Key appointments made for coming GT New Zealand season

A wealth of motorsport expertise will help shape the next chapter of the Summerset GT New Zealand Championship, with Phil Shaw, Roland Dane and Nathan Pilcher appointed for the 2026/27 season.

Shaw takes on the role of Category Manager, Dane joins the championship as Driving Standards Observer (DSO), while Pilcher continues his established involvement with GT New Zealand as Porsche Endurance Trophy Coordinator.

Their appointments come as preparations continue for the new season, following Tony Quinn’s purchase of the championship from long-time owner Grant Smith.

Shaw joins Summerset GT New Zealand after recently departing the Repco Supercars Championship, where he spent 14 years as General Manager of Events and was involved across some of the championship’s biggest events, including the Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 500.

***The GT New Zealand field at Teretonga Park – photo Tayler Burke***

Another significant addition to GT New Zealand for the coming season is Roland Dane, who joins the championship as DSO.

Dane has been a major figure in Australian motorsport for decades, most notably through his time at the helm of Triple Eight Race Engineering. He remains present in the Supercars paddock today as Team Principal of PremiAir Racing.

While Shaw and Dane are both new additions to Summerset GT New Zealand for the coming season, Nathan Pilcher already has an established connection with the championship.

Pilcher has spent the past six years working across the Giltrap Group and Porsche New Zealand, helping grow the factory side of Porsche Motorsport in New Zealand. That role has also brought him increasingly closer to GT New Zealand over recent years.

The 2026/27 Summerset GT New Zealand Championship will get underway at Taupo International Motorsport Park from November 13-15, as part of the opening round of the Repco NextGen NZ Championship.

2026/27 Summerset GT New Zealand Calendar:
Rnd 1: 13-15 November 2026 – Taupo International Motorsport Park – Repco NextGen NZ Championship Season Opener
Rnd 2: 22-24 January 2027 – Teretonga Park, Ascot Park Hotel International
Rnd 3: 29-31 January 2027 – Highlands Motorsports Park, NAPA 71st New Zealand Grand Prix
Rnd 4: 26-28 February 2027 – Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, Alliance Services Grand Finale
Rnd 5: TBC 2027 – Taupo International Motorsport Park, Repco Supercars Championship Round