Team Porsche New Zealand (TPNZ) driver Zac Stichbury has unveiled a fresh Whittaker’s Chocolate ‘Peanut Slab’ themed livery for the TPNZ 991.2 GT3 Cup car racing in Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia 2023.
In striking gold and brown, the livery pays homage to the Kiwi chocolate favourite, a design that has been iconic in Kiwi motorsport since the late 1980s. The ‘Peanut Slab’ design was famously featured on the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth that was driven by Greg Murphy & Kayne Scott in the 1992 Wellington Street race. The chocolate design on the Porsche Cup Car is paired with the black fern bonnet and rear design featured on the 2023 Team Porsche New Zealand race cars.
“It’s very special to have Whittaker’s support this season. The relationship started with my father back in the 90s when dad raced in Formula Ford with the iconic Whittaker’s Almond Gold livery. It’s so cool to follow in his footsteps and represent their brand once again with this amazing Peanut Slab livery on the Porsche Cup Car.”
Zac Stichbury
“It’s awesome to have the backing and support from Porsche NZ, EBM and Whittaker’s and I can’t thank them all enough. I’m super excited to roll out this weekend for round two at Tasmania and continue moving forward in this championship. Hopefully, we can spray some champagne and celebrate with a couple Peanut Slabs after.”
The reveal of the new design announces the support of Whittaker’s Chocolate for Zac Stichbury in his debut Porsche season. Whittaker’s sponsorship of Zac is received with special significance, as the chocolate company also supported his late father Ashley Stichbury during his racing career. Ashley famously boasted a similar Whittaker’s ‘Almond Gold’ chocolate livery when racing in Formula Ford in the 1990’s.
Zac’s pursuit of Porsche victory follows in his fathers’ motor racing footsteps, as Ashley Stichbury was selected to compete in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia before passing away in 2002. Zac was selected for Team Porsche New Zealand as a scholarship recipient in 2023 following their Scholarship shootout in October 2022, where the five top applicants were invited by Porsche New Zealand to test their skills in a 991.2 GT3 Cup car.
The new design won’t be missed on track as it makes its debut at the Tasmania SuperSprint this weekend (19-21 May). The Tasmania SuperSprint is round 2 in the 6 round Porsche Sprint Challenge series which runs until November 2023. At Round 1 in March at Phillip Island, Stichbury saw strong results, with a quick pace throughout practice putting him in second place in qualifying. He achieved 6th in race one, 4th in race two and his most impressive performance was in race 3 where he climbed from 15th place to finish in 4th after running off the track midway through the race.
The Tasmania Sprint Challenge round will run alongside SuperCars which will be streamed on Sky Sports New Zealand, or Fox Sports & Kayo in Australia.
Saturday, May 20
Race 1 – 11:40am AEST / 1:40pm NZST
Race 2 – 2:40pm AEST / 4:40pm NZST
Sunday, May 21
Race 3 – 11:50am AEST / 1:50pm NZST
Matt Whittaker, COO, Whittaker’s Chocolate
“We’re pleased to support a talented young New Zealand sportsperson aiming to be the best at what he does. As a family-owned business, there’s a special synergy for us in sponsoring Zac, having previously sponsored his late father, Ashely Stichbury, during his motor racing career in the 1990s. What really impressed us about Zac is his unrelenting drive and focus, which will no doubt serve him well in his upcoming races. This is Zac’s first campaign in Australia, where we are seeing growing numbers of Whittaker’s Chocolate Lovers so we thought it would be cool to have Zac’s car with Peanut Slab Car livery racing the circuit in the 2023 Sprint Cup Challenge there.”
About Team Porsche New Zealand
Team Porsche New Zealand was formed by Porsche New Zealand in conjunction with Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) in late 2019 to provide young New Zealand talent the opportunity and pathway to advance their motorsport career in Australia. The scholarship programme sees drivers competing in the Carrera Cup Australia which is a key component in the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, and the feeder series, the Porsche Sprint Challenge.
The team is based in Brisbane and run by EBM, whose principal is two-time Le Mans 24-hour winner Earl Bamber. Earl himself progressed his motorsport career via the Porsche Pyramid through Carrera Cup Asia, Porsche Super Cup, and ultimately as a factory driver for Porsche in both the World Endurance Championship and the North American International Motor Sports Association.
Each year a scholarship will be offered to support an exciting young New Zealand talent achieving a seat in the 992 GT3 Sup Car in Carrera Cup Australia, and a second driver in the 991.2 GT3 Cup Car in Sprint Challenge Australia. The combination of Bamber’s international motor racing and Porsche Motorsport experience provides a unique opportunity to develop their skills and succeed.
About Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia
In 2023, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia celebrates its 15th season in Australia. Managed by Porsche Cars Australia, the series has developed into one of Australia’s best and most professionally run racing series. For young drivers, the series is a launch pad in their pursuit of a professional motor racing career. Several drivers have used Sprint Challenge to gain experience in a high-performance sports car before their journey up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid.
To keep up with series information and results visit https://www.porschesprintchallenge.com.au/
