Latest news with #LeeZeltwanger
Scoop
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Zeltwanger Two Races Away From Glory
Lee Zeltwanger will be hoping for a drama-free weekend as the clock counts down to the final round of the inaugural Toyota 86 Trophy Series at Taupo International Motorsport Park this Saturday and Sunday. Zeltwanger has been the revelation of the four round winter series, not only matching the pace of more senior Bridgestone GR86 Championship runners Harry Townshend and Ajay Giddy, but leading the points battle for series honours overall with just two races this Sunday remaining. He has a 60 point lead over his nearest challenger in the race for the highly desirable prize pool. The winner will secure not only a free lease of a GR86 – supported by CareVets – but also free support from a race and championship winning engineer and mechanic. Second place in the championship will secure a free lease of a car from TGRNZ. Both first and second places will be responsible for other season costs. The third placed driver will secure entry fees and tyres for a season in the 2024-25 Bridgestone GR86 Championship. Sprague will be aiming to sign off his winter season in style with a debut win, having improved with each outing in his CareVets Scholarship car while Matt Day has impressed many with his speed in the TR86 and is in a well-deserved third overall in the Trophy Series points. All of the young guns will need to have their eyes out this weekend for both Townshend and Giddy. Both have taken wins and multiple podium places in the three rounds so far and will be on the pace this coming weekend too. They can't win the Trophy Series prizes – which are exclusively for TR86 rookies – but they can certainly add to their tally of wins and that is what both will be aiming to do. Mitch Vye makes his TR86 debut this weekend at Taupo too, and it will be the first appearance in the winter series for the Right Karts Academy – which ran three cars so strongly in its debut Bridgestone GR86 Championship campaign last season. If Mitch matches the form of the summer series drivers, he could be a dark horse for this final weekend. Nathan Grammer and Toby Elmiger complete the runners and will both be hoping to finish their campaigns for Mackenzie Motorsport and Action Motorsport on a high. Toyota 86 Trophy Series – Points after Round 3
Scoop
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Close Racing Expected At Manfeild In Toyota 86 Trophy Series
Nose to tail racing should be a guarantee when the Toyota 86 Trophy Series takes to the iconic Manfeild - Circuit Chris Amon track in Feilding for the third round this weekend. While championship leader Lee Zeltwanger dominated the three races of the first round, honours for the two races at the second round a fortnight ago were split between young Ajay Giddy and Harry Townshend. And try as he might, there was nothing Zeltwanger could do as he headed the rest of the compact but very high quality field. Zeltwanger's performance so far in the winter series is all the more impressive because the small team running him – Skunkworks Racing – is also new to Toyota 86 racing. Lee and his team are also mixing it with some big names in NZ motorsport including Mackenzie Motorsport, iMac Engineering, RaceLab Academy and Action Motorsport. Timaru's Corban Sprague is another new to Toyota 86 racing having secured the CareVets Scholarship prize for this inaugural winter TR86 series and he may just make that breakthrough to a first win this weekend having gained in speed and confidence over the previous two rounds. Matt Day is in a very similar situation on track, catching the eye with some great racing laps and race speed. Combine that with an improvement in qualifying and he will also be a threat for race wins this weekend. Nathan Grammer and Toby Elmiger are improving with each outing too and can be expected to go well. The two experienced Bridgestone GR86 Championship runners – Townshend and Giddy – will inevitably be close to the outright pace regardless this weekend and will be hunting for more race victories as they try to win the Winter class of the series. They are ineligible for Trophy Class points. The technical and cambered turns of the Manfeild circuit invariably create great racing amongst the Toyota 86s and there'll be plenty of action for them this weekend with two practice sessions, qualifying and one race on Saturday and two races on Sunday.
Scoop
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Zeltwanger In Rivals' Sights For Taupo
Lee Zeltwanger is the man they have to catch at 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 the South Waikato, notorious as being particularly hard on tyres over a race weekend. Zeltwanger was challenged hard at the first round by Bridgestone 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 at 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 Elf Rhino Racing Series, the OK Cup and the NZ Honda Cup to his challenge, which will be supported by Crème Insurance after an introduction to the Toyota racing community by Mark Mallard. There's two practice sessions on Saturday afternoon but the rest of the action all takes place on Sunday with another practice, qualifying and two races on a busy Sunday for teams and drivers.
