Struggles to attract sponsorship will not stop rising Te Puke racing star Michael Scott squaring off in the upcoming Toyota Racing Series.

Michael, who was hoping to raise $130,000 in sponsorship towards the cost of the five week series, says he will use some Kiwi resourcefulness to stretch his budget.

Te Puke's Michael Scott, pictured with the Formula Ford he raced in Victoria last year, is looking for sponsorship for the upcoming Toyota Race Series.

'We're Kiwis, so we'll find a way to make it work,” says the 19-year-old, who lists accommodation and travel as obvious areas he can save dosh. 'But we won't be making sacrifices in any of the important areas, like tyres.”

Sponsorship is still being finalised, but he believes he's attracted less than half of the sum he wanted – and is still keen to hear from those who can help.

Michael has just completed four days of practice in the South Island, training on the Formula Renault – the closest car available to the special Toyota series cars. Michael says the practice runs at tracks in Christchurch, Invercargill and Timaru have been great preparation for the first event at Invercargill's Teretonga track on January 10.

Drivers don't get access to the cars they lease from Toyota until January 8, when they can practise at Teretonga. The Formula Renault is closer than any other car, sharing the same chassis and running gear, but a different engine.

'We were really happy with how it went. Compared with how I was driving at the start of last season, we can see our times are a bit over a second faster.”

The series – which has been the international launching pad for many young Kiwi drivers – is expected to attract four New Zealanders in a 22-grid field, packed with top international drivers competing during the Northern Hemisphere off-season.

The series runs during five weeks, finishing with the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild February 6-9 – and is dominated by international drivers, but Michael has his eyes firmly set on being the top of the four Kiwis expected to compete.

Michael says the lack of sponsorship will be challenging, but he'll find a way to make it work. To find out about sponsorship, call Michael on 07 533 3678 or email: [email protected] or contact Mark Boyle on 07 573 6772 or email: [email protected]