Newly crowned TA2 New Zealand champion Caleb Byers is back home after an intense race weekend at the Queensland Raceway in Australia taking part in the TA2 Tag Team Enduro. Byers teamed up with the 2025 TA2 Australian champion Jarrod Hughes in the #1 ACDelco/IES Motorsport backed Chev Camaro.
“For as long as I can remember, my dream has been to race overseas,” said Byers. “The TA2 New Zealand and Australian teams’ prize gave me the opportunity to turn that dream into reality.”
The weekend format involved a sprint race for each of the lead drivers both Saturday and Sunday while two 40-minute enduro races featuring a compulsory driver change mid race, with the team that accumulated the most amount of points over the six races declared the 2026 TA2 Tag Team Enduro Winners.
“In qualifying I was up first and qualified P15, 1.2 seconds off pole. Jarrod (Hughes ) was next and qualified P7, 0.75 off pole,” said Byers.
“It was super cool getting in the car and racing with some of the best drivers in Australia,” said Byers reflecting on Saturday’s racing. “I held my own, got more comfortable with the tyre and the car, and finished P13. Jarrod was up next and finished P5.
“Our combined results put us P9 for the first enduro race. I was up first again. I was buzzing by this point and ready for it. I did my stint and brought the car into the pits in P8 for the driver change.
“We had trouble in the swap which cost us about 20 seconds and dropped Jarrod back out in P13. Jarrod did a mega job from there to bring it home in P8. It was super cool to share the car with Jarrod and finish top 10 in such a competitive field. After that we spent a few hours going through data while the team serviced the car.”
The order was reversed on Sunday for the sprint races with Hughes up first in the 12-lap race starting from P5, eventually finishing in P4.
“I was up next from P13 and finished P12,” said Byers. “At that point you really start to realise just how talented the field is, and how hard it is to be up the front.”
The final race of the weekend was also reversed with Hughes starting from their combined position of P6, eventually pitting in P4.
“Our pit stop was mega, and once back on track we were in P3. We were right in the fight, running P3 with only two laps to go behind Brodie Kostecki, a real pinch-me moment. I held that position until the second-to-last lap, but contact from the P4 car at Turn 1 sent me into the gravel trap at high speed. I managed to gather it up, get my breath, and get back on track. It was frustrating, but that’s motorsport. We finished P7.
“TA2 New Zealand has helped me learn so much in a short space of time. I’m grateful for every bit of advice, guidance, and support that got me over to Australia to chase my dreams and I’m super excited for what’s next and can’t wait to share the journey with you all.”
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