The 10th anniversary of the Toyota 86 Championship will get underway next year with six highly competitive rounds on the cards, including a Supercars support race later this year.
Starting off with three weekends supporting the Castrol Toyota Racing Series, the Toyota 86 series and its drivers can look forward to competing at six different New Zealand tracks.
The season opener will begin with a non-championship weekend of action at the Supercars event at Pukekohe Park Raceway over the weekend of September 9 to 11.
It will be a great opportunity for the 2023 championship field to get some racing miles under their belts ahead of the season with official testing also available leading up to the event. Competitors will be racing for a one-off prize pool with further details on this to be released in the coming weeks.
With regard to the championship itself, the first race kicks off at Highlands Motorsport Park in January before the trip down to Teretonga the following weekend. After that the teams head north to Hampton Downs in early February to complete their supporting role for the TRS championship.
Drivers then have a well-earned break until mid-March when the championship resumes at Taupo, before the penultimate round at Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon in April and the big season finale at Pukekohe Park Raceway in early May.
The annual media and test days are also in the diary again this season, scheduled for 29 and 30 November at Hampton Downs.
“It’s great to have our dates finalised and competitors can plan ahead with certainty,” explained TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol.
“We have included two South Island tracks and all of the North Island venues so there’s good coverage there and we’re also delighted to be on the support card for the big return of Supercars in September. This will be a massive weekend and a great way for drivers and teams to get some mileage in and enjoy a great racing atmosphere.
“We will release further details of the 2023 championship prize package once it is finalised.”
2023 Toyota 86 Championship Calendar:
| Round | Circuit | Date |
| 1 | Highlands Motorsport Park | January 13 – 15 |
| 2 | Teretonga Park | January 20 – 22 |
| 3 | Hampton Downs Motorsport Park | February 3 – 5 |
| 4 | Taupo International Motorsport Park | March 17 – 19 |
| 5 | Manfield – Circuit Chris Amon | April 14 – 16 |
| 6 | Pukekohe Park Raceway | May 5 – 7 |
Non championship event: Supercars, Pukekohe on September 9 to 11.
Championship test and media days: Hampton Downs Motorsport Park on 29 & 30 November 2022.
