Kiwi Motorsport Fans In For A Treat This Summer Courtesy Of Toyota And Stuff

To meet the thirst to see more Kiwi motorsport and up-and-coming drivers in action, Toyota New Zealand is partnering with Stuff to create a new SpeedHub, where local motor racing fans will be able to watch races live and catch up with news and reports from the tracks around New Zealand.

The move to create a new hub for motorsport is partly driven by the growing impact of Kiwi drivers 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 organises two motor racing championships in New Zealand over the summer period, the Castrol Toyota FR Oceania Championship (CTFROC) and Bridgestone GR86 Championship.

CTFROC, formerly the Toyota Racing Series, is an open wheel racing car series that has been a training ground for current F1 stars such as McLaren’s Lando Norris, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson, who is currently racing for Visa Cash App Red Bull and who won the championship in 2019. Norris won in 2016 and Stroll in 2015.

Built by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ for the Bridgestone GR86 Championship, the GR86 cars are designed for racing and professionally prepared at our Hampton Downs facility.

Toyota NZ Vice President Andrew Davis says the partnership with Stuff is designed to create a new one-stop shop for all motorsport.

“This broadcasting arrangement follows a similar offering for America’s Cup, where 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,” Andrew says.

Toyota invests in motor racing in New Zealand for two reasons – one to support the development of grass roots motor racing in this country, and secondly to provide a platform for local and international driver development.

“Over the years, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 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 the creation of the Toyota 86 Trophy Series with the previous TR86 car from May 2025 will also provide more opportunities for the many young talented drivers this country produces,” he says.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand (TGRNZ) is also working towards carbon neutrality. It is Toitū Enviromark Bronze certified and is currently working towards the next level of EMS, Gold certified. It is in the process of applying to the motorsport world governing body, the FIA, for its Three-Star Environmental Accreditation programme.

TGRNZ signed a partnership with P1 fuels, the fuel supplier for the World Rally Championship, in 2023. This partnership provides a carbon neutral fuel for CTFROC which will have a considerable impact on lowering the emissions of racing here in New Zealand and require little adjustment on the car to be able to run that fuel.

© Scoop Media