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What motorsport to watch instead of Formula 1 in April

What motorsport to watch instead of Formula 1 in April

There are a lot of other ways to get your motorsport fix over the next four weekends, however.

Here’s a list of the key events happening on asphalt in April.

The start of the 2024 Bathurst 6 Hour.

Bathurst 6 Hour

Kicking things off at home, the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour on April 4-6 will feature a capacity 70-car grid of production cars with a few big-name drivers too.

The race harks back to the early days of the Bathurst 1000, with production cars fighting it out for their respective classes.

There are a bunch of current and former Supercars drivers in the mix too, including Jayden Ojeda, Will Davison, Jack Le Brocq, Thomas Randle, Paul Morris, John Bowe and more.

The Bathurst 6 Hour support card also includes a combined grid of Trans Am Cup Series and TA2 Muscle Car Series competitors.

How to watch: Fox Sports | Kayo Sports | SBS

The start of a Supercars race at the 2025 ITM Taupo Super440.

The start of a Supercars race at the 2025 ITM Taupo Super440. Image: InSyde Media

Supercars

Finally! A double dose of Supercars action across the ditch.

Fans have been rewarded for their patience with back-to-back events, the first at Taupo on April 10-12 and the second at Christchurch on April 17-19.

This year marks the third visit to Taupo while Christchurch hosts the very first Supercars event in New Zealand’s South Island.

How to watch: Fox Sports | Kayo Sports

The start of the 2025 IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The start of the 2025 IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image: Chris Owens

IndyCar

Ahead of a blockbuster May, the IndyCar Series will roar around the streets of Long Beach on Monday, April 20 (AEST).

The beachside street circuit is one of the most iconic on the IndyCar calendar and year after year produces great racing.

If there’s one team to watch, it’s Andretti. The team has won five of the last seven races there. Expect Will Power, Marcus Ericsson, and Kyle Kirkwood to be front-runners.

How to watch: Stan Sport

A general view of the start of a GT World Challenge Asia race at Sepang.

A general view of the start of a GT World Challenge Asia race at Sepang.

GT World Challenge

If sprint racing doesn’t do it for you, there is plenty of GT action around the globe.

GT World Challenge Asia begins its season with a pair of 60-minute races at Sepang on April 3-5 where New Zealanders Jaxon Evans and Brendon Leitch will be in action.

Evans will return to Team Phantom in an Audi R8 while Leitch joins Harmony Racing in a Ferrari 488.

GT World Challenge Europe starts with a six-hour race at Paul Ricard on April 10-12. Australia’s Calan Williams will drive a BMW M6 for Oman Racing by Century Motorsport.

How to watch: Fox Sports | Kayo Sports

The #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car of Max Verstappen, Jules Gounon, and Daniel Juncadella during NLS2.

The #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car of Max Verstappen, Jules Gounon, and Daniel Juncadella during NLS2.

NLS

The cancellation of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia from the F1 calendar opens the door for Max Verstappen to return to the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.

NLS3 takes place on April 11, though reports out of Europe indicate Verstappen will skip that particular event.

Verstappen could still conceivably take to the Nordschleife in April with the Nurburgring 24 qualifying events on April 18-19.

Lucas Auer is reportedly in line to contest the qualifier, though Verstappen has been tipped to make an appearance.

How to watch: YouTube

The start of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Imola.

 

FIA World Endurance Championship

If you’re a New Zealander, then this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship will be worth watching.

Brendon Hartley in a Toyota, Earl Bamber in a Cadillac and Nick Cassidy in a Peugeot.

This year’s Hypercar field is stacked, with 17 cars split across eight manufacturers.

The LMGT3 field features a few Australians too. Martin Berry will fly the flag for Iron Lynx in a Mercedes-AMG while Yasser Shahin returns to a Porsche 911 GT3 R with Manthey.

The annual pre-season Prologue at Imola takes place on April 11 before the season-opening Imola 6 Hour on April 19.

United Autosports fields a pair of Oreca prototypes in the LMP2 in the European Le Mans Series.

How to watch: Stan Sport | FIAWEC+

European Le Mans Series

Barcelona hosts the first round of the European Le Mans Series, which this year has plenty of Australian interest in it.

Jack Doohan will fly the flag for Australia in the top LMP2 division with Nielsen Racing. Compatriot James Allen will be in the team’s other Pro-Am entry.

Garnet Patterson will lead United Autosport’s efforts in the LMGT3 class, driving a McLaren 720S.

Meanwhile, Tom Sargent makes his series debut with Proton Competition in a Porsche 911 – again, in the LMGT3 class.

The first round of the series, the 4 Hours of Barcelona, takes place on April 12.

How to watch: Kayo Sports | beIN SPORTS

Marco Bezzecchi during the MotoGP at Thailand's Buriram International Circuit.

Marco Bezzecchi during the MotoGP at Thailand’s Buriram International Circuit.

MotoGP

Is Ducati’s dominance finally over? After an all-conquering 2025 for Marc Marquez, it’s been all about Marco Bezzecchi in 2026.

The Aprilia rider has been the pick of the bunch, though mistakes in the Saturday sprints have hurt his campaign.

After starting the season with visits to Asia, South America and North America, the world championship heads to Europe for the first of its Spanish rounds.

Jerez hosts MotoGP on April 24-26

How to watch: Fox Sports | Kayo Sports

Shane van Gisbergen in the #97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Shane van Gisbergen in the #97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Image: Daylon Barr

NASCAR

What would Monday be without NASCAR?

The Cup Series heads to Bristol on April 13, Kansas on April 20, and Talladega on April 27.

Shane van Gisbergen has slowly but surely gotten to grips with oval racing and the upcoming swing may play to his hand.

Bristol bodes well off the back of a career-best short oval result at Martinsville.

Intermediate ovals have been a strong suit of van Gisbergen’s lately and the 1.5-mile Kansas should suit SVG – he finished 10th last time out.

Then there’s Talladega, where anything could happen. Van Gisbergen finished 11th the last time he visited.

How to watch: Fox Sports | Kayo Sports

This article first appeared on Speedcafe.com, a sister site to MotorRacing.com.

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