Ransley confirmed for Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship campaign

Experienced Toyota 86 racer Jaden Ransley has confirmed he will run in the 2019-20 Best Bars Toyota 86 Championship starting the season as one of the title favourites.

Though still very young at 17, this will be Christchurch racer Ransley’s fourth Toyota 86 season and follows an impressive season in the Australian championship where he won a race and was almost always at the sharp end of the field, scoring numerous top ten and top five finishes.

Although he is making no secret of the fact that he feels ready to move up to faster racing categories such as the New Zealand or Australian TCR series, the former KartSport national champion will still start the season as one of the firm favourites for the title in his Neale Motorsport run car, which will once again be supported by Miles Toyota.

Ransley is particularly interested in the Championship prize pool this year, which includes a Toyota 86 car for the overall winner.

“Yes, I am definitely looking forward to coming back and having another crack at the 86 series, which looks very competitive again this year and I am super keen to win the prize car,” he explained.

“We looked over other classes to race in throughout New Zealand and Australia and we’ve figured the 86 series would be the best category to keep my bum in the seat until hopefully something else arises along the lines of TCR in NZ or Australia.

“It’s extremely competitive and difficult to win in, so you do have to be on your game as a driver to be competitive in it, let alone win in it.”

His championship campaign begins in Pukekohe before heading to the South Island for rounds at Highlands Motorsport Park and Invercargill’s Teretonga Park. It then moves to the North Island for the New Zealand Grand Prix meeting at Manfeild – Circuit Chris Amon and then onto Hampton Downs before concluding with a non-championship race weekend at the Virgin Australia Supercars event at Pukekohe Park in April.