Kiwi teen wins Toyota Racing Series opener
ONE swallow doesn’t make a summer, but Marcus Armstrong from Christchurch has won his first race in the Castrol Toyota Racing Series at the opening round at Ruapuna Park, Christchurch, yesterday.
The performance has shown the 16-year-old will be one of the main contenders for the series title over the next five weeks.
Fresh out of a successful karting career, Armstrong needed a brave overtaking manoeuvre around the outside of Jehan Daruvala in the first corner to claim the lead halfway through the 15 laps race.
‘‘It’s a fairytale,’’ said Armstrong ‘‘Winning my first race in my home town.’’
He had qualified second fastest behind Daruvala and that hws how they had run during the opening laps, followed by Dutch youngster Richard Verschoor, who completed the podium.
All three drivers are signed to Formula One development squads, with Armstrong just being picked up by Ferrari, while Daruvala and Verschoor are with Force India and Red Bull.
But spun when American Kory Enders and stalled in a dangerous place, the safety car took to the track with the field bunched up behind.
Armstrong made the most of his chance on the rolling restart.
‘‘I anticipated what Jehan was going to do and got a good slipstream down the front straight,’’ Armstrong said.
As they went into the first corner he went around the outside of the Europe-based Indian and denied him the racing line as they exited the corner.
‘‘The car was amazing, my has done a great job,’’ said ‘‘I’m stoked.’’
He is now looking towards this afternoon’s Lady Wigram Trophy race, when again he will line up on the grid second beside Daruvala. ‘‘It’d be great to win that,’’ he said. ‘‘But the championship is about getting more points in every race.’’
Armstrong’s win came over a field which included Pedro Piquet (Brazil) and Ferdinand Habsburg (Austria), who both won races last year, but had to be content with coming home sixth and seventh yesterday.
The other Kiwis in the field, Taylor Cockerton (Pukekohe) and Brendon Leitch (Cromwell), finished fifth and ninth. team Armstrong.