Local driver Corban Sprague has immediately stamped his mark on the 2025/26 Mazda Pro8 New Zealand series, winning two of the three races of the opening round held at the Timaru International Raceway over the weekend.
“It’s a great start to the series,” commented Sprague.
“I don’t like to be overconfident; however, I back myself. We know we have the speed, and we hope to be more on top of our reliability this season after some difficulties last summer.”
Sprague finished a frustrating runner-up in last season’s series and is out to make amends this summer.
“There’s a bit of redemption as motivation, although I like to think I have stepped up a level. There are still a few mistakes I made over the weekend that I need to improve on.”
There was no rest over the winter with tackling the Toyota 86 Trophy Series as well as attending the week-long Elite Motorsport Academy in Dunedin in July, set up to foster up-and-coming Kiwi talent.
“It was such a great experience covering everything outside of driving, which is so important,” said Sprague.
“I learnt a massive amount from the week, which is going to help me not only in racing but also in life.
“There is so much more to what happens off the track for example heading into a race weekend I’m thinking about and preparing everything that goes into making it successful, including nutrition, hydration, media, sponsorship and sleep, which can have a massive impact on a race day.”
Sprague qualified the fastest on Saturday morning before a marble-draw first race saw him start from the rear of the field.
“That was a super-hectic race, so I just picked my moves as I didn’t want to make any mistakes. Made my way to fifth, but an incident on the last lap, which I avoided, put me back to seventh.
“I started from fourth for the second 10-lapper. It wasn’t a great start, and there was a red flag, which meant a full restart. That went much better, and I was able to lead from the first lap, putting down consistent lap times and holding onto the lead to the (checkered) flag.
“For the final third race, I started in second alongside Hamish Evans. Got a good start and led off turn one. Hamish is a good driver and kept the pressure on me through the whole race. I was able to get a two-second gap and went on to take the win.”
Sprague has his eye on the TA2 NZ Series with a view to competing next summer.
“It is a matter of staying sharp and race fit as I work towards moving up a category. I was fortunate to have a TA2 test at Hampton Downs, which was an awesome experience.
“It’s a great class for a young fellow, and I’m keen on pursuing it. The power was awesome, they move around with their big side-walled tyre, which I enjoy, not too different to how the Mazda handles.”
Sprague won the Mazda Pro8 NZ round and is leading the series by 15 points over Hamish Evans and Jared Pryke in third. The second of five rounds takes place at the Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, 21-23 November 2025.
Header Image: Neil Howie Enuff Photography
