Gold Coast racer Alice Buckley is a notable addition to a mouth-watering Toyota 86 Championship field.
Sixteen year old Buckley has demonstrated considerable form in the Toyota Scholarship series which is a feeder category for rookie drivers into Australia’s main Toyota 86 Championship.
Three wins, three podiums, a pole position and two fastest laps show she will likely be a force to be reckoned with in her New Zealand campaign. Her experience stretches beyond the TR86 too. She also tested Formula 4 and competed at the Ferrari Academy in 2022.
As well as completing testing in New Zealand recently, the year 10 student has also been a regular at the renowned Norwell Motorplex which is close by to where she lives. It’s playing a big part in her career development as she explained.
“I am very focused and it’s great to have the support of my family however I also have an extended support team in Norwell,” she said. “Paul Morris and the team have been amazing and it’s local to where I live, so I am very lucky.
“I learn so much at Norwell with their experienced staff as I not only get to practice and learn techniques, I get to experience working around the cars and the instructors. Throughout this year I have also raced the Toyota 86s in Australia in both the Scholarship and the Toyota 86 Australia Championship.
“I want to continue to focus on racing and improving on and off track. I will have a new team, a new car and be learning new tracks which is very challenging and exciting. I want to continue to learn and push myself to improve to always strive to be better.
Buckley’s inclusion in this season’s championship makes her the third confirmed female racer in the biggest ever field for the category alongside compatriot Summer Rintoule and Christina Orr-West. A total of 24 cars will compete over the six rounds which make up the 2023-2024 Championship.
It will include rounds in the North and South Island and being one of the main supports for the 68th New Zealand Grand Prix which will be held at the Highlands Motorsport Park for the first time in February.
It all begins this coming weekend with Round 1 at the Taupo International Motorsport Park when the second season of the New Zealand SuperSprint national summer motorsport series gets underway.
2023/24 Toyota 86 Schedule
| Rd 1 | November 17-19 | Taupo |
| Rd2 | January 26-28 | Manfeild |
| Rd 3 | February 9-11 | Ruapuna |
| Rd 4 | February 16-18 | Highlands |
| Rd 5 | March 15-17 | Hampton Downs |
| Rd 6 | April | TBC |
Words & Images: Supplied
