Off the back of a “good, solid season” (2017/’18), the Mazda Pro7 Racing Series is set to return in October, continuing its successful partnership with Nexen Tyre (DTM Wheel and Tyre) that saw both the RX-7 and RX-8 classes improve lap times by one to 1.5 seconds through the use of Nexen 225/50R16 (Pro7 Plus) and 235/45R17 (RX-8) N’Fera SUR4G class tyres.
“It was a good, solid season, on and off the track. We had lots going on. It was a fantastic year … the quality of the product, our partnership with Nexen Tyre and DTM, and the times that were produced by both classes — every track record was broken. We’ve got an exciting year ahead of us,” said Mazda Pro7 Racing Club president Leo Bult.
The new season will see 26- to 30-car grids for the RX-7 and RX-8 classes, with the latter growing from an initial four cars to 15-plus over the last three years alone. Round one of the 2018/’19 season will be held at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon on 20 and 21 October, setting the benchmark for the races to follow. In a first for the series, drivers will travel to Cromwell’s Highlands Motorsport Park in January 2019 for the first National Championship round, which has been moved to Highlands from Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Ruapuna, Christchurch.
To find out how you can join the series, visit mazdaPro7racing.co.nz.
Nexen Tyre Mazda Pro7 Racing Series North Island schedule
Round 1: 20–21 October, Manfeild
Round 2: 7–9 December, Pukekohe
Round 3: 11–13 January, Highlands
Round 4: 25–27 January, Hampton Downs
Round 5: 8–10 February, Manfeild
Round 6: 8–10 March, Hampton Downs
Round 7: 13–14 April, Taupo