Autofile Online profiles some of 2023’s drivers: Teenager Thomas Mallard, Winger Subaru’s Tim Leach, masters’ racer John Penny and rookie William Morton.
Young gun Thomas Mallard will follow in the footsteps of his father Mark in this season’s Toyota 86 Championship when he takes the wheel of the familiar white TR86.
Mallard Jnr, pictured above, is the fourth-generation racer from the Mallard motorsport dynasty and will be a rookie to watch after some eye-catching drives in the SsangYong Rhino Series from which he graduates.
The man behind the wheel of the number-eight car for the past few seasons, Mark, is out of the hot seat this campaign having taken on duties as a board member for MotorSport New Zealand. This has made way for his son to step up and make his debut in the most competitive one-make championship series in the country.
The 15-year-old is 100 per cent focused on making the most of the opportunity. He had experienced just three testing days in the vehicle by December 8 but acquitted himself well in testing during the first week of last month at Hampton Downs. He’s also had quality input from ex-champion Callum Hedge as he dials himself into the fastest race car he’s competed in so far.
“It’s my favourite car to drive so far after the 2KCup Toyota and the SsangYong, and I can’t wait to get out there racing,” enthuses Mallard Jnr.
“This is always a tough championship. You need consistency and speed to do well, but we have good knowledge of the tracks and car. It was going well last season, getting wins and some fastest laps, so it’s as good a time as any to be stepping up a gear to the Toyota 86 Championship.”
The teenager has been working hard off track ahead of the season too, learning the ropes of securing sponsorship and adding 24 Red and Pak’nSave onto the list of backers helping make his season possible.
The 2023 edition of the Toyota 86, which is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary season, is shaping up to provide another battle with the front runners separated by a knife edge. It all begins at Highlands over the weekend of January 13-15 before Teretonga Park hosts the second round.
Hampton Downs’ longer international circuit is the venue for the third round where the Toyota 86 Championship will be the major support category for the 67th NZ Grand Prix.
The teams get a mid-term break after that before the final three rounds at Taupo, Manfeild and Hampton Downs, this time on its shorter national layout.
Away from franchise
Tim Leach will compete in a full Toyota 86 season and, as a rookie in the highly competitive field, has set himself the task of improving every time he heads out onto the track.
The Aucklander recently completed his university degree and is working as marketing manager for his sponsor, Winger Subaru in Auckland. He will be part of a new two-vehicle team in 2023 with his vehicle run by Winger Motorsport with support from SRS.
Leach will be jumping back into the deep end following his sprint-racing debut at Pukekohe during the non-championship Supercars weekend. Before that, he only had a couple of endurance races and a handful of track days on his racing CV. That said, he’s proved he can swim with the big fish.
“Yes, it was in at the deep end, but it was a fantastic event and I was pretty happy with how I went overall,” he smiles. “We had some pace and got better and better during the sessions. That was really all I wanted to achieve.”
Testing since then has included track days at Highlands and Teretonga Park where the second round will take place a week later. Leach has done plenty of laps around Hampton and tested at Ruapuna before Christmas.
He adds: “It’s all work in progress learning how to get the most out of the car and me. But if I can start the season at one level and make improvements by the end of it, I’m going to be happy with that, particularly if I’ve had some fun racing my team-mate and the rest of them out there.
“Enjoying the racing is a big part of it for me. But the principal goal is to improve with every session I’m on-track, whether that’s testing, practice, qualifying or racing.”
Age is no barrier
Masters’ racer John Penny is going all out in the Toyota 86 Championship to better an already impressive campaign last season.
“JP”, who at 54 is comfortably the oldest racer in the competitive pack, chalked up two outright wins last term, one of which was arguably the most impressive victory of the season as he hunted down Dion Pitt to claim victory at Hampton Downs in the dying moments.
But moments of glory like that aren’t enough for Penny, who wants much more this season.
He has bought the ex-Hugo Allen TR86, which now boasts striking new livery. It was the round winner at Taupo last season. He’s also been putting significantly more time into improving his own driving skills with the addition of driver coaching by the experienced Tom Alexander, himself a former champion in this category.
“Honestly, I can’t get enough of this category – it’s so tight and competitive,” says Penny. “My old car was getting quite tired, so I’ve made a couple of big steps for this season with a new car and some training with Tom.
“This is my fourth season in Toyota 86 over the past few years. I really feel that if I can improve on my qualifying, then my race pace will be strong and overall results will be where I want them to be.”
Both of JP’s wins last season came from reverse top-10 grid races. His pace was good enough to win those battles. At the recent non-championship Pukekohe Supercars round, that was also evident as he turned a poor qualifying performance into a strong result with some blistering speed and high-quality overtaking.
Penny adds: “Hopefully, I’m going to be able to go out and be on the qualifying pace straight away, and then use the race pace to be at the front all the time. Everyone knows a championship campaign in the Toyota 86 relies on strong results in every race, not just from reverse grids. I never think about my age, just what I have to do to win more races.”
His Penny Homes business will again be front and centre on his car when he heads onto the track for January’s first round at Highlands.
Eager to progress
Auckland’s William Morton has been confirmed for a second season in the Toyota 86 series after a solid season as a rookie in 2022.
The 20-year-old did everything expected of him during his debut circuit-racing season with iMac Race Engineering. He finished in the overall top 20, and made quick progress learning the tracks as well as on the engineering and set-up sides.
Morton will be back in his ex-Ryan Wood and Callum Hedge championship-winning vehicle, and continues to be backed by the Mad Butcher. After some solid and impressive testing, he’s hoping for a significant move up the grid now he knows the circuits and car.
“I’m excited about putting all my off-season practice and preparation to work,” says Morton. “I’m focused on the top 10 this season. It’s a great field of cars, but I’m focused on showing great improvement from last season.”
2023 Toyota 86 dates
Round 1: January 13-15 at Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell. Round 2: January 20-22 at Teretonga Park, near Invercargill. Round 3: February 3-5 at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park. Round 4: March 17-19 at Taupo International Motorsport Park. Round 5: April 14-16 at Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon.
Round 6: May 5-7 at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park.
Pictures: Bruce Jenkins
Keyword: Bidding for Toyota 86 glory