Giddy leads from lights to flag for debut GR86 win

Ajay Giddy followed up a blistering qualifying performance by leading from the lights to the flag at Taupo and taking his first-ever win in the Bridgestone GR86 Championship.

In his third season of the championship, Ajay sent a clear message that he will be the man to beat with a victory ahead of Lucas McGill and an inspired Harry Townshend in the season’s opening round.

Fifteen-year-old Giddy was naturally delighted to chalk up his first win. “It feels pretty good, and I want to keep the momentum now,” he said.

“I made a bit of a mistake at turn five during the race, and Lucas definitely kept me on the edge. I was pushing hard to stay ahead, but it was a good race all in all and I’m happy to get that first win.”

Ajay made the cleanest getaway, and he had an untroubled run into the first corner, gaining a few tenths of a second over McGill as the lap progressed.

Behind them, Miles Baker, starting fourth, quickly got ahead of Aussie debutant Romeo Nasr, who then found his mirrors full of Harry Townshend. Harry was in no mood to stay behind and hustled his way through to take fourth, pushing Romeo down to fifth.

With drivers perhaps not as eager to rub doors and windows with each other this early in the season, things settled down relatively quickly with the lead two stretching out their advantage ahead of Baker, and then Townshend, Nasr and the rest.

And that was how things stayed for most of the race, with the main interest being a couple of fantastic race-long battles further back involving Mac Templeton, Nieko Scoles, and Justin Allen for the lower places of the top ten, with another battle for the minor placings involving Tayler Mitchell, Nathan Grammer and Riley Boswell raging behind them.

By lap seven, Ajay had carved out a second-long advantage over Lucas, and he was home and dry, maintaining that gap for the final three laps as he cruised to the chequered flag. Try as he might, McGill had no answer for Ajay’s speed, but second was a great result, and a personal best for the St Kentigern’s student.

Top rookie Baker looked odds on for third as they entered the final few corners,  but Townshend had other ideas. A great exit from turn 13 saw Harry slipstream Miles all the way down the back straight.

A daring late-braking manoeuvre into the final chicane got him level with Miles, and as they came out of the right-left sequence, Townshend emerged ahead and raced home to take the final podium spot.

Behind the top four, Nasr held on to fifth, with a four-second advantage over Hill in sixth; then it was Templeton in seventh, Scoles in eighth, Allen in ninth and Toyota 86 Trophy Series winner Tayler Mitchell taking tenth on his Bridgestone GR86 debut.

The reverse top eight format of the championship’s second race – on Sunday morning – will see Scoles on pole position and Templeton alongside him on the front row.  The gloves will be off further back in the top ten as Saturday’s pacesetters aim to carve their way through the field to take decent points – so vital in this championship.

Further back, Nathan Grammer did well to recover to take 11^th after starting at the back following a suspension failure in qualifying.

Bridgestone GR86 Championship – Round 1 Taupo – R1 Race result

Header Photo: Tayler Burke