Motorsport: Euro experience may pay off

If race one yesterday is any indicator, the New Zealand Grand Prix battle today will be between Mitch Evans, the defending champion, Nick Cassidy, the series leader, Hannes van Asseldonk from the Netherlands and Lucas Auer.

Evans showed what a season in Europe could do for a driver when he put his car on pole and promptly romped away with race one from Van Asseldonk and Cassidy.

"The start was brilliant to be honest and that's what set the race up for me," said Evans. "I'm still getting used to the foot clutch again but that's all good. The race was a good hit out for the Grand Prix but I'm not going to get ahead of myself and work hard with boys tonight to see if we can get a bit more."

The NZGP is one of only two Grand Prix run outside the grasp of Formula One, the other is Macau, and is the first GP meeting on the FIA international motor sport calendar. There have been some illustrious winners over the past 60-odd years, including Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, John Surtees, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Chris Amon and Keke Rosberg.

Dave Stubbs, spent decades in Formula One as team manager for Williams, Brabham, Stewart Racing and Red Bull Jaguar and is out here with a couple of young chargers in the M2 team. Stubbs says the TRS championship and the NZGP are an important stepping stone in driver development. "It's obviously different to a Formula One Grand Prix but the whole thing here is very competitive," said Stubbs. "To bring all these young drivers over from Europe speaks volumes for the series and to compete in the Grand Prix is great for the drivers. There's some brilliant names on the trophy and any driver would be happy to join them."

Francesco Pon, the Ferrari Driver Academy (an integral part of Scuderia Ferrari Formula One) technical manager has similar thoughts about the series and the NZGP.

"I see this championship as a path for the drivers to grow and to have a prize like the NZGP at the end is very, very important," said Pon. "It is good that the drivers have something important to aim for and push to try and win. It is a very important prize at the end of this season."

A New Zealand driver who has raced at the pinnacle of the sport is Chris Amon, who was a works driver for Ferrari in the late 1960s. The NZGP holds a special place in his memories. Amon won the coveted trophy in 1968 and 1969.

"Obviously, for me, there are a lot of happy memories about it [NZGP]. I guess it's a different Grand Prix than it was back when I raced because of all the long-established drivers contesting it," said Amon. "Now it's for more up-and-coming drivers and it's good for them to get their names on a trophy with such a great history."

The BNT V8s were also on the race card yesterday and Angus Fogg extended his lead in the championship by finishing second to Tim Edgell but in front of the chasing Jason Bargwanna.