2024 New Zealand Grand Prix winner Liam Sceats will be back on the grid for this weekend’s 70th running of the race, and he’s focusing solely on winning the country’s biggest single-seater race for a second time.
In a last-minute deal signed over last weekend, Sceats will join TJ Speed with HMD Motorsports – winners already this season – and take to the track for the first time on Thursday to rekindle his successful relationship with the Toyota FT60.
Sceats was a force in the 2024 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy, finishing runner-up to Roman Bilinski after a stellar campaign that saw him win three races and five other podium finishes. That final win, of course, was in the 68th NZ Grand Prix. Liam dominated the race, the longest and most physically challenging of the championship.
Two years on, despite the 2026 Trophy fields being one of the strongest ever grids of single-seater racers assembled in NZ, he firmly believes he can do it again and become one of only a handful of drivers to win two or more NZ GP titles.
This exclusive list includes Stirling Moss (3 wins), Jack Brabham (3 wins), Nick Cassidy (3 wins), Craig Baird (3 wins), Ken Smith (3 wins), Graham Hill (2 wins), Chris Amon (2 wins), John McCormack (2 wins), Keke Rosberg (2 wins), Davy Jones (2 wins), Ross Cheever (2 wins), Simon Wills (2 wins) and Daniel Gaunt (2 wins).
“Yes, I believe I can,” he said. “I did two seasons in this exact car in 2023 and 2024. Yes, it was a couple of years ago now, but I’m still feeling confident.
“I’d love to be fighting for my second win. Obviously, that’s the focus going into the weekend. At the same time, I realise that stepping in right at the end of the championship, when everyone else has been racing for three weekends straight prior to this, is not an easy task.”
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ had been pushing to find a way to get Liam into the 20th seat for the GP, and long-time Toyota partner Castrol will also support the one-off effort.
“It all started with Nico Caillol and Josh Greenland of Toyota floating the idea with me. I’ve had a tough season trying to make it all work in the USA, so I was obviously super keen.
“For me, if I could do this race every single year, I would. But I’m in a position where I have to focus my very limited finances on putting together a full-season campaign overseas in 2026. At the level I’m at now, anything I look to do is heading toward close to a million dollars NZ, so I do have to save where I can. But with everyone’s support, this is a ‘must do’, and I want to win it again.”
Sceats is recognised in the sport as a driver always prepared to do the hard yards to raise money for his racing and was keen to thank all those outside of Toyota and Castrol who helped put the deal together and make the one-off GP campaign a reality.
“You often hear people thank their sponsors, but in my case they haven’t just been important they have been pivotal, so I do want to say a big thank you to Stefan Tolich of Ray Haslar Autohaus, Todd Bawden at Online Contractors, Russell Sherwin from Pro Drill, the LegaSea Group, Steve and Christine Horne from Tasman Motorsport Group and Omega Rental Cars.
“They all love their racing and are putting their faith and support in me this coming weekend, and I am truly grateful. I also want to acknowledge my performance coach, Shane McConigly, as well as the mentors and advisors who’ve helped guide me to this point. And of course, my Mum and Dad, who’ve supported me every step of the way.”
Liam and the rest of this year’s GP field will take to the track for two collective test sessions on Thursday before three official practice sessions on Friday. Sceats will not take part in the ‘catch-up’ race scheduled for Friday night at Highlands after the weather disrupted Teretonga weekend, but will be in action throughout Saturday and Sunday at Highlands.
Header Image: Tayler Burke/Shots By TayB
