Zoe Woods and Jordan Freestone will line up for round one of the Toyota 86 Scholarship Series this weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The duo has completed a strong programme of pre-season testing, including multiple test days at the venue for this weekend’s season opening round. Woods graduates from a maiden season of national racing in the Australian Production Cars while Freestone makes the jump from karting for his debut in car racing.

“Heading into round one my expectations are just to complete every session and ensure I’m able to improve each time I go out on track,” said Woods.

“SMP is a new track for me to go racing on, however over the last 12 months I have done a lot of testing at the track so I have a lot of confidence and experience to build from. The two most recent test days have really helped in getting me more comfortable in the car and at the track. The extra training I’ve had at Norwell Motorplex has helped to easy my worries and any concerns I had,” concluded Woods.

The Scholarship Series will feature three rounds prior to the opening round of the national series in July at Townsville. The top drivers after those three rounds will be granted promotion to the national series, alongside the top 20 from last year’s championship.

“I’m feeling really well prepared and I’m very happy with where we are ahead of the opening round,” said Freestone.

“It’s hard to judge where exactly we will be based on testing but I’m excited to hit the track with the rest of the field and see where we stack up. Making the jump from karting into the 86 has been a big one, but looking back at the start of my first test to where I am now it’s a big difference in confidence.

“Sydney is also my home round, which is going to help as well. I’ll have friends and family at the track with me along with some of my sponsors and having that comfort is going to really help takes the nerves out of the equation for me,” concluded Freestone.

This weekend’s round takes place as part of the NSW State Championship and will feature all three races live on Blend Line TV. Coverage can be viewed via the Blend Line TV YouTube or Facebook pages. Live timing will also be available through Natsoft live timing, available online.