Out with the old and in with the new
It’s all change for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ this coming weekend with a new name, new cars, new tyres and a huge field of largely new drivers for the first ever round of the Bridgestone GR86 Championship.
No fewer than 25 cars – a record for any New Zealand Toyota 86 field – will take to the track when the first official sessions get underway today (Friday) at the Taupo International Motorsport Park.
With a new car in the GR86 model, and a new tyre provided by Bridgestone, the playing field is as level as it could be and that showed in the official test days at Taupo and Hampton Downs. On one day the entire field were covered by just nine tenths of a second, suggesting the championship could be remarkably close fought.
Drivers from New Zealand and Australia will battle it out from the first session to try and be number one, and it’s also impossible to call out a favourite, or perhaps even a group who may be consistent front-runners.
The established runners like Justin Allen, John Penny, Harry Townshend, Hayden Bakkerus, Christina Orr-West and others could go well, but there is little or no evidence from the test days to suggest they will have any particular advantage.
Similarly, of the huge influx of mouth-watering talent into this first ever Bridgestone GR86 Championship from karting, Formula First,Formula Ford and Mazda Series, there is no obvious stand-out.
“We genuinely have no idea who will win races and the round this weekend and that’s very exciting as we enter this new era of racing for the 86,” explained Category Manager Amanda Tollemache.
“There are new teams as well as new drivers and everyone has been on a steep learning curve. Some will adapt better than others and some may find the sweet spot of the car relatively quicker compared to others. Taupo is always hard on cars and hard on tyres though, so it really is going to be a fascinating weekend.
“One thing is certain, however, is that consistency and staying out of trouble are going to be major factors in putting together a championship challenge this coming season.”
Friday practice – which should at least give some pointers for the race weekend - gets underway on Saturday morning with qualifying before the first ever Bridgestone GR86 Championship race on Saturday afternoon, Sunday will see Race 2 and Race 3.
2024-2025 Bridgestone GR86 Championship
Round 01: 22-24 November 2024, Taupo International Motorsport Park
Round 02: 17-19 January 2025, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park (International Layout)
Round 03: 31 Jan – 2 February 2025, Teretonga Park, Invercargill
Round 04: 7 – 9 February 2025, Highlands Motorsport Park, 69th New Zealand Grand Prix
Round 05: 21-23 March 2025, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park (National Layout)
Round 06: 11-13 April 2025, Taupo International Motorsport Park - Supercars
