CareVets team-mates deliver perfect Toyota 86 Championship result
Christchurch drivers Ryan Yardley and Jack Milligan have handed CareVets team boss Keith Houston the perfect championship result.
The team-mates dominated the latter part of the championship and in the final round at Hampton Downs CareVets Scholarship driver Milligan won the rookie title with a race spare and helped Yardley in his unstoppable run to the 2016-2017 Toyota 86 Championship.
A wing-man but never less than a racer, Milligan led the early laps of the final race in a CareVets one-two before being overtaken by another former Cantabrian, Tom Alexander, who went on to win the race. A former TR 86 champion, Alexander was making a one-off ‘cameo’ return to the series.
Yardley had come to the weekend firmly focussed on the championship title and was making sure Albany driver Reid Harker did not get an opportunity to steal the crown.
"Coming into the weekend I was clear: we race for the championship, not for individual race wins. There was too much at stake. When I qualified on the front row for race one there was a little temptation to go out and race for a win, but the title is important to me and to the CareVets team, who have supported Jack and I all the way," he said.
Harker did everything he could to upset Yardley's charge, but a 74 point deficit coming to the weekend was in the end simply too much to overcome. Though he won this morning's partial reverse grid race, and fought through to third place in the final 15 lapper this afternoon, it was not enough. Yardley showed his championship-winning form and racing pedigree with a finely judged run to second behind Alexander to keep Harker at bay.
The championship's youngest driver was another Cantabrian, Jaden Ransley. Fresh out of karting, he capped two top ten finishes with a fifth in the final race.
The final round of the six round championship was part of the Speedworks summer series finale at Hampton Downs in the north Waikato.
In total, 20 drivers raced in the Toyota 86 Championship for a share of the $100,000 prize purse.
2016-2017 Toyota 86 Championship final round
Race one
Tom Alexander
Reid Harker
Ryan Yardley
Brody McConkey
Michael Scott
Jack Milligan
Jacob Smith
Connor Adam
Miles Cockram
Jaden Ransley
Fastest time: Tom Alexander 1:14.682
Race two
Reid Harker
Michael Scott
Jack Milligan
Ryan Yardley
Miles Cockram
Connor Adam
Jaden Ransley
Jacob Smith
Tom Alexander
Brody McConkey
Fastest time: Michael Scott 1:15.388
Race three
Tom Alexander
Ryan Yardley
Reid Harker
Jack Milligan
Jaden Ransley
Michael Scott
Connor Adam
Miles Cockram
Jacob Smith
Brody McConkey
Fastest time: Tom Alexander 1:20.357
