Raana Horan will swap his Skoda Fabia R5 Evo rally car for a Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup car, with an entry into the GT New Zealand Championship, which begins in November.
Having recently finished second in the 2023 New Zealand Rally Championship, Horan steps into the Porsche 991.2 raced last season by Paul Pedersen.
With very little to no experience on the tarmac, it will also be a family affair at the New Zealand circuits this Summer for Horan, with his 15-year-old son Brooklyn also competing in the Toyota 86 Championship.
“I have no real expectations for the season, with not a lot of experience on the tarmac, but it will be good to be racing at the same events as Brooklyn.”
“But the Mach 1 Engineering team is a good team, and Paul won races in the car last season, so there will be lots of data to go over to get myself up to speed.”
His first foray into circuit racing, with largely an offroad racing and rallying background, Horan says a completely different driving style will be needed.
“Compared to a rally car, it’s quite different in driving styles, with rally you’re breaking traction to swing and move the car into position for the next corner, whereas tarmac is the opposite, but the principles are the same, be tidy, smooth, hit the apex etc.”
“The other difference is gravel hides a lot of drivers because the road surface is ever changing whereas on tarmac bad lines and bad driving is very visible.”
Each round of the GT New Zealand Championship will feature two 30-minute races along with one 60-minute race with a compulsory pit stop.
The 2023/24 GT New Zealand Championship will consist of a five-round series over five months commencing November 17-19 at Taupo Motorsport Park in Taupo.
