Giltrap Group Motorsport finishes strong in Toyota 86 Championship
Drivers Simon Evans and Marco Giltrap have finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the single make championship
Apr 29, 2022
The series points battle between Evans and Rowan Shepherd came down to the final race.
Testament to the tight and competitive racing the Toyota 86 Racing series, the championship went all the way to the final race to be decided. While Giltrap Group Motorsport driver, Simon Evans, secured the final wins of the series in style, the hard charge wasn’t quite strong enough to take the championship over veteran 86 racer, Rowan Shepherd. It was a very strong championship result for both Evans and teammate, Marco Giltrap finishing the 2022 season second and third in the championship respectively.
Aside from the exhilarating racing, the progress shown by Marco has arguably been the most impressive aspect of the 2022 season. Marco was the series Rookie of the year in 2021, but also suffered a broken back, leg and hand in a big endurance racing incident last year. The recovery and physical training to get race fit again was intense, but the Aucklander has bounced back proving a consistent contender in the points race all season and securing his first race win in round five at Taupō.
There was a dramatic build up to the final race as the rain came down and left the track damp prior to the start. Evans making a blistering jump on the field from pole position, fellow front row starter Shepherd was obviously struggling and quickly fell back into the pack.
A great scrap up front ultimately saw Evans take the race win and the round win. The Heart of Racing ace Hugo Allan, already confirmed as Rookie champ in the series, did his level best to push the experienced Evans into a mistake and take the race and round win but Evan’s composure was unshakable. Having done everything he could possibly do to win the title, Evan’s couldn’t quite top Shepard’s final points tally and finished just 7 points behind in the championship.
Marco Giltrap claimed the final podium spot, to confirm third place in the championship, and with Evan’s runner-up; the Giltrap Group Motorsport finished the season as the most successful team.
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