Latest news with #Kitching
Scoop
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series Celebrates Achievement
Press Release – Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series The recently completed season of Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series action was celebrated at their annual prizegiving at Blackwells Mazda in Christchurch recently. Champions and placegetters in the respective series were acknowledged along with other milestones and achievements from the 2024/2025 season. Will Kitching of Timaru scooped the major prize when he was presented with the trophy for winning the National Series ahead of Stu Lawton of Paraparaumu and Jesse Gould of Raumati Beach. Kitching also took the South Island Trophy after winning that series from Matt Dodd of Christchurch and Mac Berkett of Nelson. It was Lawton who wrote his name on the North Island Series trophy while Aucklanders, Karl Gaines and Callum Pratt were second and third respectively. Mac Templeton of Prebbleton in Canterbury secured the North Island Rookie of the Year title while Berkett achieved that honour in the South Island. Meanwhile Gaines was the Masters Champion (Over 50) in the North Island Series and Anthony Tork of Auckland was the South Island Series Masters Champion. The drivers adjudged the Most Improved in each island were Alex Canty of Auckland (North) and Matt Dodd (South). The Premier Insulation team of Pratt and fellow Aucklander Sam Dashfield were presented with the North Island Series Team Award and Torks Precision Engineering (Tork and Dalan Price of Swannanoa in Canterbury) the South Island Teams Award. There were several other presentations made on the night with Callum Pratt receiving the award for the Best Presented Car and Steven Spear of Auckland the Sportsman of the Year Trophy. Phil Clemas of Auckland was named Supporter of the Year, Andrew French of Rolleston, Personality of the Year, and Lindsay Dodd of Christchurch, Volunteer of the Year. Nigel Edger of Hamilton took the Craig Casey Memorial Trophy for his contribution throughout the season. Two of the series brightest young talents, Kitching and Berkett, received the opportunity courtesy of Toyota Gazoo Racing to test the GR86 Toyota at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park recently. Both enjoyed the experience, Kitching describing it as 'awesome'. In his view the Mazda and Toyota were both very similar – 'rear wheel drive with similar power and similar characteristics. They are different in some details but the Nexen Tyre NZ Racing Mazda Series is a good platform to step into Toyota as we saw with graduates Chris White and Arthur Brougham this season.' Berkett described the test as, 'good fun and a good experience. I enjoyed the data side of it.' Kitching is moving on from the Nexen Tyre Mazda Racing Series after his successful season while Berkett will be back on the grid for another year. Planning is well underway for next season that will ensure the continuation of the exciting racing the series is known for while more plans are underway to expand the series. While some of the traditional names will be seen in other classes next season, some new names are on the horizon along with the core of drivers from the past season. Expect plenty of close, hard racing from this spectacular series once again in the 2025/2026 season. The series thanks its sponsors and supporters, Nexen Tyre NZ, Sovereign Insulated Garage Doors, Racetech NZ, LUMO, Flex Fitness New Zealand, MRP LTD – 4age Specialists, Omnigraphics New Zealand, PAK'nSAVE and DBA Disc Brakes Australia. Notes: NEXEN TYRE NZ MAZDA RACING SERIES AWARDS 2024/2025 National Series 1st Will Kitching 2nd Stu Lawton 3rd Jesse Gould North Island Series 1st Stu Lawton 2nd Karl Gaines 3rd Callum Pratt South Island Series 1st Will Kitching 2nd Matt Dodd 3rd Mac Berkett North Island Team of the Year – Team Premier Insulation South Island Team of the Year – Team Torks Precision Engineering North Island Master – Karl Gaines South Island Master – Anthony Tork North Island Rookie – Mac Templeton South Island Rookie – Mac Berkett Special Awards Best Presented Car – Callum Pratt Sportsman of the Year – Steven Spear Supporter of the Year – Phil Clemas Personality of the Year – Andrew French Volunteer of the Year – Lindsay Dodd Craig Casey Memorial recipient – Nigel Edger Content Sourced from Original url
Scoop
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series Celebrates Achievement
The recently completed season of Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series action was celebrated at their annual prizegiving at Blackwells Mazda in Christchurch recently. Champions and placegetters in the respective series were acknowledged along with other milestones and achievements from the 2024/2025 season. Will Kitching of Timaru scooped the major prize when he was presented with the trophy for winning the National Series ahead of Stu Lawton of Paraparaumu and Jesse Gould of Raumati Beach. Kitching also took the South Island Trophy after winning that series from Matt Dodd of Christchurch and Mac Berkett of Nelson. It was Lawton who wrote his name on the North Island Series trophy while Aucklanders, Karl Gaines and Callum Pratt were second and third respectively. Mac Templeton of Prebbleton in Canterbury secured the North Island Rookie of the Year title while Berkett achieved that honour in the South Island. Meanwhile Gaines was the Masters Champion (Over 50) in the North Island Series and Anthony Tork of Auckland was the South Island Series Masters Champion. The drivers adjudged the Most Improved in each island were Alex Canty of Auckland (North) and Matt Dodd (South). Advertisement - scroll to continue reading The Premier Insulation team of Pratt and fellow Aucklander Sam Dashfield were presented