Seasoned karting champion Bethune confident ahead of return to circuits
Josh Bethune will make a return to circuit racing this season and the 21-year-old driver, engineer and karting instructor is hungry for success.
Bethune will run as part of a major effort in the new Bridgestone GR86 Championship by a new team to the championship, Right Karts Academy by M2 Competition.
The Whitford-based driver brings a wealth of experience to the championship and considerable versatility. Over the past four seasons he has raced in F2 Midgets, Formula Ford, the United States F4 Championship and even the Castrol Toyota Racing Series as well as being a major force in every karting competition he has entered.
His karting achievements for Right Karts have been exceptional and in 2024 alone he was the Rotax Heavy class winner in the Rose City Challenge, the Rotax DD2 winner at the New Zealand Kart Grand Prix, in the City of Sails event and the Hampton Downs Academy Kartstars competition in Rotax DD2 and Rotax Heavy. He is also a back-to-back KartSport National Champion in Rotax Heavy.
Now Right Karts has teamed up with ultra-successful race team M2 Competition - led by Mark Pilcher - for the inaugural Bridgestone GR86 Championship. The team will run an impressive four car team under the Right Karts Academy by M2 Competition banner, in what will be a full field of up to 25 cars.
Josh has put together a solid group of sponsors to help support his campaign, including JW Group, Rotax Karting, FireWatch, Joey Zhou Racing and Right Karts, of course.
He’s relishing the challenge that lies ahead, commenting: “We found a nice opportunity to come back to the race tracks and we’re here to go well and have some fun. The racing is very close and that’s a lot like the karting with most of the field covered by fractions of a second.
“It’s hard to tell where we are as everyone’s tyres have done different mileage. We are running well used tyres but we’re going well.
“I’ve done a lot of karting this year but had three months out with a back injury. That said, I’ve been back for a little while now and I’m happy that I am race sharp and ready as overall I’ve done a lot of driving this year. Even coaching young drivers I’m clocking up a lot of laps so mileage won’t be an issue.
“I have a lot of experience on my side but lots of it is in single seaters so tin tops are very new to me. I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said I didn’t want to win and when we are running on the same tyres we are right up there on times, so we’re pretty optimistic that when it comes down to it, we’ll be there.
“The data side of things and the engineering side of things are really strong too with Mark at the helm. It’s all looking good.”
The Right Karts Academy by M2 Competition team has been set up to assist Right Kart customers and associates bridge the gap from karting to cars. The team will also be running two or three cars in the upcoming Toyota 86 Trophy Series. Josh will also provide a mentoring role for the younger drivers in that team.
The six round championship starts and finishes at Taupo – with the final round as the major support category for the Australian Supercars second visit to the circuit. In between Josh will race in both the North Island and the South Island and will be on the grid for the GR86 round at the 69th New Zealand Grand Prix meeting at Highlands International Motorsport Park.
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
