Endurance and saloon car racer Rowan Shepherd joins an impressive field of experienced and up and coming racers in this
year’s Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship.
A multiple champion in domestic motorsport including the 2014 National Formula First title, 28 year old Shepherd has
impressed many with his skill and speed in a variety of racing machinery.
He caught the eye in international races too. In two TCR endurance races at Spa and Barcelona he was running in the top
two overall for both rounds until mechanical issues struck in the final hours. He’s also gone well in domestic endurance
races and showed prodigious speed in the recent Best Bars Toyota 86 Endurance Championship.
It’s that speed and consistency which he hopes he can transfer from the Toyota 86 enduros to the shorter sprint races
that comprise the 2021 championship.
“I’m really looking forward to the sprint style of racing again,” he said. “It feels like a very long time ago since I
last competed in this style of racing since moving my focus to endurance events.
“I’ve always wanted to compete in the 86 series so between Toyota and my sponsors we have managed to secure a full
season that fits nicely with our budget. You really need to be able to squeeze all of the performance you can get out of
these cars due to the field being so tight.
“Being a tenth off in qualifying in the endurance series put you in the middle of the grid so it’s a great challenge and
I look forward to continue to try a lot of things to understand the setup changes of this car. Reliability and crossing
finish lines have to be obvious ‘must do’s’ to try and secure the championship. There is plenty of talent in the class
so as normal I will aim to be consistent and aggressive where I need to be and to try and find a little extra.”
Shepherd will make his debut in a field of 15 cars this weekend at the New Zealand Grand Prix meeting and he does have
some valuable experience on the 4km long international track which he hopes will be of value.
“It’s certainly different and has some tricky aspects to it and am interested to see how these cars go.”
The Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship is one of the only official MotorSport NZ national championships that provides race
drivers with the chance to secure a recognised national title. The Championship runs from January through to the end of
March 2021 and has rounds at all North Island circuits.
Toyota New Zealand supports the Toyota 86 Championship with guaranteed television coverage and hospitality, providing a
professional platform for competitors to gain sponsorship. TGRNZ also backs up the series with technical support and
provides a 40 foot container of parts to make it easy to go racing at a national level.2021 Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship
Round One: 22- 24 January 2021 - Hampton Downs Motorsport Park
Round Two: 29 – 30 January 2021 - Hampton Downs Motorsport Park
Round Three: 12 – 14 February 2021 – Circuit Chris Amon Manfeild
Round Four: 5 – 7 March 2021 – Pukekohe Park Raceway
Round Five: 26 – 28 March 2021 – Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Taupo