Up-and-coming youngster Matt Day will make his debut in the GT New Zealand Championship this weekend at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell.
The 16-year-old from Auckland will field a Mercedes AMG GT4 across the weekend.
With just four years of motorsport under his belt, Day has sampled a wide variety of machinery from a BMW E30 through to a Lamborghini Huracan GT3.
“I started racing four years ago, doing club sport events like motorkhanas while waiting for medical clearance to go circuit racing. I had done a bit of circuit work in a BMW E30 before moving onto the BMW E46 Scholarship, where I finished 5th overall and as rookie of the year,” said Day.
“I’ve also competed in Toyota’s Trophy winter Series in the TR86, finishing 4th overall. Moving into this season, I’ve gone back to BMW E46 racing in my own car, and I’m halfway through the season now.”
“My biggest and most recent achievement was winning the SIERDC title in a Lamborghini Huracan GT3, with a race win at a very wet Teretonga!”
With a limited amount of running in the Mercedes AMG GT4, Day says he’s confident going into the coming weekend.
“I’ve had very limited seat time in the AMG with only one day in the car to date, all the way back in July last year. I’ve done a fair bit of racing around Highlands with the South Island Endurance Series, and the Highlands sprint series in a Toyota 86.”
“I don’t have any real expectations for the weekend, as it’s only my first time in the Championship. There are quite a few fast guys in GT4, and the racing there last season was super close.”
The Matt Day Mercedes AMG GT4 is supported by Dayle ITM, BBI Wood Products, RedStag Timber, and Sumitsteel.
The GT New Zealand Championship now heads to the Highlands circuit at Cromwell this coming weekend for round three. Competitors will again tackle two 30-minute races and a 50-minute feature race.
Header Image: Supplied
