Bridgestone GR86 Championship Rookie of the Year for the 2025-2026 season Lee Zeltwanger is all set to impress when he takes to the track for the first race later this morning at one of the Toyota 86’s highest profile race weekends worldwide – the Bathurst 1000 round.
The big weekend completes an impressive period for Zeltwanger, who burst onto the Toyota 86 scene last winter winning the Toyota 86 Trophy Series. That won him a pathway prize of a full season in the main game Bridgestone GR86 Championship. He won the rookie trophy for that, which secured him the Bathurst weekend.
Running as part of an exclusive support cast for the Bathurst 1000 Supercars showcase, the Toyota 86 round at Mount Panorama each year draws huge interest – and large competitive fields. Zeltwanger though is keen to impress on his first visit to the track and his first racing weekend in Australia.
In Thursday practice and qualifying, Lee settled in nicely with top twenty times before a qualifying run that netted 24th on the grid.
“It’s great to see Lee out there,” said Bridgestone GR86 Category Manager Amanda Kibble. “it’s amazing what he has achieved over the past couple of seasons and he represents exactly what is achievable from our pathway programme.
“Last year he was a new name on the block and racing in our grassroots series for the first time and now, Bathurst!
“We’re sure he’ll acquit himself well over the weekend and hope that it not only completes a good year for him but also sets him up for a great 2027.”
Zeltwanger’s first race is later today with the second race of the weekend on Saturday and the feature race on Sunday part of the big pre-race build up to the Supercars flagship race.
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