The recently completed season of NZ Mazda Racing Series action was celebrated at the annual prizegiving at Blackwells Mazda in Christchurch.
Champions and placegetters in the respective series were acknowledged along with other milestones and achievements from the 2024/2025 season.
Will Kitching of Timaru scooped the major prize when he was presented with the trophy for winning the National Series ahead of Stu Lawton of Paraparaumu and Jesse Gould of Raumati Beach.
Kitching also took the South Island Trophy after winning that series from Matt Dodd of Christchurch and Mac Berkett of Nelson.
It was Lawton who wrote his name on the North Island Series trophy while Aucklanders Karl Gaines and Callum Pratt were second and third, respectively.
Mac Templeton of Prebbleton in Canterbury secured the North Island Rookie of the Year title while Berkett achieved that honour in the South Island.
Meanwhile, Gaines was the Masters Champion (Over 50) in the North Island Series, and Anthony Tork of Auckland was the South Island Series Masters Champion.
The drivers adjudged the Most Improved in each island were Alex Canty of Auckland (North) and Matt Dodd (South).
The Premier Insulation team of Pratt and fellow Aucklander Sam Dashfield were presented with the North Island Series Team Award, and Torks Precision Engineering (Tork and Dalan Price of Swannanoa in Canterbury) the South Island Teams Award.
There were several other presentations made on the night, with Callum Pratt receiving the award for the Best Presented Car and Steven Spear of Auckland the Sportsman of the Year Trophy.
Phil Clemas of Auckland was named Supporter of the Year, Andrew French of Rolleston, Personality of the Year, and Lindsay Dodd of Christchurch, Volunteer of the Year.
Nigel Edger of Hamilton took the Craig Casey Memorial Trophy for his contribution throughout the season.
Two of the series’ brightest young talents, Kitching and Berkett, received the opportunity courtesy of Toyota Gazoo Racing to test the GR86 Toyota at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park recently.
Both enjoyed the experience, Kitching describing it as “awesome”. In his view, the Mazda and Toyota were both very similar – “rear wheel drive with similar power and similar characteristics.
They are different in some details, but the NZ Racing Mazda Series is a good platform to step into Toyota, as we saw with graduates Chris White and Arthur Brougham this season.”
Berkett described the test as “good fun and a good experience. I enjoyed the data side of it.”
Kitching is moving on from the Mazda Racing Series after his successful season, while Berkett will be back on the grid for another year.
Planning is well underway for next season, which will ensure the continuation of the exciting racing the series is known for, while more plans are underway to expand the series.
While some of the traditional names will be seen in other classes next season, some new names are on the horizon, along with the core of drivers from the past season.
Expect plenty of close, hard racing from this spectacular series once again in the 2025/2026 season.
Header Image: Supplied
