• Latest
  • Trending

Dion Pitt not letting bad luck knock his stride, says first win will come

March 2, 2022

Norris triumphs in chaotic British Grand Prix as McLaren secures historic 1-2 finish, Lawson DNF in lap 1 incident

July 7, 2025

Motorsport mourns the loss of Tim Miles after tragic accident

July 6, 2025

Van Gisbergen goes back-to-back on the streets of Chicago in Xfinity thriller

July 6, 2025

SVG storms to pole for NASCAR Xfinity Chicago Street Race

July 6, 2025

Verstappen snatches British GP pole in tight Silverstone shootout, Lawson out in Q1

July 6, 2025

Strong signs for Ferrari and Racing Bulls ahead of qualifying

July 6, 2025

Zeltwanger completes dominant day with race win

July 5, 2025
2025, QUEENSLAND, NEW ZEALAND, , 
WORLD COPYRIGHT: TAYLER BURKE
_SAT4374.CR3

Neck-and-Neck in the Dust: Paddon vs Bates lights up Rally Queensland

July 5, 2025

Lando Norris leads the pack as Racing Bulls shine again in British GP FP2

July 5, 2025

Close racing expected at Manfeild in Toyota 86 Trophy Series

July 5, 2025

Racing Bulls fly at Silverstone: Lawson & Hadjar star in FP1

July 5, 2025
Monday, July 7, 2025
VelocityNews
Subscribe
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard
No Result
View All Result
VelocityNews
No Result
View All Result

Dion Pitt not letting bad luck knock his stride, says first win will come

by Zane Shackleton
March 2, 2022
in New Zealand, News, Toyota GR86 Championship
0

Somehow, Dion Pitt still hasn’t won a race this Toyota 86 season.

The Rookie of the Year points leader has stood on both flanks of the podium but has yet to reach the top step.

And really, he can’t do much more.

“Don’t let JP [John Penny] pip me on the line and maybe have a bit of luck,” was Pitt’s answer to the question: why haven’t you won yet?

Pitt made an immediate impression on the 86 championship.

A relatively unknown club racer made the jump to the country’s premier tin-top category and earned a podium in his first-ever race.

A week later, in Ruapuna, Pitt made a storming start in the rain to take an early lead.

He would be spun by a rival car and ultimately finish 11th.

Round three at Hampton Downs was a similar story. Pitt had plenty of pace, but luck would have the final say.

This time, it was Penny inching past Pitt in sight of the chequered flag to steal a win.

And so, at the halfway point of his first 86 season, Pitt is yet to get into the winner’s column, despite having the pace to do so.

Not that it bothers him…too much.

“I think [the season] has gone pretty well, other than the bit of bad luck,” he said.

“I have progressively felt myself get faster and more comfortable in the car.

“I couldn’t really give it a rating, but it is in the good category. I can feel it going really well.”

Helping Pitt continue to grow are his Action Motorsport teammates.

The Auckland-based outfit has four cars in the top ten of the championship, including defending champion Rowan Shepherd who is second.

While Pitt likes to focus on personal development each weekend, he also enjoys the challenge of benchmarking himself off other drivers like Shepherd.

“I do kind of just focus on myself in a way, but I do have benchmarkers.

“[Shepherd] is a good benchmark to see where you are at. But a lot of our cars are quite similarly set-up, so I kind of know the window I need to be in.

“So, I do like to focus on myself, but it can be handy looking over my teammate’s data to see where I can tidy myself up.”

Pitt has also noticed an improvement in his race craft throughout the season.

“Definitely my braking, just being a lot smoother on it.

“I look at everyone else’s brake trace, especially within the team and have been using that as a guide. But I have definitely tidied that up a lot since the start of the season.”

And while he has come so close, yet so far from a first race win, Pitt is still fifth in the drivers’ championship after three rounds.

He is also leading the Rookie of the Year standings, which he says is a big target for the year.

“I’m really gunning for the rookie championship,” he said.

“Definitely to stay within the top-five is my other goal, and I reckon I could pick off another couple maybe.”

But what does Pitt need to do to finally score that much-deserved victory?

“I don’t really know,” he laughed.

“Just keep doing what I am doing, improve on certain areas even more, and I know it will come.”

Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.

No Result
View All Result
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.