McFadden excited to fly flag at Western Springs, but wary of unknown Kiwis

Western Springs Speedway Auckland. Photo / Richard Robinson.

Australian sprint car superstar James McFadden hopes to add another international scalp to his resume when he tackles WxC Speedway Western Springs in Auckland tonight.

McFadden, who has won races in Canada, the United States and Australia this year, will get his first taste of New Zealand speedway in tonight's opening round of the Porter Hire International Sprint Car Series.

"Anywhere new that I get to race, no matter which country, is another experience that I can learn from as a driver," said the two-time World Series champion.

"If I can get a win in New Zealand then that would complete the goal for our team coming over here, but just experiencing ... Western Springs Speedway is going to be very cool as I've never been there before."

The 25-year-old will be joined by his countryman Robbie Farr. They will compete against American duo Kraig Kinser and Jonathan Allard, and local hopes Dean Brindle and Jamie MacDonald.

McFadden has raced against each of the visitors but is wary of the unknown threat of the Kiwis, who will be racing at their home track.

"I haven't raced against any of the locals so I think they're probably the ones I will need to watch closely at the beginning," he said.

"Local track knowledge is always an advantage so I will be on the back foot when it comes to car set-up and track conditions.

"I have heard a lot about Western Springs and I'm expecting it to be a pretty cool venue with a good atmosphere and ... a large crowd."

This summer will be the first time New Zealand has hosted teams racing in the sprint car category as it is usually reserved for the international midget series. McFadden is excited about the prospect of racing with a partner and representing his country.

"Usually racing is such an individual type of sport, so I am looking forward to the opportunity to experience it from a different perspective," he said.

"It is an honour to represent my country in a sport which, I guess, doesn't have a lot of national pride or a location-based focus; I always liked the concept of representing Australia so this is pretty cool for me."

Tonight's racing will also include midgets, TQs, F2s and Kiwi Kidz; gates open at 4pm with racing from 6.15pm.

For more information, check out springsspeedway.com.