Sixteen-year-old Australian young gun Mathew Basso is an exciting addition to the coming season’s Bridgestone GR86 Championship.
Inspired to race from age two after watching the movie Cars, and more recently by Shane van Gisbergen in NASCAR and Oscar Piastri in F1, the Mornington Peninsula youngster won the prestigious 2026/27 Wolfbrook Motorsport Foundation Scholarship.
This secured him a Toyota GR86 and a $50,000 funding boost to compete in the NZ championship with James Marshall Motorsport.
As recently as two weeks ago, Mathew caught the eye with superb driving in the Aussie Racing Cars class at the Gold Coast Supercars weekend.
The former karter enjoyed a stellar season in the tough category that saw him finish second in the rookie standings and an impressive ninth in the overall points with two outright race victories and a round win at The Bend, even after not being able to compete at round one of the series due to age restrictions at Bathurst.
Now, he is looking to New Zealand and the cut and thrust of GR86 racing to take his career to the next level, and he’s hoping experience in Formula Ford in NZ gained in a busy 2026 season will stand him in good stead when he steps aboard his James Marshall Motorsport GR86 this coming weekend.
“I’ve raced at quite a few of the New Zealand circuits during my Formula Ford season earlier this year, so that should help,” said Mathew, a keen basketballer and karting driver coach when he’s not in the hot seat himself.
“Cromwell is the one I haven’t raced at yet, and that looks like an awesome track, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“One of the really cool things about racing in NZ is that you can start competing in these categories at a younger age than in Australia, which gives younger drivers some great opportunities to develop”.
This year’s championship is packed with high-quality talent, and Mathew knows how hard it is to perform well in it, let alone to win races and challenge for the title.
“The Bridgestone GR86 Championship has some seriously good drivers, including young talent and experienced competitors, so it’s going to be a great challenge. I want to be competitive, learn as much as I can, and hopefully be fighting towards the front.
“I know there’s going to be a lot to learn with a new car, new team and some really experienced drivers, but I’m not there just to make up the numbers. I’d love to be challenging for podiums, and hopefully some race wins as the season progresses. I’ll be pushing myself to get the most out of every session”.
“I also really want to do a great job representing the Wolfbrook Motorsport Foundation. They’ve given me an incredible opportunity, and I want to make them proud, both on and off the track.”
The Bridgestone GR86 Championship – which once again runs with the premier-level Repco NextGen NZ Motorsport Championship series – gets underway over the forthcoming November 13-15 weekend at the Taupo International Motorsport Park at the PTS Logistics season opener.
Header Photo: Supplied