with the North Island Series Team Award and Torks Precision Engineering (Tork and Dalan Price of Swannanoa in Canterbury) the South Island Teams Award. There were several other presentations made on the night with Callum Pratt receiving the award for the Best Presented Car and Steven Spear of Auckland the Sportsman of the Year Trophy. Phil Clemas of Auckland was named Supporter of the Year, Andrew French of Rolleston, Personality of the Year, and Lindsay Dodd of Christchurch, Volunteer of the Year. Nigel Edger of Hamilton took the Craig Casey Memorial Trophy for his contribution throughout the season. Two of the series brightest young talents, Kitching and Berkett, received the opportunity courtesy of Toyota Gazoo Racing to test the GR86 Toyota at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park recently. Both enjoyed the experience, Kitching describing it as 'awesome'. In his view the Mazda and Toyota were both very similar – 'rear wheel drive with similar power and similar characteristics. They are different in some details but the Nexen Tyre NZ Racing Mazda Series is a good platform to step into Toyota as we saw with graduates Chris White and Arthur Brougham this season.' Berkett described the test as, 'good fun and a good experience. I enjoyed the data side of it.' Kitching is moving on from the Nexen Tyre Mazda Racing Series after his successful season while Berkett will be back on the grid for another year. Planning is well underway for next season that will ensure the continuation of the exciting racing the series is known for while more plans are underway to expand the series. While some of the traditional names will be seen in other classes next season, some new names are on the horizon along with the core of drivers from the past season. Expect plenty of close, hard racing from this spectacular series once again in the 2025/2026 season. The series thanks its sponsors and supporters, Nexen Tyre NZ, Sovereign Insulated Garage Doors, Racetech NZ, LUMO, Flex Fitness New Zealand, MRP LTD - 4age Specialists, Omnigraphics New Zealand, PAK'nSAVE and DBA Disc Brakes Australia. Notes: NEXEN TYRE NZ MAZDA RACING SERIES AWARDS 2024/2025 National Series 1st Will Kitching 2nd Stu Lawton 3rd Jesse Gould North Island Series 1st Stu Lawton 2nd Karl Gaines 3rd Callum Pratt South Island Series 1st Will Kitching 2nd Matt Dodd 3rd Mac Berkett North Island Team of the Year - Team Premier Insulation South Island Team of the Year - Team Torks Precision Engineering North Island Master - Karl Gaines South Island Master - Anthony Tork North Island Rookie - Mac Templeton South Island Rookie - Mac Berkett Special Awards Best Presented Car - Callum Pratt Sportsman of the Year - Steven Spear Supporter of the Year - Phil Clemas Personality of the Year - Andrew French Volunteer of the Year - Lindsay Dodd Craig Casey Memorial recipient - Nigel Edger
The Citizen
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Runner guns for sub-9 after hiatus
AGE is nothing but a number for this Comrades runner who, following a drawn-out hiatus from the marathon, is aiming for a time of under nine hours. The Westville local, a firefighter (Gillitts fire station commander) by day and a dog rescuer in his free time, Rhys Kitching will be running his 14th Comrades this year, with one of his goals being to raise funds for his free time endeavour. Running this Comrades to raise funds for the dog rescuers of Blue Bundu Brigade, this member of the Chiltern Athletic Club said he always admired runners and was inspired by them from a tender age when his father was part of the Hash House Harriers – an international group of social running clubs. A life-complicating operation shoved him into a long break, which resulted in his brother-in-law overtaking the number of runs he has partaken in the Comrades. 'And now I'm feeling bad,' he said with a chuckle as he counted that his brother-in-law has now run the Comrades over 20 times. The Blue Bundu Brigade rescues abandoned dogs and sniffs out new homes for them, and needs funds for pet food, vet bills, deworming, vaccines, toys for the dogs and other related costs. 'If no one can support, they can refer us to people who can,' said Kitching, who referred potential donors to the Blue Bundu Brigade Facebook page: The Blue Bundu Brigade Animal Rescue & Rehoming NPC Reg No 2019/317472/08. Time trials, he said, were a great help for his preparation in terms of speed as he seeks to make the finish line in under nine hours. His best time when he was younger was just over eight hours. Also read: Sarah runs for another brown dog 'I just want to show that age is not a factor,' said the 52-year-old on the time he has set his sights on. His tactic will involve holding back when running to conserve his energy by avoiding running too fast. Despite the long break, it was the first time that Kitching qualified this early for the Comrades, which he did in November. He cited his first Comrades as his memorable and important one, 'to achieve crossing the finish line', with the support that runners receive throughout the race a critical occurrence that he appreciates. 'But it is not just one specific one, it is the whole experience, it is different and it cannot be compared to other marathons,' said Kitching. Kitching said he is motivated by the challenge of it all, the preparation to stretch human capabilities and the resulting mental boost. 'Mentally for Comrades, you need to be strong and with every run you get stronger,' said Kitching, who is also mentoring a colleague, Ashley Diedericks. His advice to first-time runners is that they should get ample rest ahead of the race to reduce the risk of sustaining injuries and fatigue. For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook , X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
