TekworkX Motorsport have unveiled their driver line-up for the 2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia GR Cup (formerly 86 Series), which commences in July at the NTI Townsville 500.

Zoe Woods returns for her second season in the category for TekworkX, to be joined by Bradi Owen and Lincoln Taylor.

Owen will join Woods in contesting a second full season in the category, after progressing from Hyundai Excels into Toyota 86 for a single round appearance in 2022. A full year of Toyota 86 racing in 2023 netted 11^th in the series for Owen, who emerged as a regular contender amongst the top 10.

Taylor, who turns 16 in July, has one round of the Toyota 86 Scholarship Series under his belt, and will contest this year’s series again before joining TekworkX in Townsville for the opening round of the TGRA GR Cup. Taylor has already racked up experience in a variety of disciplines, including Formula 4, Excels, Off-Road and Speedway.

Woods returns for her third season of racing with the team, and second in Toyota 86. After starting in the Australian Production Cars in 2022, Woods stepped into the Toyota 86 programme in 2023 and delivered a string of consistently improving performances across the season.

The 2024 season will be contested across five rounds, starting at the NTI Townsville 500 in July. From there the series follows the Supercars Championship to the Sydney SuperNight, the Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000. For the first time in series history, Toyota 86 will race at the Gold Coast 500, which also marks the final round of the series.

2024 also marks the beginning of a new era for the series, with the introduction of the latest Toyota GR86 to serve as the one-make category’s new car.

TekworkX Motorsport will hit the track for the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia GR Cup from July 5-7 as part of the NTI Townsville 500.

Quotes:
Bradi Owen
“I am really looking forward to this year, I feel we made solid progress in the tail end of last year, so we’re definitely wanting to build on that,” said Owen.

“Ultimately in the next season or two I would have to be a part of a team environment as I step up through other ranks, the thought process there was why not get accustomed to how a team works now and start building on that.

“I’ve got the best team in TekworkX, so I’m fairly confident come round one we will be up there. I had a recent test day in the new car and although the foundations are the same, they feel a little bit harder to drive. But nonetheless I’m looking forward to the challenge and really, it’s going to be who can get on top of it first.

“This year I feel like I have all the appropriate tools around me to do well, so I definitely want to be up there fighting for race wins and podiums this year,” concluded Owen.

Lincoln Taylor
“Super excited, I was lucky enough to meet Rob (Woods) at Norwell and I’m grateful for the opportunity to run for his team,” said Taylor.

“Toyota 86 is a great pathway and a step up the ladder, to get where I want to be. The biggest challenge will be learning all the new tracks, the only track I’ve been to is Sydney and only once. Having teammates is going to be a difference, looking at data and seeing where we can help each other.

“The new car is a lot looser in the rear but it’s heaps of fun to drive,” concluded Taylor.

Zoe Woods
“I can’t wait for this year’s racing to start, really looking forward to getting racing again,” said Woods.

“Really happy to be doing 86s again definitely will be good to build on last year’s improvements and goals, take that into this year and move forward. We can make improvements now this being my second year and it will be eyes forward and pushing hard to get results.

“The new car is really good, we have done one test day in the car at QR which was really finding how the car handles. I felt more confident and comfortable in the new car.

“Really looking forward to having Bradi and Lincoln as my teammates, we all work at Norwell together and get along really well, I think we can all bounce off each other and will create a great team in the 86s for TekworkX. Both are fast and I’m really looking forward to being able to compare with them. I will definitely benefit from having them as my teammates,” concluded Woods.