The flag is about to drop on another big season at Teretonga Park.

The Invercargill raceway hosts its first meeting of 2026-27 this weekend.

First up on Saturday is the annual round of the South Island endurance series.

This year, it also serves as the final round of the South Island endurance racing championship, while the three-hour race will also be the New Zealand endurance championship race.

As the endurance series comes south, Invercargill driver Jordan Michels leads the one-hour class 1 championship after winning at Timaru and sealing second after a difficult weekend in the second round at Ruapuna in Christchurch recently.

In the three-hour championship, Southland driver Glen Brazier teamed with Andrew Waite to win the longer race in Christchurch in their Lamborghini.

The Christchurch round was the first of the three-hour championship after Timaru was cancelled, so Brazier and Waite lead that championship as it comes to Teretonga Park.

After the endurance racing action on Saturday, the saloon series starts on Sunday with pre-1978 classic saloons also on the programme. A regularity trial will add some variety to the line-up.

There are plenty more exciting weekends in store at Teretonga.

A jam-packed two-day programme on the first weekend of December features a muster of the South Island’s best racing classes with super saloons, historic and vintage vehicles, Mazda Pro8, the 2K Cup Teretonga Challenge, Formula Ford and club saloons.

International motor racing returns over the weekend of January 22-24 when the NextGen NZ championship takes place with the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy headlining the show.

It will again bring some of the world’s top driving talents to the South to embrace the legacy of Teretonga, which is the only circuit in New Zealand that remains from the days of the top Formula 1 drivers visiting our shores.

The Bridgestone GR86 Championship, TA2 NZ, GT New Zealand Championship, Mazda Racing Super Series and Porsche racing are confirmed support categories that weekend.

It is the turn of the classic machinery from February 19-21 with the Ascot Park Hotel-sponsored Classic SpeedFest.

The Southern Thunder event will then feature super trucks, muscle cars, V8 utes and more on March 6-7.

The George Begg Festival returns to round out the Teretonga season later in March. — Allied Media