Another exciting season of Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series action has arrived, with the opening round of the South Island Series scheduled at Ruapuna in Christchurch this weekend.
Leading the entry is the current New Zealand and South Island title holder, Chris White of Prebbleton. White is moving into the Toyota GR86 Championship this season and recently won the Tony Quinn Foundation Toyota GR86 Shootout which has gained him a support package to contest that series.
This weekend, he will drive series newcomer Bryan Walker’s car in a cameo appearance while Walker is overseas.
Another star from last season, Arthur Broughan is, like White, also moving into the Toyota GR86 Championship this season. He too was a finalist alongside White in the shootout and will have an early season outing in the car he used in his impressive rookie season to finish sixth overall in the New Zealand Series and fifth in the South Island Series.
While White and Broughan are making cameo appearances this weekend there are several drivers looking to launch their series title aspirations with a good points haul.
Will Kitching will be a favourite for the title after an impressive rookie campaign last season in which he finished second to White in the South Island Series and third overall in the New Zealand title race.
Matt Dodd and Dalan Price are both series regulars who will be very much to the forefront. Dodd was runner-up in the South Island Series two years ago and third last year, while Price was fourth last season.
Mac Templeton was another impressive debutant last year finishing tenth in the New Zealand Series and marking himself as one to watch in his second season.
Mac Berkett of Nelson is making his debut this weekend in White’s 2023/24 series winning car, while Andrew French of Christchurch returns for his second season.
Meanwhile, Marc Denton, well known from the Rennsport BMW Series and the South Island Endurance Series, plus Michael Court, make their series debuts in newly built cars.
Aucklander Anthony Tork, a prominent competitor in the North Island Series, ventures south to join a competitive line up to kick off the South Island Series in what promises to be another thrilling season of racing.
