GWR Australia and Daniel Frougas will have a brand new co-driver at the upcoming LIQUI MOLY GT Festival Sydney this month, with New Zealander Zach Blincoe to co-pilot the #9 GR Supra GT4 EVO 2 for the penultimate Monochrome GT4 Australia round of 2026.
Blincoe will replace fellow countryman Chris White in the car after the latter had driven alongside Frougas for the past three rounds as a result of winning the 2025/2026 GR86 Championship in New Zealand.
With Blincoe having finished second in the series to White, his reward was the opportunity to drive the Supra with Frougas for the Sydney round, completing the unique prize pool for the one-make Toyota series across the Tasman Sea.
Remarkably, LIQUI MOLY GT Festival Sydney will be Blincoe’s first-ever race in Australia after the young rising star forged an impressive start to his career in New Zealand that began more than a decade ago.
Starting out in karting, Blincoe developed his craft for five years before making his car-racing debut in 2020 - the teenager at the time opting for the open-wheeler avenue and running in Formula Vee and Formula Ford.
Across the next handful of years in open-wheel racing, Blincoe managed to produce some decent results and picked up several podiums and race wins along the way - his most notable outings coming in Formula Vee where he finished third overall for the season in his early years.
Blincoe truly came into his own over the past two years in the GR86 Championship though, where his rapid rise has been highlighted by good and consistent results - a runner-up finish in the 2025 rookie class was followed by what he considers his best-ever season in 2026.
In this year’s GR86 Championship, Blincoe scored seven podiums across the 17-race series, including one victory, which ultimately saw him finish 46 points short of White.
All in all, the successful Blincoe brings to the fold more than 40 podiums and 10 victories across the categories he has raced in - making him a ready-made replacement for White.
White leaves the series having produced decent results, with White and Frougas picking up a pole position at The Bend and a victory in Queensland the following round.
Blincoe will undergo a couple of test days with Frougas and the GWR crew before eventually making his debut at Sydney Motorsport Park on 18-20 September as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries’ LIQUI MOLY GT Festival Sydney.
QUOTES
Zach Blincoe
#9 GWR Australia GR Supra GT4 EVO 2
“I’m really excited to be racing in Sydney – especially because I’ve never raced in Australia before. It’s going to be a pretty big step up as it’s an extremely talented field, but I’m excited to give it a go,” Blincoe said.
“I’m definitely going to soak up this unique opportunity, but the goal is to get the best result possible. Chris and Daniel managed to get a win earlier this year, so it would be pretty awesome to bring home a top-three finish.
“I’ve had quite a few chats with the other New Zealanders who have raced in the series, including Chris (White) and Hugo Allan, so I’ve been trying to get as much advice as possible to make sure I’m well placed to get a good result.
“Obviously, I’ve never raced at Sydney Motorsport Park before, but I’ve seen quite a lot of footage and spent time on the sim - it looks like an awesome and fun track to drive, so I’m really happy that it’s the track I’ll be racing at.
“It’s an amazing opportunity, and I can’t thank the guys at TGR New Zealand enough for putting this together. I was pretty happy with our season in the GR86 Championship overall, but to be able to race in Australia is an added bonus and an opportunity that is extremely exciting.”
Daniel Frougas
#9 GWR Australia GR Supra GT4 EVO 2
“It was fun to have Chris alongside me for the past three rounds and we were able to get some great results together so a big thanks to him for his efforts. I now look forward to having Zach join the team for Sydney ,” Frougas said.
"He’s a ready-made replacement for Chris, and he’s got plenty of experience and some really good results behind him, so I have no doubt he’ll fit into the team nicely, which is exciting.
“He’s coming off a really strong season in the GR86 Championship, and that sort of consistency and experience is exactly what we need. I’m sure he’ll be able to get comfortable in the car quickly and produce some really good stints.
“I’m looking forward to working with him and seeing what we can achieve. It’s obviously the first time we will have worked together, but I’m confident we can work well and have a strong weekend in Sydney.”
Garth Walden
GWR Australia Owner
“It’s great to continue our relationship with Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand and give another of their talented young drivers an opportunity here in Australia, and with Zach coming off a strong season in New Zealand,” Walden said.
"We’re looking forward to welcoming him to the GWR stable and seeing what he and Daniel can achieve together in Sydney.