Apex Hunters United Star and current Red Bull Ampol Racing co-driver Scott Pye is set to cross the Tasman to race the Mitchell Race Xtreme (MRX)-built Richards Team Motorsport Toyota Camry TLX in the SuperV8 support class at the Taupo Super 440.
Pye has been a consistent presence in the Supercars Championship in Australia since 2013, driving for teams like Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, Dick Johnson Racing (2014-2016), and Walkinshaw Andretti United (2017-2019), where he secured his first Supercars victory at Albert Park in 2018, along with two Bathurst 1000 podiums (2017 & 18).
Four seasons with Team 18 followed (2020-2023) before Pye transitioned to a co-driver role, balancing these duties with his media company, One Nine Media, and the hit ‘Apex Hunters United’ podcast. Highlights of his co-driving efforts so far include a Sandown 500 win and a Bathurst podium last year with Will Brown.
The opportunity to race the SuperV8 at the Taupo Super 440 arose following rumors that TCR Australia may withdraw from the Supercars Taupo Super 440 support bill, potentially opening the door for the SuperV8s. This prompted Stephen Richards of Richards Team Motorsport to contact Nick Mitchell at MRX, who had been assisting in a complete rebuild of Toyota Camry Chassis 001.
Richards inquired, “Hey, I heard a rumor that SuperV8s might be racing at the Supercar event in Taupo. Should we run the Camry?”
Richards then posed the question, “Who should we get to drive?”
Mitchell immediately had a candidate in mind. “Leave it with me; I think I know a guy,” he told Richards, referring to Pye.
Mitchell had been following Pye’s podcast, “Apex Hunters United,” since its launch last year, appreciating its laidback and honest approach. He also noted the podcast’s growing popularity in New Zealand, and thought Pye would be a perfect candidate to pedal the ‘new’ Camry at the Taupo round, with the interest it would bring to all involved.
“Every week, someone asks me, ‘Do you listen to the Apex Hunters Podcast?’ Many of us have been listening since day one. The recorded fan questions often come from New Zealand, showing the show’s increasing popularity here,” Mitchell explained.
After his conversation with Richards, Mitchell reached out to Pye via social media, messaging, “Hey man, got a potential drive here for you if you’re keen?” He followed up with details and photos of the car.
A few days later, Pye responded, and the two discussed the opportunity.
Mitchell mentioned that Martin Short, who engineers Broc Feeney in Supercars, previously drove for the Richards team in a Camry back in 2013-14. Additionally, Feeney and Brown both sampled the team’s other Camry leading up to last year’s inaugural Supercars event in Taupo. He suggested Pye consult with them before making a decision.
Pye responded, “Definitely keen, but indicated he needed to speak with the Boss, Jamie Whincup and others before confirming the drive. Not long after that Scott confirmed he was in and it was all go!
With the drive confirmed, Pye expressed his excitement, highlighting the connection with his Kiwi fans and the appeal of the Taupo track: “One of the really exciting things for me is we’ve got a bunch of listeners that are from New Zealand. Taupo is a track that I really enjoyed as well. It’s gonna be a big weekend, looking forward to getting over the other side of the ditch and seeing the fans that I don’t get to race in front of anymore.”
He also conveyed his enthusiasm for the project, adding, “The build and everything looks amazing. The guys have done a great job. So stoked to drive with RTM, and looking forward to driving the car as well. It’s a really exciting piece of kit with the engine swap, plenty of horsepower. I’m sure it’s going to be an eye opener when it’s on track.”
This commitment would place the pressure on Stephen and Grant of Richards Team Motorsport, as the car’s rebuild was still on going.
Chassis 001X began its life as the first TLX Ford FG Falcon, initially campaigned by Haydn Mackenzie Motorsport in 2013. Shaun Varney acquired it ahead of the 2013-14 season, racing it for a year before parking it. Richards Team Motorsport later purchased it to serve as a second car after Scott Taylor acquired one of their two Camrys.
The team ran it with the FG Kit and a Ford Boss Coyote engine during the Supercars support races at Pukekohe in 2016. However, the weekend was plagued by electrical issues and oil temperature problems, culminating in a collapsed oil filter and damaged bearings.
Upon returning to the workshop, the team decided to install their spare engine: a 3UZ 5.0-liter quad-cam Toyota unit from a Chip Ganassi-run Daytona 24 Hour prototype. They fitted the Camry front guards, bonnet, and bumper, completing the season with this configuration.
Following the season, the remaining Camry parts were fitted, apart from for the windscreen and roof, as the Camry was narrower than the Falcon.
Jason Bargwanna piloted the chassis for two seasons, securing nine race wins across the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons.
Brendon Grove then campaigned it for the 2018/19 season, followed by Alexandra Whitley in its final full-time season in 2019/20.
The car was sidelined for a year due to COVID-19 before returning to competition in 2021, when Richie Stanaway made his first racing appearance in a year and a half following his shock retirement in 2019. Stanaway participated in the North Island Endurance Series 1 Hour at Pukekohe Park Raceway, leading in the wet before an alternator and battery failure ended his race.
Initially parked due to the quiet period in NZ Touring Cars after COVID-19, the category’s decision to open up the rules and specifications prompted Richards to contact Mitchell. Seeking more power for Chassis 001X, and as they were already using the 3UZ 5.0-liter quad-cam Toyota engine in their other Camry, they wanted something with even more grunt, opting for a 358Cl Phase14 Toyota fuel-injected NASCAR engine.
The open rule book allowed Mitchell to extensively modify the car, removing steel inner guards, re-engineering the chassis, modifying the tunnel for a larger gearbox, and installing a sliding pedal box to accommodate drivers of varying heights. These changes were aimed at future-proofing the car and readying it for the NASCAR engine.
“We cut so many bars out of the chassis that we felt we needed to take it down to a bare chassis,” Mitchell explained. After consulting with Richards, and stating, “You’ll thank me later,” Mitchell stripped the car back to its space frame.
The frame was blasted and re-powdercoated in a fresh white, matching Richards’ other chassis.
Over the following months, the RTM team meticulously reassembled the car, including redoing the wiring loom, plumbing systems along with a full refresh of all existing systems. The switch from the quad-cam to the NASCAR engine necessitated a new oil system, which was relocated. Mitchell fabricated a brand-new exhaust system from the headers to the muffler, essentially giving the car a complete overhaul.
Approximately six weeks ago, the team got the car running (without bodywork) and took it to Dave at Dtech Performance in Tauranga for its first dyno run, where it produced 780 bhp at the wheels. Mitchell noted that this result “got the boys all fizzed up.”
With this new opportunity on the horizon with Pye, it’s all hands on deck to ensure the Camry is ready for its competitive return, adding another chapter to this chassis’ already rich history.
The team plans to conduct a test day before Taupo to ensure everything is race-ready. Pye is scheduled to get his first laps in the Camry on the Friday of the event.
Thankfully, Pye won’t be learning both the car and the circuit on the go, as the Australian made an appearance at the track during the 2008-09 Toyota Racing Series round.
The opening practice session for the SuperV8s is scheduled for 10:35 am April 11.
Header Image: Scott Pye Facebook
