One lucky Suzuki Swift Sport Cup Championship driver this summer will win the opportunity to drive a high performance Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car.
Auckland-based Triple X Motorsport is aligned with the one-make Swift Sport Cup series for the 2009/10 season as part of the driver mentoring initiatives.
The Triple X programme provides another opportunity for promising young drivers to step up their motorsport involvement and further develop their skills.
“The objective for Triple X is to identify young drivers with the ability to move up to Porsche GT3 racing and beyond in future,” said Shane McKillen, Team Principal of Triple X Motorsport. “Obviously outright speed is a factor in these decisions but equally important is attitude and professionalism in all aspect of racing.”
At each round of the Swift championship, three or four of the young entrants will have the opportunity to visit Triple X and discuss the circuit where the meeting is being held that weekend with drivers Craig Baird and Daniel Gaunt.
If any one of the selected drivers for that weekend has concerns about the circuit or any other aspects of the racing they can ask their Triple X mentor for advice on how to overcome problems.
At the end of the season, Triple X will offer the winner of the programme a free test day in a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car. This will involve the winner taking part in a formal driver evaluation test day at Taupo with tuition from Baird and Todd Bickerton, the Triple X technical director, on all aspects of driving the GT3.
If Triple X Motorsport believes the winner has the capabilities, the team will offer the driver a seat in a Triple X Porsche GT3 team car at a substantial discount to the normal fees.
The sponsorship package, including the Taupo test day, is valued at $65,000 and provides an additional boost to the Swift Sport Cup series.
“All Swift drivers in the championship will have an opportunity during the season to win this award which is clearly designed to assist up and coming talent,” said Paul Burborough, series coordinator for the Suzuki series.
“We already have a great class at the entry level into New Zealand saloon car racing, and the Triple X prize is icing on the cake for one lucky Swift Cup competitor,” he said.
“We are highly excited to be aligned with Triple X Motorsport, a team that has won two Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Championships, the New Zealand Grand Prix crown and lap records at major local circuits,” said Burborough.
It made good sense for two excellent teams to be aligned for the same common goal, he said.
“Our drivers have a great opportunity to gain some extremely valuable knowledge from the Triple X team with drivers like Craig Baird and Daniel Gaunt who between them have more national championships than most others,” said Paul.
The 2009/10 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup championship starts at Pukekohe in early November and includes rounds in both North and South Islands.
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