A new partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand will provide competitors in the Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series with an exciting new opportunity this season and beyond.
The partnership was announced today and it will provide an opportunity for both the top Under 25 and top Masters driver in the RX8 based Mazda Racing Series to secure tests in the new Toyota GR86 Championship test car.
Toyota 86 Championship Category Manager Amanda Tollemache says it’s likely to be a popular prize given how busy both the Toyota and Mazda competitions will be this season.
“For this season we are full of course, but we still get regular enquiries from drivers who are looking for a championship where driver skill is the deciding factor,” she explained. “We see the Mazda series as a like-minded racing category where the cars are well-matched and the racing equally as competitive.
“There is no reason why a driver with the Toyota 86 Championship in mind should not prepare for that with a campaign in the Mazda Racing Series so we expect it to be a strong partnership moving forward and a popular long-term prize option for the Mazda Racing Series.”
Mazda Racing Series President Steve Spear is enthused by the possibilities. “It’s really a partnership by two like-minded racing categories designed to create opportunities and a stepping-stone for our best drivers,” he said.
“We think it will work well because the times are close between the two categories. One of course is a club series and one a significant regional championship that attracts international drivers these days so it’s great for our drivers in Mazda to have the opportunity to try the GR86 out. The initiative came from one of our members and competitors, Steve Brown, who worked with Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand to bring it to fruition.”
Both series have packed grids for the upcoming season and similar philosophies of having one set of technical rules designed to promote close and entertaining racing. The Mazda Series is one of the country’s most popular domestic racing series and the oldest fully sanctioned racing series in New Zealand, with a South and North Island Series as well as a four round national championship. It now also provides a doorway of opportunity to one younger and older driver.
The Board of the Nexen Tyre Mazda Racing Series are currently finalising the formula of how the winning drivers will be decided with an emphasis on providing an equal opportunity for drivers from both the North and South Island Championships to be able to take the prizes.
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