Toyota 86 racing series ups the pace at Sydney motorsport park
Aug 29, 2016 By Toyota Australia.
Canberra teenager Cameron Hill continues to stamp his authority on the 2016 Toyota 86 Racing Series with a dominant performance in the new one-make
category?s second round at Sydney Motorsport Park (Aug 26?28)*.
The 19-year-old added two victories and a third place to his three-from-three clean-sweep at the series-opening Winton SuperSprint in May.
Hill was particularly happy with his Race 2 win after a close tussle at the front.
?I was absolutely stoked to win that one. I had to work hard for it, and was on the radio screaming after the finish,? Cameron said.
The only blemish on Hill?s score sheet allowed 21-year-old William Brown to step up in Race 3 to become the second-ever Toyota 86 Racing Series winner.
Brown has enjoyed success in junior open-wheel categories and consistency is paying off for the young Queenslander, who so far hasn?t finished lower than
fourth in any Toyota 86 Racing series race.
?It feels great to knock Cameron (Hill) off. He?s been driving so well, and all of us have been trying to do it,? William said.
Others to impress over the weekend were Sydney locals Tim Brook and David Sieders, as well as the Gold Coast?s Aaron Seton, the 18-year-old son of
Supercars Hall of Fame inductee Glenn, who stepped on to the podium with a third in race one and a fighting second place in race two.
Close, hard-fought battles characterised the weekend?s racing, and category Driving Standards Advisor Greg Crick was happy with the field?s behaviour.
?We?ve put a strict set of guidelines and code of driving conduct in place for these competitors, with the aim of producing good, clean, close and fast
racing,? Mr Crick said.
?There?s always room for improvement, but overall I think the racing has been terrific this weekend; good to watch and exciting,? he said.
Toyota Australia is adding selected professional racers to the starting line-up to assist entrants on and off-track. The always-energetic Dean Canto won
the battle of the invited drivers this time around, heading Steve Owen and Cameron McConville in each race.
Entries remain open until this Thursday 1 September for the third round of the series at the Sandown 500 (Sep 16?18), with just three weeks until the field
hits the iconic Melbourne circuit.
Organisers expect another huge field of more than 35 cars to be on the grid, and competitors are already focused on preparations for the high-profile
event.
Going in to the Sandown weekend provisional results put Cameron Hill (586 points) at the top of the series leader board, ahead of a surging William Brown
(524 points) with Tim Brook (516 points) in third.
The Toyota 86 Racing Series
The Toyota 86 Racing Series is designed to provide an entry point and training ground for up-and-coming drivers, offering a confirmed prize pool of
$125,000.
Open to all manual variants of Toyota's cult-classic sports car[sup]**[/sup], the series is part of the support program at selected rounds of the Virgin
Australia Supercars Championship.
In 2016 the Toyota 86 Racing Series is running over five events: May 20?22 (Winton SuperSprint), August 26?28 (Sydney Motorsport Park SuperSprint),
September 16?18 (Sandown 500), October 6?9 (Bathurst 1000) and December 2?4 (Sydney 500).
For regular updates and more information go to toyota.com.au/86/racing-series.
[sup]*[/sup]
All 2016 Toyota 86 Racing Series Round 2 (SMSP) results provisional at the time of publication.
**Must be Australian Design Rule (ADR) compliant, fitted with
Neal Bates Motorsport mandatory race package,
and equipped with Confederation of Australian Motorsport mandated safety equipment.