Trophy series dates locked in

Dates for the second Toyota 86 Trophy Series have been confirmed with the organisers aiming to attract quantity and quality.

After last season’s successful introduction to New Zealand’s motorsport calendar, 2026 will again be held over four rounds.

Inaugural champion Lee Zeltwanger has made the step up to the “main game” Bridgestone GR86 Championship for the summer season, and category manager Amanda Tollemache is confident the next edition will reveal yet more rising Kiwi talent.

“Lee and several of the other young drivers in the winter series are the reason we wanted to run a grassroots competition like the Toyota 86 Trophy Series,” she explains.

“Its focus is to bring through those drivers who are performing well in entry-level series and give them a professionally run series with genuine career-changing prizes and a platform from which they can showcase their skills.”

Each weekend will include two practice sessions, one qualifying session and two or three races with Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ confirming the prize package soon. It’s likely to again help make the next career step on the racing pathway for top performers.

Entries will open early next year. Prospective drivers and teams can register their interest by emailing racing@toyota.co.nz.

Toyota 86 Trophy Series dates

Round one: May 16-17 at Hampton Downs (NZIGP season finale). 
Round two: June 20-21 at Taupo Motorsport Park (Taupo Car Club’s winter series). 
Round three: July 4-5 at Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon (Feilding Auto Electrical Winter Series) 
Round four: August 1-2 at Manfeild.