Corban Sprague wins CareVets Scholarship

Eighteen year old Timaru racing driver Corban Sprague will fly the flag for CareVets in the forthcoming Toyota TR86 Trophy Series after winning a hotly-contested CareVets Scholarship shootout at Hampton Downs yesterday.

Sprague, Jacob Begg, Toby McCormack, Mac Berkett, Yoshi Comeskey, Riley Boswell, Will Kitching and Ryan Crombie were all put to the test on and off track with three key sessions – driving, fitness and interviewing.

All drivers had a run in the ex-Callum Hedge NZ championship winning CareVets TR86 that will be used in the winter series - with all being closely observed from the passenger seat by current Bridgestone GR86 Championship leader Hugo Allan.

The eight hopefuls battled through a gruelling maximum ramp test on the Wattbike – a cycling equivalent of running’s ‘beep’ test, to assess fitness and endurance . After that they were all put through a rigorous and challenging interview that included questions about their driving, how they would handle certain racing scenarios, their knowledge of the sport and their racing heroes.

Sprague showed grit and determination in the fitness test, was quick on the track, showed lots of potential, and interviewed exceptionally well. He entered the competition with one of the most diverse backgrounds of any of the eight – bringing grass karting, 2K Cup, Endurance and the Mazda Series skills to the shoot-out. 

“You have to believe you can do it,” said the delighted youngster after he was confirmed as the Scholarship winner.

“But it is absolutely awesome to finish on top in a field of really good drivers like these. I was pretty happy with my fitness test and my interview but knew my driving would be my strong point.

“I’ll let all my partners and sponsors know what it all means and honestly I’m just going to get stuck into the preparation for the first round. It’s really exciting and a key moment so far in my racing career.”

He doesn’t have long to wait to race the car for the first time, with Round 1 locked in for May 9-10 at Hampton Downs.

2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series

Rd1      9-10 May 2025             Hampton Downs - NZIGP Finale

Rd2      21-22 June 2025           Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series

Rd3      5-6 July 2025                Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon - Manfeild Winter Series

Rd4      26-27 July 2025            Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series