Horsepower of a different kind will conclude Melbourne's spring of racing when the 2008 Shannons Nationals wraps up at Sandown Raceway next weekend, 29-30 November.

Six categories will hit the Melbourne circuit; also bringing to a close another big year of motorsport in Australia's sporting capital.

Across the range of sports cars, production cars and touring cars, six new national champions will be crowned over the last weekend of spring.

"It's been a good year for the Shannons Nationals and we're looking forward to ending it in style at Sandown," Shannons Nationals director Rob Curkpatrick said.

"The event is shaping up really well, entries across the classes are looking healthy and it's a good mix of categories.

"Throw in championship battles going down the wire and there should be plenty of entertaining racing over the weekend."

The Sandown GT Classic, final round of the Australian GT Championship, will headline the action-packed weekend with a pair of one-hour races.

With a host of sportscar exotica featuring Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, Dodge, Maserati and Lotus, the 20-plus car field will be one of the most-valuable grids assembled in Australian racing this year.

Melbourne drivers Mark Eddy, John Kaias and Ross Lilley are vying for the title, each looking to win their first national championship.

The presence of Australian motorsport legend John Bowe, ex-Ferrari Formula 1 driver Ivan Capelli and Danish sportscar ace Allan Simonsen is set to further spice things up.

Defending Australian GT Champion Simonsen has six wins from six races in the series this year and Bowe has five from seven, while Capelli has 98 F1 starts to his name.

Drivers in the Australian Manufacturers Championship will also tackle two, one-hour races, with a wide range of production cars including diminutive hatchbacks, Aussie V8s and rally-bred Japanese chargers in the field.

Colin Osborne and second-generation racer George Miedecke will fight for the Drivers Championship, while Hyundai leads the Manufacturers Championship.

Melbourne's Darren Hossack will be out to claim a unique piece of history in winning two national championships in the same year.

After winning the Australian Superkart Championship at Adelaide's Mallala Motor Sport Park last month, Hossack is looking to wrap up the Kerrick Sports Sedan National Series at Sandown.

Aboard his Audi, Hossack will take an eight-point lead over six-time champion Tony Ricciardello into the weekend.

Geelong driver Michael Tancredi holds a 47-point advantage at the top of the Commodore Cup National Series, and is in the box seat to take the crown following his maiden race and round win a fortnight ago at Mallala.

Three wins from three starts at Mallala saw Steve Kwiatkowski extend his lead in the Supaloc Saloon Car Series to 69 points over Matt Lovell, with three races at Sandown standing between one of the South Australians and the title.

The inaugural Shannons V8 Touring Car Series will also wrap up at the Melbourne circuit, with Chris Smerdon leading the way in the new series for ex-V8 Supercars.

After practice and qualifying, racing kicks off at 3:00pm next Saturday, 29 November, ahead of a full day of racing on Sunday.

Tickets are great value at $15 on Saturday, $25 on Sunday or $30 for a weekend pass, while entry for kids under 14 and seating in Sandown's famous grandstand are free.

For more information about the 2008 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships, visit www.thenationals.com.au