Saturday: Zeltwanger poised for title – but all to play for in double points finale
A great start from the outside of the front row netted Lee Zeltwanger another race victory in the Toyota 86 Trophy Series earlier on Sunday, leaving him with one hand on the inaugural title and just one race to go.
Zeltwanger edged away from pole sitter Ajay Giddy in the drag race to the first corner and managed to hold off the young charger to take the lead through the infield section of the first lap.
He built up a decent lead in the first couple of laps, too, before Giddy fought back and loomed large in the Skunkworks Motorsport TR86’s mirrors for the final two laps.
Giddy’s pace, though, wasn’t enough to halt the ice-cool Zeltwanger’s charge to the chequered flag and another maximum points score.
“The start was great, but Ajay is always quick around here, and it was pretty hard to stay in front,” he said afterwards.
“But as always, I just focused on being consistent and not making any mistakes.”
There was plenty of action behind the two leaders in a very decent race. Third across the line was Toby Elmiger, while fourth was Nathan Grammer, who put in one of his best performances in the series to challenge Elmiger throughout the second half of the race for the final step on the podium.
A post-race investigation into contact between Harry Townshend and Elmiger that left Harry in sixth resulted in a 10-second penalty for Toby, which dropped him down to sixth and gave Grammer his second podium in the series.
Just behind these two, Matt Day bounced back from a gearbox change to put in a strong drive to an eventual fourth.
Townshend had a spin after contact with Elmiger at the final chicane, which dropped him to fifth at the flag, while another victim of the final chicane was Corban Sprague, the CareVets racer, dropping to the tail of the field at the end of the first lap.
A long recovery drive saw him eventually pass series debutant Mitch Vye to take an eventual seventh.
Toyota 86 Trophy Series – Round 4 Taupo – Race 1
- Lee Zeltwanger – Skunkworks Motorsport
- Ajay Giddy – Mackenzie Motorsport
- Nathan Grammer – Mackenzie Motorsport
- Matthew Day – Dayle ITM Racing
- Harry Townshend – Mackenzie Motorsport
- Toby Elmiger – Action Motorsport
- Corban Sprague – CareVets Racing
- Mitch Vye – Right Karts Academy
Sunday: Townshend wins, but Trophy Series prize goes to Zeltwanger
Zeltwanger followed up his earlier win with another podium finish to become the inaugural Toyota 86 Trophy Series champion and secure the next step in what is proving to be a promising career.
A conservative third-place finish in Sunday afternoon’s 25-lap series finale behind race winner Townshend and Giddy was more than enough to secure the title.
The Massey racer, who won with new team Skunkworks Motorsport, can now look forward to a full season in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ’s ‘main game’, the 2025-26 Toyota GR86 Championship.
An impressive debut campaign in Toyota 86 racing saw him take the lead of the championship from the very first race – a lead he has not relinquished throughout the four-round winter series for rookie racers.
Zeltwanger’s series success secures not only a free lease of a GR86 but also free support from a race and championship-winning engineer and mechanic, supported by CareVets. It’s a dream come true for the 23-year-old.
“I can’t wait until the next season begins,” said Zeltwanger on the podium.
“I have to thank my team, Skunkworks, for the excellent job they have done over the winter. It’s been great getting the racing miles in and learning more about driving, and it’s going to be awesome putting that to work in the next stage of my career.”
The last race of the winter series was won in style by Townshend, who led from lights to flag.
He built a decent lead which hovered around the two-second mark ahead of Giddy, but in the closing laps, Giddy poured on the pressure and got onto Harry’s rear bumper.
Townshend was excellent in his consistency, maintaining his strong pace of low 1-minute 43-second laps right through to the end to take the flag.
Townshend and Giddy would finish the campaign second and third behind Zeltwanger in the overall points.
Behind those three, Sprague eventually came out best after a long battle with Elmiger, passing him on the drag to the flag on the final lap.
Neither ultimately had the pace to get past the Skunkworks Motorsport car, but theirs was the best duel in the race. A post-race penalty for Sprague would see him demoted to sixth on the results, however.
Grammer got stuck behind Day early on and could have perhaps joined and stayed with the battle for third, but he ultimately had a lonely race on his way to fifth. Behind Sprague, Day was seventh, and Vye wasn’t too far behind the pack in eighth.
Toyota 86 Trophy Series – Round 4 Taupo – Race 2
- Harry Townshend – Mackenzie Motorsport
- Ajay Giddy – Mackenzie Motorsport
- Lee Zeltwanger – Skunkworks Motorsport
- Toby Elmiger – Action Motorsport
- Nathan Grammer – Mackenzie Motorsport
- Corban Sprague – CareVets Racing
- Matthew Day – Dayle ITM Racing
- Mitch Vye – Right Karts Academy
Header Image: Bruce Jenkins
