Richie Stanaway is set to make his racing return on home soil in a V8-powered Toyota Camry at Pukekohe Park this weekend.
The 29-year-old will contest a one-hour race in the North Island Endurance Series, the final leg of the four-round season.
Stanaway will be run by Richards Team Motorsport in the Mitchell Race Xtreme-built touring car.
The TLX-specification Toyota Camry has hallmarks to the Car of the Future of the early 2010s and achieves similar lap times at Pukekohe Park to those seen by Supercars.
The outing comes in preparation for his Bathurst 1000 wildcard alongside four-time Great Race winner Greg Murphy and marks the first time Stanaway has raced in New Zealand since his retirement from full-time driving at the end of 2019.
“It’s gonna be a perfect opportunity to get some seat time,” Stanaway told Speedcafe.com.
“Being out of the seat for so long, any time in the car between now and Bathurst will be very helpful. I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s good to get my mind back into it and get back into that thought process of what you need to drive.
“I’ve been doing a bit of simulator work but I don’t think actually seeing the road come at you in real life is very replaceable.
“It’s going to be good just to get back out and get my mind back in gear and just sort of feel a car underneath me again and just get a bit of a feel back for it.”
Stanaway’s co-driver Murphy will also be racing in the endurance series, piloting an Audi TT RS VLN with Shane Helms in the three-hour.
For Stanaway, the race is an opportunity in a low-key setting to get his head back in the game.
“I’m really looking forward to it, especially in a more relaxed environment,” he said.
“It’s going to be a good event just to get the helmet back on and get back in a car without too much pressure.”
Fox Sports 506 and streaming service Kayo will carry coverage of the race.
A non-televised two-hour race will also take place at the meeting, which is headlined by the three-hour that features a handful of FIA GT3 cars alongside home-built machinery.
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