The 2024 RX8 Cup Champion Robert Scott is ready to make the trip across the ditch to compete in the Mazda Pro8 New Zealand Series. Scott won the inaugural ‘Trans Tasman Drive Prize’ award which sees him win a drive in round 3 of the Mazda Pro8 Championship at Levels Raceway, Timaru. Robert will be up against some of New Zealand’s quickest RX8 drivers when he joins the 20 car grid at Levels next weekend including the 2024 Pro8 Champion ‘Drive Prize’ Winner Jared Pyke who travelled over to Australia last year competing at Sydney Motorsport Park.
At the start of the 2024 RX8 Cup season, Ash McConchie from the Mazda Pro8 NZ series and owner of RX8 Cup Ric Shaw teamed up with this exciting plan to award the respective championship winners with a race overseas ‘Trans Tasman’ style with a prize of a free race. In 2024 we saw the New Zealand champion take part in the RX8 Cup and it is now time for the Australian champion to take on New Zealand’s best.
Robert Scott’s 2024 Championship winning season consisted of 3 race wins, 15 podium finishes, 21 top 5 finishes and 4 round podiums, crowning Scott his first national title. Robert explained “I really enjoyed my first year racing on 4 wheels in the RX8 Cup Series last year. I have met a wonderful bunch of people, in a great series, that I get to race with on good tracks around the country. I’m really looking forward to our NZ adventure and mixing it up with the Pro8 drivers, learning their track and adapting to their car which I understand differs to ours where they have slicks, cars are lighter and no ABS brakes. It was great fun racing with Jared Pyke, Ben McConochie and Cory Stewart over in our series in September last year. I’m hoping Jared and the boys might give me some local track tips!”
Scott won’t be travelling alone to New Zealand, RX8 Cup Series Founder Ric Shaw will join the grid for the third time having already competed twice in the Pro8 Series over the last couple of years. Shaw said “It is really exciting that we have this international partnership and to also promote the drivers in both series to cross the Tasman and compete in each others championships”. Both countries have lease cars available for any drivers who would like an opportunity to race overseas.
The 2025 RX8 Cup Series season kicks off at the famous Phillip Island March 1/2