It was an advantage Ajay Giddy had heading into the final day of the 2025/2026 Mazda Racing Super Series at Taupō International Motorsport Park — and the Silverdale teenager ultimately converted that into championship glory after a dramatic weekend of racing.
Fourteen-year-old Giddy and Stu Lawton arrived at the final round tied on points, with Callum Pratt just four points behind, setting up a thrilling title decider.
Qualifying on Saturday delivered the dream scenario as Giddy set the fastest time, with Lawton alongside him on the front row for the opening ten-lap race. James Black lined up third to be the wildcard on the grid, with Pratt fourth and an epic showdown in prospect.
However, there was early drama as a technical issue forced Pratt to start from the rear of the grid.
That left Giddy and Lawton in a head-to-head battle, and they did not disappoint. Giddy led throughout, with Lawton generally less than a second behind until lap seven when a brief off-track excursion dropped him to fifth.
Giddy continued unchallenged to the chequered flag, taking the win from Black, while Sam Dashfield finished third. Lawton recovered to fourth — setting the fastest lap of the race — ahead of Simon Baker in fifth and Alex Canty in sixth.
Tomas Climo was seventh, with Pratt climbing from the back to eighth by lap four but unable to progress further. Nigel Edger and Phil Clemas rounded out the top ten. Jesse Gould, who had been set to start sixth, did not take the start following an issue after the warm-up lap.
That result handed Giddy a narrow points advantage heading into Sunday, where the top ten from Saturday’s race were reversed for the morning’s 12-lap contest — placing Giddy tenth on the grid, Lawton seventh, and Pratt third.
Sunday morning’s race saw Pratt capitalise on his starting position, leading all the way to take victory ahead of Baker and Black. However, post-race penalties altered the finishing order slightly, with Baker retaining second while Black dropped down the order, promoting Giddy to third.
Lawton’s title hopes took a major blow in this race, as mechanical issues left him struggling home one lap down at the rear of the field.
That set up a final ten-lap showdown on Sunday afternoon, with Giddy and Pratt emerging as the primary title contenders. Giddy started from pole position, with Pratt lining up fourth.
In a composed and controlled drive, Giddy led from lights to flag to seal both the race win and the championship. Baker finished second, with Pratt crossing the line in third.
Gould, Canty, and Mac Berkett completed the top six, followed by Climo, while Lawton finished eighth.
Giddy’s performance across the weekend – two wins and a third- secured him the series title with 637 points. Pratt claimed runner-up honours on 616 points, while Lawton finished third overall with 589.
In addition to the championship, Giddy also secured the round win, his third of the season, and was the top rookie for the weekend. Baker finished second overall for the round and claimed top honours in the Masters (Over 50) category, with Pratt third overall.
Clemas, who had led the Masters standings coming into the weekend, failed to finish the final race, handing the class title to Baker, with Clemas second and Steve Brown third.
Giddy also secured the overall rookie title for the season ahead of Black and Climo, while he proved the top performer across the North Island rounds. Lawton, meanwhile, was the standout in the South Island.
The Teams Championship went to Two and a Half Drivers – comprising Black, Pratt, and Bryan Walker – capping off a fiercely contested season that delivered a fittingly dramatic finale at Taupō.
Header Image: Geoff Ridder
