Lee Zeltwanger is the man they have to catch in the second round of the new Toyota 86 Trophy Series at the Taupo International Motorsport Park this weekend.
On an impressive debut last month at Hampton Downs, Lee clean swept the first round of the series with pole position, two race wins and the day’s fastest lap. Now it’s on to the 3.3km track in South Waikato, notorious for being particularly hard on tyres over a race weekend.
Zeltwanger was challenged hard at the first round by Toyota GR86 Championship regulars Harry Townshend and AJ Giddy at the first round, but those challengers are likely to be joined at the sharp end of the grid by CareVets Scholarship winner Corban Sprague and the impressive Matt Day, who improved with every session at Hampton Downs.
Action Motorsport will once again field experienced racer Noel Simpson and rising talent Toby Elmiger, who will be looking to continue the improvements they made in the first round.
Conley Webley will be missing from the grid this round due to a clash with another event but will be back for the third round at Manfeild.
The field will be joined this weekend by Antal Sabo, an experienced club-level driver and eSports motorsport competitor who will be racing a Toyota 86 for the first time this weekend, running with Race Lab Academy.
The 29-year-old, who is originally from Timisoara in Romania, will bring race and class-winning experience from the Elf Rhino Racing Series, the OK Cup and the NZ Honda Cup to his challenge, which Crème Insurance will support after an introduction to the Toyota racing community by Mark Mallard.
There are two practice sessions on Saturday afternoon, but the rest of the action takes place on Sunday, with another practice, qualifying, and two races, making for a busy day for teams and drivers.
2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series:
- Round 1: 9-10 May 2025 – Hampton Downs – NZIGP Finale
- Round 2: 21-22 June 2025 – Taupo Int. Motorsport Park – Taupo Winter Series
- Round3: 5-6 July 2025 – Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon – Manfeild Winter Series
- Round 4: 26-27 July 2025 – Taupo Int. Motorsport Park – Taupo Winter Series
Header Image: Bruce Jenkins
