McLaughlin claims Sebring victory, Brock Gilchrist extends TR86 lead. Your week in Motorsport.
Your highs and lows of motorsport with a Kiwi focus.
Mar 20, 2023
Another busy week for Kiwis in motorsport with the Sebring 12 hour, GT and TR86 racing at Taupo.
Mclaughlin on the top step at Sebring
A wonderful weekend in motorsport for fans of Kiwi driver Scott McLaughlin who claimed victory in the LMP2 class at the famed Sebring 12 hour alongside co-drivers, John Farano and Kyffin Simpson. They also claimed 3rd overall, thanks in part to a late race crash that saw just two of the top tier hypercars finish the endurance race.
It was a disappointing race for other Kiwis at Sebring. Scott Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-LMDh was on track for a win, having led 120 laps before suffering a fire in pit lane. Tom Blomqvist also had a hair-raising moment losing the wheel while driving the Meyer Shank Racing Acura, putting them out of the race.
McLaughlin drove a flawless race and avoided the significant carnage that could easily have changed their result as it did for others in the race. “Proud of this one” the Kiwi’s post-race social media post summing up his emotions around the result.
Strong results at Taupō for Gilcrist and Giltrap
Meanwhile closer to home Brock Gilchrist took a race win at the combined race/drift weekend at Taupō’s Motorsport Park. Winning the weekend’s final Toyota 86 Championship race by a narrow margin, Gilchrist extends his overall lead for the title.
“It was good fun – and cool to get some more points. I’m still taking it one race at a time – not thinking about the championship,” he said after collecting the round win.
Marco Giltrap also now has command of the Open Class in the Golden Homes GT New Zealand championship. Despite a frustrating weekend, Giltrap’s consistency has ensured he tops the table with 739 points over Heremana Malmezac in second place with 707 and Luke Manson just five points behind on 702.
