A new car and a new format are on the cards for Glen Brazier when the New Zealand Endurance Championship kicks off at Hampton Downs on the 4th of May.
Brazier will team up with Pro driver Andrew Waite for the event, which doubles as the opening round of the 2024 North Island Endurance Series, to share a newly imported Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo in the 3-Hour.
The duo have been testing the car at Ruapuna in preparation for the series, with James Marshall Motorsport overseeing operations.
“I’ve quite enjoyed it,” Brazier told Velocity News. “We’ve been going to the track with Andrew to cut some laps and do some driver training. I’ve raced over the last couple of years in a Porsche, but before that, I had a 10 to 12-year break from racing, and the last thing I drove before was a Trans-Am.
“It’s exciting to have something new and slightly different that brings a bit more variety to the field. Hopefully, this will attract some interest with the great variety of GT3 cars and other cars there. It’s nice to have something different.
“I’m grateful to James Marshall Motorsport for looking after it, and I’m looking forward to having Andrew on board to help my side of things.”
Brazier competed in the 2023 South Island Endurance Series in a Porsche GT3 Cup 992, finishing eighth overall in the Class 2 & 3 One-Hour championship as a solo driver.
Waite was also present in the second round, filling in for Bill Riding with Steve Brooks in an Audi R8 LMS GT3 for the second round at Teretonga.
“We’ve done a couple of test days now, and it’s been really good,” Waite told Velocity News. “It’s been really cool watching Glen get up to speed and cut laps and seeing him get excited about the series coming up.
“It’s all new for Glen, so we’re not putting too big an expectations out there. I understand what it’s like to get into these cars and get up to speed in, so I think number one, to get started, is to get out there and enjoy it.
“That’s the cool thing with James Marshall Motorsport; it’s a really good balance of enjoying your racing while also putting your best foot forward and making the most of it. It’s a cool environment for that reason.”
The 2024 New Zealand Endurance Championship also introduces new seat time regulations, with Elite/PRO drivers limited to a maximum of 70 minutes at the wheel.
That puts the onus on AM competitors, something which both drivers are embracing.
“I think it’s quite a cool thing that’s been done,” says Waite. “It gives the AMs more time in the car, and it certainly changes the whole aspect of it and gives them a bit more enjoyment out of it.”
Brazier adds, “I think it’s a great rule change. It gives the AM-AM pairings more of a chance… It’s now a bit more reliant on the AMs doing a decent job. Hopefully, we can squeeze a bit more out of me to save Andrew from having to make up a bit at the end to make up for my shortcomings.”
Entries for Round 1 of the North Island Endurance Series are now open. Entry details, articles, and supplementary regulations are on NIERDC’s new-look website.
Each team’s top two rounds will combine with their top two South Island Endurance Series results to determine the New Zealand Endurance Championship winner.
The 2024 North Island Endurance Series begins with Round 1 on the Hampton Downs National Circuit, followed by events at Taupo International Motorsport Park (May 25) and Hampton Downs’s International Circuit (June 15).
The Fast Files will live-stream each of NIERDC’s 2024 events.
