Kiwi trio tackle youth’s best
Three of New Zealand’s finest young drivers will take on some of the best in the world for championship honours, and the international spotlight, when the Toyota Racing Series begins this weekend in Cromwell.
The series, now in its 15th year – which has seen F1 drivers Lance Stroll, Daniil Kvyat, Lando Norris and Brendon Hartley compete previously – goes up a gear this season when the top five finishers in the series will all gain points towards a Formula One FIA Super Licence.
Highlands Motorsport Park will provide a massive challenge for the high quality field of drivers, who represent up to ten nations from all over the world, including the USA, Russia, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Australia, Japan, South Africa, Austria and New Zealand.
No fewer than 11 graduates of the series have now made it to Formula One as race or test drivers.Four teams, each boasting crews of engineers from New Zealand and Europe with a vast and diverse knowledge base that includes experience from F1, GP2, GP3 and IndyCar, are contracted by Toyota to run identical Tatuus FT-50 single seater cars in the month-long, five round championship.
The cars are meticulously prepared and tested by Toyota NZ to ensure they are absolutely alike in every respect, including engine power, before they are released to the teams.
After that, it’s down to the driver’s skills and working with the engineers off track to extract every ounce of performance from the state-of-the-art composite car.
This year’s field includes Mercedes junior driver Lucas Auer, who has already tested current F1 machinery as well as raced for several seasons in the prestigious German touring car series – the DTM.
Toyota Scholarship and Formula 4 ace Kazuto Kotaka, Asian Formula 3 champion Raoul Hyman, a returning Cameron Das from the USA and young Aussie gun Calan Williams are hot prospects too. And there’s three fast Kiwis, all of whom will be solely focussed on winning.
Marcus Armstrong had the title slip from his grasp on the last lap of the last race last season and will be out to right that wrong as he marches towards the bigger single seater formulae this year. Liam Lawson is a couple of steps behind him in experience, but has won in Formula 3 already and is eager to prove his skills in the Toyota. A series win for him at home could provide a massive boost to his single seater aspirations.
Brendon Leitch, is the most experienced driver in the FT-50 car, beginning the year with two tracks he knows exceptionally well. A good start to the championship could put him in a powerful position in the now familiar yellow ITM car.
After Highlands Motorsport Park the series moves to the world’s most southern circuit, the sweeping and challenging Teretonga, a week later.
It then heads north with events at Hampton Downs in the Waikato where the winner will take home New Zealand’s oldest motorsport trophy, the New Zealand Motor Cup before the penultimate weekend at the Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Taupo, the former A1GP circuit.
The championship concludes on February 10 at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon with the New Zealand Grand Prix, which along with Macau’s Formula 3 race, is one of only two FIA recognised grand prix events outside of the Formula One world championship.