Bragging rights in the Anzac weekend battle of the V8 Supercars at the ITM 500 in Pukekohe went to the Aussies.

Organisers of the V8 Supercars ITM 500 racing at Pukekohe say they are overwhelmed by the reception from locals and the thousands of visitors from around the country and Australia.

The affable and much-liked Kiwi V8 racer, who passed away in December 2011 after a 14-month battle with cancer, could not have foreseen the enduring legacy he would leave.

V8 Supercars' driver Jason Bright got his defence of the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy off to a storybook start by taking pole for race one of the weekend yesterday.

While the main focus is on the big boys of international V8 racing, the V8 Supercars, it shouldn't be forgotten that as with all great sporting events there is an undercard.

It will be important to keep my emotions in check in what will be a moving weekend of racing at the ITM 500 Auckland.

This weekend's fourth round of the V8 Supercars championship at Pukekohe is the only time it's a New Zealand versus Australia grudge match, and that's more to do with the partisan crowd than the drivers.

Motor racing has always been a family affair for Aucklander Richard Moore.

Revving engines will be the only thing heard south of Auckland this weekend, as one of motorsport's most anticipated events comes to town.

The V8 Supercars will mark ANZAC Day with a race in New Zealand. The race on Friday will start a big weekend of action where one of Ford's young stars is setting his sights on mixing it with the leaders.

The grand old lady of New Zealand motor racing circuits, Pukekohe Raceway, put on one hell of a display in welcoming back the V8 Supercars circus last year after a five-year hiatus.

Kiwi motorsport veteran Ross Stone has a win at the iconic Bathurst circuit and a couple of V8 Supercar championships to his name.

Reigning V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup has risen above controversy and crashes to win both races in an action-packed day of racing at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.

Only something dramatic, it seemed, would deny reigning champion Jamie Whincup yet another victory in the 2014 V8 Supercars season-opening finale in Adelaide yesterday.