SUPPORTED BY
NextSteps News
👏 Troy Garth – Troy’s childhood dream was to compete in a rally, and he has driven his classic Lancer at two Queensland Rally Championship Regularity events, throwing down some big skids.
👏 Jennifer Prince – Jen’s NextStep was to get back into co-driving and building confidence with pace notes. Jen kicked these goals after completing a full 2-days of reconnaissance and navigating on pace notes at Rally Queensland, an Australian Rally Championship round
👏 Ella Pyyvaara – Ella’s NexStep goal is to have a good crack at the Queensland Rally Championship 2WD, Junior and Clubman driver podium positions. She smashed those goals with 2nd place / podium in the Junior category at Rally Queensland
👏 Cassie Garth – Set a goal to simply try other types of motorsport beyond khanacross, which she achieved in April by co-driving in the Regularity section in two Queensland Rally Championship events, with her brother.
Mikka Baksa, rally Co-driver, wining the Novice Co-Driver category
Troy Garth, Rally Driver, in his classic Lancer
The GCTMC NextSteps Program is designed to break down barriers and support club members advance their motorsport involvement in 2026.
GCTMC’s $10k investment into the grassroots – RallySport Magazine
How it works:
- Applicants sought up to $1k in value support for their next motorsporting step in 2026.
- Applicants proposed how they will give back via volunteering and promotion of the club / motorsport in exchange for sponsorship.
- Online applications / sponsorship proposals closed October 2025.
- 3-person assessment panel completed assessments. Recommendations independently reviewed in November 2025.
- GCTMC committee approved all recommendations, with successful recipients advised December 2025.
- Recipients were announced on 17 January 2026 at GCTMC Presentation and Awards Night
- NextSteps, and volunteering contributions back to the club and motorsport: between January to November 2026.
Follow us on Facebook for updates from our club members taking their Next Steps in 2026!
Questions? Contact us via gctmcnextsteps@outlook.com
More information about NextSteps
The NextSteps Program was a one-off, sponsorship-style initiative designed to help new and novice competitors take their next step in motorsport by reducing financial and practical barriers. It strengthened club culture, and increased visibility of grassroots motorsport in the wider community.
Current GCTMC members that are new or novice competitors (in any discipline) who are ready to progress in their chosen form of motorsport in 2026 were eligible.
What counted as a “Next Step”
Moving beyond the current level of competition — for example, entering a first event, trying a new discipline, navigating /mentoring new rally drivers, stepping up to a championship or new class, or tackling an iconic event.
What support looked like
Members applied for support for up to 3 items, to a maximum value of $1,000 per person. It could include entry fees, licences, safety gear, or training. Support was provided through payment of invoices or quotes, but not cash. Applicants could be successful in all, some or none of their items.
Giving back
In return, recipients committed to promoting GCTMC and motorsport and contributing back to the club in 2026. This included sharing experiences at club nights, helping with events, writing articles, social media promotion, or other creative community activities.
How applications were assessed
Applications were assessed on merit against clear, pre-set, criteria. Criteria focused on the best value volunteering/promotional contribution to the club or motorsport for the dollar value of the items sought. All applications were assessed by a panel of 3 experienced club members, de identified and the final assessment outcomes and recommendations were separately, and independently reviewed. The final recommendations were then approved by the GCTMC Committee.