TGRNZ confirms new role for Caillol

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand has announced that Castrol Toyota Racing Series Category Manager Nicolas Caillol will also assume the role of TGRNZ Motorsport Manager from August 1st.

French ex-pat Caillol (39) has been part of the TGRNZ family for four years so far and will take overall responsibility for both the international TRS category and the domestic Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship. He replaces Mark Whittaker who is moving to a wider service development role within the Toyota New Zealand organisation.

Aside from four seasons as the Category Manager for the internationally recognised TRS championship, Caillol brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new role. He has engineered for teams in multiple international championships, including GP3, Formula Renault, A1GP, Super League Formula and the World Series by Renault 3.5. He managed Jenzer Motorsport's GP3 team and also has a Masters Degree in automotive engineering, aerodynamics and technical project management.

Caillol is known for his thorough and detailed logistical management of the TRS championship and his passion for driver development and says this philosophy will continue in his new role within TGRNZ.

"It's great to have the support and trust of Toyota New Zealand during these uncertain times," Nico said. "Collectively we have been - and will remain - very focussed on delivering both a world class single seater championship and the country's top saloon car championship. I have a great team around me and will be working closely with Best Bars Toyota 86 Category Manager Geoff Short who is putting together what looks like another absolutely epic 2021-2022 championship.

"We are all about developing and nurturing young Kiwi driving talent through two premier series and I have always been impressed with what is an amazing pool of talent in a small country that has a big heart for its motorsport.

“There's plenty of planning work for us to do and I am massively enthusiastic about our future. I also want to thank Mark for his tireless work over the last few years in getting us to where we are today and we all wish him well in his new role."

Whittaker himself has enjoyed his time at TGRNZ and being a motorsport fan, says he won't be too far away from the action. “Having been a race and rally mechanic back in the 90s, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my five years back in the thick of NZ motorsport and know that TGRNZ continues in very capable hands," he said.  "I’ll be watching the continued development of TGRNZ closely and will enjoy continuing to spectate and catching up with all of the motorsport family."

Whittaker has had a number of roles with Toyota over the years and will use his wealth of experience in service, product and training to assist Toyota’s Dealer network. Toyota Executive and General Manager of Motorsport Andrew Davis says that both Caillol and Whittaker will be critical for the success of their areas of responsibility and with a wealth of experience both will hit the ground running.

“Mark has made a great contribution to our motorsport programme and we are fortunate to have been able to use his broad range of skills across both championships. In the same way Nico takes his years of experience with the Castrol Toyota Racing Series and spreads this across the wider motorsport portfolio. I would like to thank both for their on-going contribution to the Toyota team and am sure they will do well in their new roles.”