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Scoop
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Zeltwanger Shows His Racing Prowess At Manfeild
With Saturday's win and a strong second place in Race 2, Zeltwanger and his Skunkworks team also took the overall honours for the third round of the series, with only the final round remaining at Taupo in three weeks. He now has a 60 point advantage. Harry Townshend drove a fine race on Sunday morning to hold off the challenge from Zeltwanger and record his second win in two weekends to extend his lead in the Winter Class for Bridgestone GR86 Championship drivers. It was Zeltwanger, however who put in the stand out performance of the weekend, racing through the field from the back of the final race's reverse grid to take the chequered flag. Ajay Giddy had a strong Sunday after clouting the tyre barrier in Saturday's race, bringing his Mackenzie Motorsport car home in third place in Race 2 and second in Race 3. Corban Sprague had to be satisfied with fourth in the morning and sixth in the afternoon for CareVets though his weekend was strong enough to leave him second in the series points ahead of the final round. Matt Day sits third overall after a trouble free weekend in the Manawatu while Nathan Grammer's Saturday podium and a fourth in Sunday's second race consolidate his fourth place in the points. Pos Car # Driver name Trophy / Winter Team 1 73 Harry Townshend Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 2 22 Lee Zeltwanger Trophy Skunkworks Racing 3 10 Ajay Giddy Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 4 84 Corban Sprague Trophy iMac Engineering 5 100 Matt Day Trophy Dayle ITM Racing 6 74 Toby Elmiger Trophy Action Motorsport 7 50 Nathan Grammer Trophy Mackenzie Motorsport Toyota 86 Trophy Series – Round 3 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon – Race 3 Pos Car # Driver name Trophy / Winter Team 1 22 Lee Zeltwanger Trophy Skunkworks Racing 2 10 Ajay Giddy Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 3 73 Harry Townshend Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 4 50 Nathan Grammer Trophy Mackenzie Motorsport 5 100 Matt Day Trophy Dayle ITM Racing 6 84 Corban Sprague Trophy iMac Engineering 7 74 Toby Elmiger Trophy Action Motorsport Toyota 86 Trophy Series – Points after Round 3 2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series Rd1 9-10 May 2025 Hampton Downs - NZIGP Finale Rd2 21-22 June 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series Rd3 5-6 July 2025 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon - Manfeild Winter Series Rd4 26-27 July 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series
Scoop
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Zeltwanger Completes Dominant Day With Race Win
Lee dominated practice and qualifying at the Manawatu track before fighting off Harry Townshend by just a couple of tenths of a second in the first of the weekend's races. Zeltwanger and his Skunkworks team are now hot favourites to win the inaugural series title. Townshend's strong run increased his lead in the Winter series class for Bridgestone GR86 runners in the Trophy Series. Chief class rival Ajay Giddy made contact with Harry in the heat of battle for third on lap five between turn 1 and 2, swiping the tyre barriers and putting him to the back of the field. Thankfully for him he was able to continue. Surprise of qualifying, Nathan Grammer backed up his front row start with a podium finish for Mackenzie Motorsport but was unable to maintain the blistering pace of the two leaders and came home four seconds behind Townshend at the flag. CareVets Scholarship winner Corban Sprague was next up a couple of seconds behind the impressive Grammer and he had his mirrors full of Matt Day throughout the ten lap race. Toby Elmiger was next up with a healthy margin over Giddy by the end. Two more races on Sunday could see the impressive Zeltwanger take a big step towards securing the title and a pathway into the 2025-2026 Bridgestone GR 86 Championship. Toyota 86 Trophy Series – Round 3 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon – Race 1 Pos Car # Driver name Trophy / Winter Team 1 22 Lee Zeltwanger Trophy Skunkworks Racing 2 73 Harry Townshend Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 3 50 Nathan Grammer Trophy Mackenzie Motorsport 4 84 Corban Sprague Trophy iMac Engineering 5 100 Matt Day Trophy Dayle ITM Racing 6 74 Toby Elmiger Trophy Action Motorsport 7 10 Ajay Giddy Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series Rd1 9-10 May 2025 Hampton Downs - NZIGP Finale Rd2 21-22 June 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series Rd3 5-6 July 2025 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon - Manfeild Winter Series Rd4 26-27 July 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series Visit us:
Scoop
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Close Racing Expected At Manfeild In Toyota 86 Trophy Series
Nose to tail racing should be a guarantee when the Toyota 86 Trophy Series takes to the iconic Manfeild - Circuit Chris Amon track in Feilding for the third round this weekend. While championship leader Lee Zeltwanger dominated the three races of the first round, honours for the two races at the second round a fortnight ago were split between young Ajay Giddy and Harry Townshend. And try as he might, there was nothing Zeltwanger could do as he headed the rest of the compact but very high quality field. Zeltwanger's performance so far in the winter series is all the more impressive because the small team running him – Skunkworks Racing – is also new to Toyota 86 racing. Lee and his team are also mixing it with some big names in NZ motorsport including Mackenzie Motorsport, iMac Engineering, RaceLab Academy and Action Motorsport. Timaru's Corban Sprague is another new to Toyota 86 racing having secured the CareVets Scholarship prize for this inaugural winter TR86 series and he may just make that breakthrough to a first win this weekend having gained in speed and confidence over the previous two rounds. Matt Day is in a very similar situation on track, catching the eye with some great racing laps and race speed. Combine that with an improvement in qualifying and he will also be a threat for race wins this weekend. Nathan Grammer and Toby Elmiger are improving with each outing too and can be expected to go well. The two experienced Bridgestone GR86 Championship runners – Townshend and Giddy – will inevitably be close to the outright pace regardless this weekend and will be hunting for more race victories as they try to win the Winter class of the series. They are ineligible for Trophy Class points. The technical and cambered turns of the Manfeild circuit invariably create great racing amongst the Toyota 86s and there'll be plenty of action for them this weekend with two practice sessions, qualifying and one race on Saturday and two races on Sunday.
