Historic name makes NZ return
MATTHEW HANSEN Australian Dylan Gulson will be a formidable Toyota 86 Series guest driver at the ITM SuperSprint event. Gulson name,” Dylan told “My uncle Ray and his brother Paul raced for many years, and of course came over to Wellington a few times in a BMW635i.
“Bringing the name back will be a lot of fun — and there’s a little bit of pride there, too.”
Having come from a karting and state- level background, the young Gulson is in the middle of his second season of racing in Australia’s Toyota 86 Racing Series. Most recently he claimed a maiden race win at Mount Panorama last weekend — his local track.
“[ The series is] hugely competitive, it’s so close. It creates intense racing every lap we’ve done since rolling out at Winton last year. I couldn’t think of a better way to get into a national level of racing.”
The 25- year- old’s Kiwi guest drive is part of an ongoing relationship between Toyota Racing New Zealand and Toyota Racing Australia, which has seen both categories action transtasman driver swaps.
The last of these was former Carevets Racing Scholarship winner Jack Milligan from Christchurch, who made a barnstorming debut in the Australian series last weekend at Bathurst — ending the weekend with a fourth and third- place finish to his name.
For Gulson, preparation for the Pukekohe Raceway event has already begun in the form of replaying footage and practising the tricky circuit on a simulator.
“But, nothing compares to when you show up and drive your first lap . . . it never does,” he said. “I’m just trying to get my reference points and other little things sorted after watching the Toyotas race there last time.”
Like many others, he hopes that his experience in the tin- top feeder formula will help him into the international GT- racing scene or the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.
“Honestly at the moment that’s where my ambitions lie,” he said. “I’ve been coming to Bathurst here especially since I was very young. Fond memories. It’s always been a goal.”