Two drivers carrying the J.A. Russell Ltd colours are lining up in different classes of New Zealand motorsport, and while their paths aren’t identical, their connection to each other runs deeper than sponsor logos. Nathan made his debut in the Energy Corse NZ / J.A. Russell Ltd TR86 at this year’s Toyota Trophy Series. The car, prepared and run by Mackenzie Motorsport, marked a major step into circuit racing. With only 2.5 years of karting behind him, his rise has been quick,

What began as a tight-knit family built by Mason Armstrong Motorsport and Urban Performance has grown into something much bigger in 2025. Together, they laid the foundations for what is now Energy Corse NZ — a team built on shared values, genuine support, and a drive to lift everyone around them. That original family feeling hasn’t disappeared as the team has grown; it’s only strengthened. And grow it has. The 2025 season has seen more drivers join the fold, more karts under

The NZIGP weekend at Hampton Downs delivered fast, smooth running across both kart and car. We started the day in the Superkart NZ category with our Energy Corse NZ crew, and they had the kart genuinely race-ready from the moment we rolled out, settled, responsive, and quick. A 1:14.000 flat on the national track became our standout lap of the weekend and a strong marker for where our pace is heading. From there, we switched over to running with GTRNZ in the ENERGY TR86 with

It was a mixed weekend at the KartSport Auckland Club Champs, but the pace was there from the moment we hit the track. We qualified 4th with a new PB of 29.8, which set the tone for what could’ve been a strong run. Race one fell apart early after getting pushed off at turn one, and race two wasn’t much kinder when we were turned into and ended up in the fence. That left us starting the pre-final down in P13, but we put our heads down and climbed all the way to 4th. For the fi

The 2025 Top Half Series was a mixed one, it started off tough at Te Puke, where I was taken out twice during the opening round. Across the series, we had four DNFs, which as any racer knows, always puts you on the back foot early on. Wet weather conditions didn’t make things easier either, with most rounds run in tricky, changeable conditions. By the time we reached Hamilton for the final round, it was great to finally have a dry weekend and a chance to show what we could re

Plenty of positives to take from the weekend, we finished every race and made some solid gains in lap times. But also plenty of challenges, Tokoroa definitely tested us. It’s been a year since we last raced there, and that time away showed. The tyres, though, were the real challenge. From the first session, they just didn’t feel right, no bite mid-corner, unpredictable feedback, and an overall lack of grip that made it tough to push with confidence. A few of us had the same i

After long drives and late nights by the team , it’s official, we’ve been crowned the New Zealand 1-Hour Endurance Champion for Class 4 & 5 . The title comes from combined results across both the North Island Endurance Series (NIERDC) and the South Island Endurance Series (SIERDC) . We wrapped up 1st in Class 5 for the North and 3rd in Class 4 for the South, which together earned us the top spot across New Zealand. It’s still sinking in. This season has been a huge learnin

The Mamaku hills in Rotorua lived up to their reputation — cold, bleak, and soaked in relentless rain. It was one of those weekends where just keeping the kart on track felt like an achievement in itself. With some tough grid draws, every race was a battle from the start. Still, we managed to finish each one and keep it clean despite the conditions. Sunday brought a mix of weather that tested everyone’s setup calls. A wet–dry Heat 3 ended up costing us our wets — they were co