Scoop
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Townshend Resists The Pressure For First Win
With fastest laps from the first race defining grid positions, it was Ajay Giddy starting on pole position for the second time today as he lined up alongside Winter class rival Townshend on the front row. Trophy Series points leader Lee Zeltwanger would line up alongside Matt Day on the second row with Corban Sprague and Antal Sabo completing row three. As the lights went out it was Townshend who made a flawless getaway, leapfrogging into the lead by the first turn and leaving Giddy to fight off the attentions of a raging pack behind that included Zeltwanger, Sabo, Sprague and Day. Giddy was able to close up on Townshend on the straights, but the daring late braking of Townshend was enough to keep Harry ahead lap after lap. His task seemed a little easier when Giddy fell back into the clutches of Zeltwanger late in the race, but Townshend had his eyes fixed on the prize and duly came home to his first ever win in a Toyota 86. 'It was an awesome race,' said Harry on the podium. 'I knew I had to get away well and not make any mistakes at all and still hope I had enough speed to win but it all came good. Behind Townshend, the battle was resolved right at the end in favour of Zeltwanger, while Giddy backed up his morning win with another podium. Sprague and Day battled throughout but would finish fourth and fifth while series newcomer Sabo rounded off an excellent first weekend in the category with sixth place. The field was completed by Nathan Grammer, Toby Elmiger and Noel Simpson. Zeltwanger has extended his lead in the Trophy Series points table, while Townshend now assumes the top spot in the chase for the Winter Series class. Toyota 86 Trophy Series – Round 2 Taupo Race 2 Grid Car # Driver name Trophy / Winter Team 1 73 Harry Townshend Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 2 22 Lee Zeltwanger Trophy Skunkworks Racing 3 10 Ajay Giddy Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 4 84 Corban Sprague Trophy iMac Engineering 5 100 Matt Day Trophy Dayle ITM Racing 6 92 Antal Sabo Trophy RaceLab Academy 7 50 Nathan Grammer Trophy Mackenzie Motorsport 8 74 Toby Elmiger Trophy Action Motorsport 8 88 Noel Simpson Trophy Action Motorsport 2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series Rd1 9-10 May 2025 Hampton Downs - NZIGP Finale Rd2 21-22 June 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series Rd3 5-6 July 2025 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon - Manfeild Winter Series Rd4 26-27 July 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series
Scoop
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Giddy Storms To Race 1 Victory
Giddy was beaten off the line by series newcomer Antal Sabo, who started alongside him on the front row of the grid. Antal made the best start in his RaceLab Academy entry and led confidently around the first lap but Ajay had him under pressure quickly and Sabo's lack of race experience showed when he went into Turn One too quickly on the defensive line, went wide on the exit and allowed the front runners through. Giddy never looked back and raced away from a chasing Harry Townshend and Lee Zeltwanger to score maximum points in the Winter class for drivers who raced in the main Bridgestone GR 86 Championship while Zeltwanger extended his Trophy class lead with another classy podium result. Townshend put in a solid drive for another second place, resisting pressure from Zeltwanger before edging away by a few car lengths in the final couple of laps. Race victory however, belonged to Giddy, who remains not only the youngest driver in Toyota 86 racing in NZ, and the youngest to win a race, but also one of the country's youngest and most promising rising stars. 'That's great to get the first win and after Antal made his mistake it was just a question of me not making any either. The car was very good though,' said a delighted Giddy afterwards. Sabo showed plenty of speed but a similar mistake at turn one later in the race defending his fourth position pushed him back to sixth in the overall results behind CareVets Scholarship racer Corban Sprague and DAYLE ITM driver Matt Day. Action Motorsport duo Toby Elmiger and Noel Simpson finished seventh and eighth while Nathan Grammer completed the runners in ninth - making it to the chequered flag despite having a slow puncture. Toyota 86 Trophy Series – Round 2 Taupo Race 1 Grid Car # Driver name Trophy / Winter Team 1 10 Ajay Giddy Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 2 73 Harry Townshend Winter Mackenzie Motorsport 3 22 Lee Zeltwanger Trophy Skunkworks Racing 4 84 Corban Sprague Trophy iMac Engineering 5 100 Matt Day Trophy Dayle ITM Racing 6 92 Antal Sabo Trophy RaceLab Academy 7 74 Toby Elmiger Trophy Action Motorsport 8 88 Noel Simpson Trophy Action Motorsport 9 50 Nathan Grammer Trophy Mackenzie Motorsport 2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series Rd1 9-10 May 2025 Hampton Downs - NZIGP Finale Rd2 21-22 June 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series Rd3 5-6 July 2025 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon - Manfeild Winter Series Rd4 26-27 July 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series
