TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2019
Four scholarship cars confirmed for Toyota 86 this season
The two CareVets Scholarship cars will be joined on the Toyota 86 grid this season by two cars from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
New Zealand. Picture Bruce Jenkins.
Four up and coming racers will benefit from scholarship programmes being run in the forthcoming Toyota 86 Championship.
The two CareVets Scholarship sponsored cars will be back for the 2020 Toyota 86 Championship and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New
Zealand will add their support for up and coming racers by providing two further scholarship cars.
Drivers will be tested on track and off at the annual test, which this year takes place at Pukekohe Park on October
30th. At the end of the day the four winners will be confirmed.
Each winner will receive a season-long lease on one of the Toyota 86s, worth $20,000 plus GST. In the case of the
CareVets Scholarship cars, additional equipment like trailers and pit lane equipment are also included in the package.
With both programmes providing a good portion of the racing budget, the four drives available are likely to be amongst
the most sought after drives in New Zealand motorsport. Both offer an excellent chance of success for the drivers
involved. Last season young gun Callum Hedge secured one of the CareVets drives and went on to win a closely-fought
championship. Hedge was the third CareVets driver in a row to secure the title and there have been plenty of other
successes for rookie drivers in the team over recent seasons.
“The CareVets programme - an initiative of company owner and motorsport enthusiast Dr Keith Houston - is one of the
sport's biggest annual scholarships and also one of the longest running. With the addition of the two cars supplied by
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand, opportunities for young drivers in the series ahead of next season have never been
greater,” commented category manager Geoff Short.
The team driver selection for the 2019-2020 Toyota 86 Championship will be made after entrants are put through their
paces on a testing and assessment day at Pukekohe that will include car set-up, timed laps and a fitness test.
The six round championship begins in Pukekohe before heading to the South Island for rounds at Highlands Motorsport Park
and Invercargill’s Teretonga Park. It then moves to the North Island for the New Zealand Grand Prix meeting at Manfeild
- Circuit Chris Amon and then onto Hampton Downs before concluding at the Virgin Australia Supercars event at Pukekohe
Park in April.
Anyone interested in entering will need to send a driver CV and entry fee to Geoff Short at geoff@toyotaracing.co.nz or contact him on 021 825 911.
2019-2020 Toyota 86 Championship
Round 1: Pukekohe Park - 29 November - 1 December 2019
Round 2: Highlands Motorsport Park - 17-19 January 2020
Round 3: Teretonga Park - 24-26 January 2020
Round 4: Manfeild - Circuit Chris Amon - 14-16 February 2020
Round 5: Hampton Downs Motorsport Park - 27-29 March 2020
Round 6: V8 Supercars - Pukekohe Park - 24-26 April 2020
ends