Gibson Turns Heads Ahead of Toyota TR 86 Campaign

Gibson Turns Heads Ahead of Toyota TR 86 Campaign

Young Wanganui racer Matt Gibson enjoyed a strong weekend on his second appearance in the UDC V8 Ute category at Hampton Downs - turning heads with some eye-catching drives in the ultra-competitive field as he builds towards the first event of the new Toyota TR86 category.

Gibson turned in fast times throughout the weekend and looked odds on to spring or surprise or two amongst the front runners - though a miscalculation on fuel left the ute underweight following his second place finish in Race 2 on Saturday morning. Without the 35 point penalty, a top five for the round would have been on the cards.

The youngster will now turn his attention to the new Toyota project, but has enjoyed his tastes of V8 racing.  "Regular driver Hamish Cross will be back in the hot seat for the Pukekohe round," explained Matt "And he's ready to keep the BNT ute up the front of the grid and looking strong. I have really enjoyed my time ute racing. It could have gone a little better for us at Hampton Downs for sure, but I was learning all the time how to get the most from the ute and it's been great to get a bit of experience and track time ahead of the next challenge."

Gibson has already tested his Lightingplus TR86 and as well as looking forward to the inaugural season of the category, is also aiming to be one of the front runners from the word go when the series kicks off at Highlands Motorsport park next month.

"The car has a unbelievable amount of grip, even in the wet.  They are very forgiving and are a hell of a lot of fun to pilot around the track. The corner speed of the 86 is amazing and along with a brakes package that is good enough for something with twice the horsepower. With the help of the sponsors we have been able to focus on preparing the car and the team to the high standards we want to achieve.

"We are all ready for Cromwell at the start of November and are looking for good exposure for myself as a driver and for Lightingplus. The season looks to be a goodie with some high profile meetings set in place for the Toyota 86 series.

Gibson has made a lot of friends in the paddock - not only with impressive speed on the track, but also with a positive and friendly attitude off it.

"Motorsport has two sides too it. On the track and off the track. The way to get noticed and liked off the track is too be friendly and happy to everyone as you never know who they maybe or what they do. That works for me as I'm just a smiley kind of bloke anyway! Fans are also important too as they are the ones that get you recognised and known as a driver - we've all got to have time for them that's for sure."

Matt will kick off his Toyota championship challenge at Highlands Motorsport Park on November 9th and 10th.

ENDS

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