The announcement this week of a significant prize pool for the Toyota 86 Championship is another example of Toyota leading the way in NZ motorsport.
Two prizes are on offer this season with the top prize for the NZ series winner being given the opportunity to compete in all rounds of the 2019 Australian Toyota 86 Racing Series.
Top rookie in New Zealand will get the opportunity to be part of Toyota Racing Australia’s Invited Driver Program at the Bathurst 1000 event.
It’s not just the top prize on offer but also a very good opportunity for a rookie (first season) driver that is the ‘icing-on-the-cake.’
The Toyota 86 Series is very difficult to win as a rookie. Experience in this category has proven to be the key for winning the championship. A prize for top rookie will entice more young drivers into the category, first to win the rookie award and then the top prize.
The up-side of this is that drivers can commit to a multi-year program and it also ratifies the longevity of the championship. The overall winner immediately gets international experience competing in Australia.
The down-side to this is that it has the potential to foster more young drivers into thinking that the way ahead is just Australian Supercars and not take into consideration opportunities in the US, Asia or Europe. The Formula 1600 championship is likely to suffer with young drivers’ by-passing the category in favour of the opportunities that Toyota 86 offers. And why not? (More of this topic at a later date).
Since the inaugural Toyota Racing Series in 2005 the car manufacturer has arguably become the back-bone of circuit racing in NZ. This new incentive and support of the Toyota 86 Championship has to be congratulated.
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