Dayle ITM confirms strong driver pairing for Toyota TR86 enduros

Dayle ITM Racing’s Christina Orr-West will team up with endurance driver Rowan Shepherd for the forthcoming two round Toyota 86 Endurance championship in what promises to be one of the strongest combinations on the grid.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ confirmed last week that the mini endurance series will herald the start of the 2020-2021 Toyota 86 racing season. The Endurance Championship will be run at Hampton Downs over the weekend of 30 -31 October and at Pukekohe on 4 – 6 December and will comprise two one-hour races across the race weekend.

Orr-West is already a confirmed runner for the 2021 Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship sprint series. The mini endurance series will not be the first time the two talented racers have shared driving duties, however. They teamed up in the Ssangyong series for endurance races and were a winning combination. Orr West is hoping for a repeat performance in the eye catching yellow Dayle ITM car.

“Rowan and I went well together as a team and we were able to win, so I’m pretty happy to be teaming up with him for these two races at Hampton Downs and Pukekohe,” explained Orr-West.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun and we hope there’ll be plenty of competition for us to measure ourselves against.”

Shepherd – a rising star in saloon car racing – was also delighted to be getting a run in the two events, adding: “The call from Deborah at Dayle ITM was definitely a nice surprise and I have always wanted an opportunity to race in the Toyota 86 class. It’s great to teaming up with Christina in another series and of course I’m excited to take on the challenge of learning a new car. I want to thank Dayle ITM for making this all possible. They’re right behind motorsport when it matters right now and that’s great.”

The events in November and December 2020 do not form part of the 2021 Best Bars sprint championship calendar but are a stand-alone endurance championship series designed to encourage current TR 86 drivers to team up with a new competitor from outside of the series to run a two-driver team.

The endurance championship offers a significant prize fund based on a minimum 10 car grid with the winners receiving $10,000 towards their 2021 Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship registration plus a prize draw of $5,000 for one lucky team – also to go towards their championship registration.