Sixteen-year-old Invercargill race car driver, Nieko Scoles, has claimed the 2026 Toyota Winter Series title in his first full foray into a national-level motorsport series.
Scoles finished first in the Winter Series and second in the Trophy/Rookie series in an impressive campaign fought out over four rounds in the North Island between May and early August.
Driving a Toyota TR86 prepared by Mackenzie Motorsport, he took three race wins, seven podiums, two pole positions and five fastest laps, a truly impressive performance.
All the circuits were totally new to Scoles, apart from some testing prior to the series, but he instantly made a statement by taking pole position at the opening round at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in North Waikato back in May.
While pole position in the first two races did not convert to a race win, Scoles still left the opening round with the series lead. “It was a bit gutting not getting a race win there. We didn’t do any practice starts before the race, and I didn’t get great starts. It was a shame as I had the best race pace.”
The next round was at Taupō International Motorsport Park in June, and his first series race win came in the second race of the round. Starting second on the grid in wet conditions, Nieko pulled out a 4-second lead to take the chequered flag in what he describes as a highlight of the series.
The final two rounds were at Manfeild Circuit in Feilding, a circuit Nieko enjoyed. “I like Manfeild. It has a really good flow. If you muck up one corner, you stuff up a whole section of track. In that way it is a little bit like Ruapuna in Christchurch, so I applied some of what I do there to it.”
At the first Manfeild round, Scoles took pole before racing to another win, followed by a second place in the second contest. Unfortunately, while trying to avoid his teammate, whose car had shut down in the third race, Scoles was hit and had to retire, costing him points that may ultimately have cost him the Rookie title.
The final round at Manfeild saw another race win and a series that came down to the final race, with Scoles taking the Winter Series after a very successful campaign.
While he is only sixteen and this was his first national-level series, Nieko has plenty of experience and success. Originally from Dunedin, where he raced moto-X, Scoles first appeared at Teretonga Park as a twelve-year-old in entry-level ClubSport, driving his dad’s BMW.
Even on that first outing, he impressed observers with his car control. He did more ClubSport events in a Mazda MX5 before racing in club events in his Toyota TR86. He raced the Toyota in club events and the South Island Endurance Series while his father built up an MX5 for racing, which he also used in club events and the Endurance Series.
Successes included winning the 1601-2500cc class of the Southland Sports Car Club Race Championship for two consecutive years and finishing second in the 2024 Highlands Sprint Series Championship.
At the beginning of this year, Scoles was named a 2026 Winmax Junior Driver programme recipient, selected by the Paddon Racing Group in Cromwell, and including tutorship by Hayden Paddon.
He has also attended the Hampton Downs Driving Academy, driven a GT4 Ginetta in testing at Highlands Motorsport Park, and this year tackled the Highlands round of the Bridgestone GR86 Championship, the hoped-for next step in his career.
Nieko is a Year 12 student at James Hargest College, working part-time after school as an assistant mechanic for one of his sponsors, South Dig.
Winning the Winter Series has secured Scoles a lease car for the GR86 Championship, and he and his team are currently seeking support to tackle the full championship. To find more information on Nieko Scoles’ racing efforts, go to niekoscolesracing.com
Sponsors for his Winter Series campaign were Night ‘n Day Invercargill, Power Farming New Zealand, Power Farming Southland, Central Lift Cromwell, Kings House Removals, Kelly Painting & Decorating Ltd, Invercargill Hose & Hydraulics / Ryco 24/7, South Dig, Summit Simmentals, Harvey Tanks Ltd, Pro Wear and Paddon Racing Group. Nieko also acknowledges the support of Pop and Joanne Scoles, his father Daniel, Mike Evans, and Sam Mackenzie.
Header Image: Bruce Jenkins Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ
