SpeedHub to screen racing
Toyota NZ is partnering with Stuff to create SpeedHub so local fans can watch next-gen New Zealand championship races live and catch up with news from tracks.
The move to create a new hub is partly driven by the growing impact of Kiwis in global motorsport – think Liam Lawson in F1, Shane van Gisbergen in Nascar, Marcus Armstrong, Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin in IndyCars, and Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley in the World Endurance Championship.
Toyota’s racing arm, Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ (TGRNZ) organises two series in this country over the summer, the Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Championship (CTFROC) and Bridgestone GR86s.
For more than 20 years, the company been heavily involved in motorsport in New Zealand. This has led to the development of a racing platform that provides an opportunity for growth in young drivers.
Not only that, it’s a chance to show innovation at its best, and partnering with Stuff allows that innovation and talent to be showcased to a larger audience.
Toyota NZ vice-president, Andrew Davis, says the deal with Stuff is designed to create a new one-stop shop for all motorsport.
“This broadcasting arrangement follows a similar offering for the America’s Cup when we brought racing live and free to a Kiwi audience. We’re keen to do the same with motor racing and make the sport more accessible to Kiwis.”
Toyota invests in motor racing in New Zealand for two reasons – to support the development of grass-roots racing, and to provide a platform for local and international driver development.
Davis says: “TGRNZ has put together a clear pathway for young drivers with the two main championships.
“The introduction of the GR Supra GT4 EVO in the GT New Zealand Championship and creation of the Toyota 86 Trophy Series with the previous TR86 from May 2025 will also provide more opportunities for the many young talented drivers this country produces.”
TGRNZ is also working towards carbon neutrality. It is Toitū Enviromark Bronze-certified and is working towards the next level of EMS, Gold-certified. It’s in the process of applying to the motorsport world governing body, the FIA, for its three-star environmental accreditation programme.
It signed a partnership with P1 fuels in 2023, the fuel supplier for the World Rally Championship since 2022 and Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters from 2025 onwards.
This partnership provides a 100 per cent fossil-free fuel for CTFROC. That will have a considerable impact on lowering the emissions of racing and requires little adjustment for the vehicle to run on that fuel.
