International champion Evans set for NZ campaign aboard Toyota 86

Multiple New Zealand Touring Car Champion, endurance winner and the current FIA Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy Series champ Simon Evans will become one of the series’ highest profile racers when he steps aboard a Toyota 86 for a shot at the 2021 Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship this coming season.

Aucklander Evans was the national touring car champion in 2015, 2016 and 2017 aboard his Holden V8 racer and a winner in endurance racing too.

Four wins and ten podiums was enough to secure Evans the international Jaguar I-Pace title but with the ongoing restrictions of the pandemic continuing to affect world motorsport, the 30 year old has decided to stay close to home in 2021 and attempt to win the Toyota 86 title. He will race in the Best Bars Championship as team mate to Marco Giltrap in a field of 16 cars.

“There’s no question it’s one of the most competitive championships available to drivers in New Zealand and there is a huge amount of young talent on display in the category, so it’s always going to be challenging for any driver, whatever level,” he explained.

“It’s great to reconnect with our New Zealand Partners Wet & Forget, Smeg, Total Property Worx, Far North Roading and Giltrap Group for a tilt at another New Zealand title.”

Evans enjoyed two outings recently, partnering rookie Giltrap in the mini endurance championship run over two weekends and four races at Hampton Downs and Pukekohe Park. It’s wetted his appetite for more.

“We live in strange times and I’m grateful to be going racing,” he added. “I’m fully aware of the quality of the drivers in the Toyota field and I look at that and regard it as a very worthwhile challenge to try and win the title.”

The Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship is one of the only official MotorSport NZ national championships that provides race drivers with the chance to secure a recognised national title. The Championship will be run from January through to the end of March 2021 and has rounds at all North Island circuits.

Toyota New Zealand supports the Toyota 86 Championship with guaranteed television coverage and hospitality, providing a professional platform for competitors to gain sponsorship. TGRNZ also backs up the series with technical support and provides a 40 foot container of parts to make it easy to go racing at a national level.