Gisbergen will be returning, after plenty of action racing at Highlands Motorsport Park' s inaugural race meeting earlier this month. Van Gisbergen lies seventh in the V8 Supercars Championship. His Holden Commodore is privately sponsored by Highlands Motorsport Park owner Tony Quinn's company VIP Petfoods.
The Gold Coast-based, Aucklander will be joined at the 7am to 9am road show by two fellow V8 Supercars Championship personalities, who have not visited the facility yet, the 2006 V8 Supercar Champion and a two-time Bathurst winner Rick Kelly and German driver Maro Engel.
Kelly and his brother Todd run the Jack Daniels Racing team that has debuted the Nissan Altima with success this year. Engel drives for the Erebus Racing in the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, which is also new to the championship, and has enjoyed top results throughout Europe and Asia.
The road show offers the public the chance to meet the drivers, get an autograph and receive ticket discounts to the Auckland V8 Supercars event at the revamped Pukekohe Park Raceway, in April 2014.
Event media manager Ian Hepenstall said the drivers would also take part in go-karting and on-track activities.
The road shows, which were visiting only South Island locations were a way to ''spread the word'' about the three-day race meeting, billed as New Zealand's largest annual sporting event, he said.
V8 Supercars chief executive James Warburton said New Zealand was important to the series ''on many levels'' and the organisers we were pleased with the turnout of nearly 120,000 fans when the race returned to Pukekohe earlier this year.
''We are keen to build on this support looking ahead to the Anzac weekend racing in 2014. V8 Supercars is a fantastic product and the drivers are excellent athletes and great people. We want to share that with motor race supporters and sports fans around the South Island,'' Mr Warburton said.