Scoop
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
‘Veteran' Zeltwanger Aiming For Winter Success Aboard Toyota 86
Press Release – Toyota New Zealand With fifteen years of experience in the sport at the age of just 23, Massey racer Lee Zeltwanger has plenty of experience to take into a winter campaign in the Toyota 86 Trophy Series. An all-round sports fanatic who also plays seven-a-side and eleven-a-side soccer, Lee is a graduate in sports exercise, nutrition and management and likes working on the cars he races as well as driving them. He's had plenty of success in those 15 years on the motorsport scene too, as he explained. 'I have been in motorsport for 15 years, and started when I was seven years old in karts. In 2018 I moved away from karts and into car racing starting in the BMW Race Driver Series in the E30 class. 'I enjoyed racing in that for three years and then moved into the BMW E46 class for another three seasons. Some highlights were definitely winning the North Island Championship in 2014 in the Junior restricted class and winning the Kapellen Trophy in Rotax mini in Switzerland in 2012. I won City of Sails, was second at the CIK trophy of NZ, was Auckland club champion and won races in both the BMW E30 and E46 classes. 'Now, though, I have my eyes set on the Toyota 86 Trophy Series.' All-rounder Zeltwanger will run his own Toyota 86 in the four round series, which begins this weekend at Hampton Downs and he is determined to do well against high quality opposition. 'My objective is of course to try win the series but also be consistent and finish every race to maximise points,' he added. 'Another objective is winning the scholarship that is available to the winner to do a season in the new Toyota 86 cars in the Bridgestone GR86 Championship. That would be amazing.' Lee will contest the series, which also races at Manfeild and at Taupo International Motorsport Park twice, with the help of Timberworld East Tamaki, Euro West Limited, Solimara NZ Ltd, SKUNKWORKS and the Automoves Racing Team. 2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series Rd1 9-10 May 2025 Hampton Downs – NZIGP Finale Rd2 21-22 June 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park – Taupo Winter Series Rd3 5-6 July 2025 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon – Manfeild Winter Series Rd4 26-27 July 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park – Taupo Winter Series
Scoop
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
‘Veteran' Zeltwanger Aiming For Winter Success Aboard Toyota 86
With fifteen years of experience in the sport at the age of just 23, Massey racer Lee Zeltwanger has plenty of experience to take into a winter campaign in the Toyota 86 Trophy Series. An all-round sports fanatic who also plays seven-a-side and eleven-a-side soccer, Lee is a graduate in sports exercise, nutrition and management and likes working on the cars he races as well as driving them. He's had plenty of success in those 15 years on the motorsport scene too, as he explained. 'I have been in motorsport for 15 years, and started when I was seven years old in karts. In 2018 I moved away from karts and into car racing starting in the BMW Race Driver Series in the E30 class. 'I enjoyed racing in that for three years and then moved into the BMW E46 class for another three seasons. Some highlights were definitely winning the North Island Championship in 2014 in the Junior restricted class and winning the Kapellen Trophy in Rotax mini in Switzerland in 2012. I won City of Sails, was second at the CIK trophy of NZ, was Auckland club champion and won races in both the BMW E30 and E46 classes. 'Now, though, I have my eyes set on the Toyota 86 Trophy Series.' All-rounder Zeltwanger will run his own Toyota 86 in the four round series, which begins this weekend at Hampton Downs and he is determined to do well against high quality opposition. 'My objective is of course to try win the series but also be consistent and finish every race to maximise points,' he added. 'Another objective is winning the scholarship that is available to the winner to do a season in the new Toyota 86 cars in the Bridgestone GR86 Championship. That would be amazing.' Lee will contest the series, which also races at Manfeild and at Taupo International Motorsport Park twice, with the help of Timberworld East Tamaki, Euro West Limited, Solimara NZ Ltd, SKUNKWORKS and the Automoves Racing Team. 2025 Toyota 86 Trophy Series Rd1 9-10 May 2025 Hampton Downs - NZIGP Finale Rd2 21-22 June 2025 Taupo Int. Motorsport Park - Taupo Winter Series Rd3 5-6 July 2025 Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon - Manfeild Winter Series
