With an extensive background in New Zealand single seater racing, Michael Scott from Te Puke is aiming to make a big impression in the Toyota Finance 86 Championship.
Scott, 20, began his motor racing career in karting in 2007. He has twice been runner-up in the national Formula Ford championship, has won a Formula First series and has two seasons of competition in the single-seater Toyota Racing Series to draw on in his first run at the intensely competitive single make championship.
He is one of two drivers to be awarded a CareVets scholarship for the 2015 Toyota Finance 86 Championship. The mechanical engineering student says the chance to contest the championship in a new car is “beyond exciting”.
“The TR 86 is a proper race car, it rewards precision and finesse and it allows me to apply everything I have learned in single seaters. It’s fantastic to see what Keith is doing to help young race drivers with this scholarship,” he said.
A record 16 drivers will start the first round at the Pukekohe V8 Supercars meeting on November 7 and 8.
Further rounds are at Hampton Downs on November 28 and 29 and then at three of the rounds of the Toyota Racing Series international championship at Ruapuna, Christchurch on January 16 and 17; Teretonga, Invercargill, January 23 and 24; Manfeild near Palmerston North on February 13 and 14, with the final at the Taupo circuit on March 26 and 27.
