Motor Racing Hopefuls Eye-Up Sport Cup Scholarship

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Motor Racing Hopefuls Eye-Up Suzuki Sport Cup Scholarship

Young motor racing hopefuls are eyeing up a scholarship scheme for next season’s Suzuki Swift Cup production saloon car series.

Entries are being received for the Swift Sport Cup Castrol Series Scholarship running in conjunction with the Swift Sport Championship for the 2008/09 season.

For the second successive year Suzuki New Zealand is offering the scholarship to one most deserving newcomer to New Zealand motor racing.

It provides a golden opportunity for a young New Zealand driver to take part in the national championship.

Interest in the series is gathering with one scholarship applicant up for the upcoming season aged just 13. Drivers must be aged 21 or less to apply for the scholarship.

Last season’s inaugural Suzuki Sport Cup Championship proved highly successful with evenly matched cars and close competition.

Twenty-one-year-old Christchurch driver Cody McMaster more than justified winning the scholarship last year by going on to take top honours in the seven-round one-make Swift Sport series.

The winner of the 2008 Swift Sport scholarship will secure a sponsored drive in a Swift Sport Cup car for the full season as part of a package worth around $55,000.

In addition to subsidised use of a specially prepared 1.6-litre Suzuki Swift Sport, the scholarship includes an in-car camera for the seven round championship, free entry to the meetings, a clothing package and Chicane motor sport racing apparel with overalls, competition boots, clothing and helmet. Technical support is also offered.

Suzuki New Zealand Limited, Castrol, Winger Suzuki, GE Money New Zealand and Chicane are sponsoring the scholarship.

Scholarship applicants will spend the day at the Manfeild motor racing circuit at Feilding on August 22 where a panel of judges will assess fitness, media and sponsorship presentation and finally timed laps of the track.

Last season the new Suzuki Sport series proved a great learning experience for new drivers. The youngest driver, Hauraki Plains College student AJ Lauder, was only 13-years-old when he took to the race track.

Rules for the championship are set by Motorsport Association New Zealand, and the limited modifications to the Swifts are strictly controlled to ensure even competition.

Entries for the scholarship close on August 10. More information is available from Paul Burborough at Winger Suzuki, on 021-566555 or paul[at]winger.co.nz.

Eligible cars for the championship start life as production Suzuki Swift Sport 1600 hatchback models powered by a 1,586cm3 double overhead camshaft engine developing 92 kW (125 bhp).

ENDS

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