Motorsport: Racing series gains traction

Earl Bamber leads Sten Pentus at Timaru January 2010 in TRS race two. Photo / Supplied

While the BNT V8s may grab most of the glory in the MotorSport New Zealand Championship series with door banging antics, it's the Toyota Racing Series that's producing our brightest new talent.

These wings-and-slicks, scaled down Formula One-esqe looking cars provide an excellent grounding for young drivers who want to move on to bigger and better things.

Reserve F1 driver for Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso Kiwi Brendon Hartley won the very first TRS race at Palmerston North in 2005 bringing him to the attention of the Red Bull Junior Driver Development Squad.

In addition to Hartley, other emerging stars Chris van der Drift, Earl Bamber, Wade Cunningham, Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway have all raced in the Toyota Racing Series and have gone on to make their mark internationally.

The series is also popular with some overseas drivers who come down to get race practice in the European off-season.

Four international drivers and a new three-car team are having a tilt at the 2010 TRS season and it's shaping up to be one of the most competitive so far.

A promising Brazilian Lucas Foresti, an Estonian and two young Australians have joined a bunch of talented Kiwi drivers to battle it out for both the international series and the New Zealand Grand Prix - Manfeild February 13-14.

The grid has also been boosted by the late inclusion of defending TRS International champion Earl Bamber. Following the demise of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, the 19-year-old from Wanganui is returning to TRS with the Triple X team in a determined bid to revive his career. He has competed in many senior categories including GP2 and A1GP. Bamber's teammates are Stefan Webling and Chris Wootton from the Gold Coast.

The unexpected opportunity to race against Bamber and the overseas drivers was an added incentive for 15-year-old Mitch Evans who has been impressive in Formula Fords here and in Australia.

"We are anticipating one of our most competitive TRS seasons yet because we have achieved a good balance of local New Zealand talent to match up against our overseas drivers," said TRS manager Barrie Thomlinson.

Foresti was runner-up in the South American Formula 3 championship last year and has been in Europe finalising plans to race there in Formula 3 later this year.

The Estonian driver, Sten Pentus, is the most experienced European driver to race in TRS in New Zealand. Last season the 28-year-old competed in the World Series V6 Renault category against Kiwi drivers Brendon Hartley and Chris van der Drift, having previously experienced Formula BMW and Formula Renault in Britain and Europe.

Foresti and Pentus have been racing with the defending TRS champions Stephen Giles Motorsport. This four-car team run by the ex-McLaren Formula One chief mechanic also includes Evans and David Jileson, who finished fifth overall in his rookie TRS season last year.

Australian entrant Trevor Sheumack is fielding cars for Andrew Waite and Aussie rookie Nathan Morcom. Jamie McNee and Alastair Wooten are also in the mix.

So far the series has lived up to its billing with three different winners emerging after round one at the South Island Teretonga track. Evans won race one on debut with Pentus grabbing race two and Foresti putting his marker out by winning race three.

"He [Pentus] had me at the start because I didn't have enough revs on and I thought it was going to be hard to get ahead. So, I was pretty stoked when I saw him run wide on the grass and I'm very happy to win after all it has taken to get to this point of my career," said Evans on his first win.

"In the second race Mitch got the better start but I really concentrated to stay close. He only made a couple of little mistakes but I was ready," said a delighted Pentus.

In race three Foresti Foresti drove a smart race, shadowing the penalised Waite, while holding off a determined challenge from Bamber. After the opening three races Pentus led on 196pts from Evans on 187pts, Jilesen on 180pts, Foresti on 178pts, Bamber on 157pts and Waite on 145pts.

With barely enough time to take a breath, the TRS circus headed north to the Levels circuit just outside Timaru for round two the following weekend.

Evans took over the lead in the International Series in the opening race shattering the lap record as he led home Pentus. Bamber won the Sunday morning second 20-lap race on a drying track with wet tyres; then as rain began to fall in the final 12-lap race, he reversed the situation to win on slicks.

Evans' weekend came to an abrupt end when on the last lap his late bid to snatch the lead from Bamber ended in tears when his car slid off the damp track and slammed heavily into the tyre wall.

"We started sixth and got another fantastic start to be up to third by the first turn.

"Then by the end of the first lap we were actually leading. Although it was hard to judge how fast to go on the slick tyres with the light rain and then on the last couple of laps Mitch Evans really came charging and it was unfortunate he went off at the end of the straight," said Bamber.

After two rounds Pentus still leads on 379pts from Evans on 374pts with Bamber now up to third on 352pts and Jileson dropping to fourth on 333pts.

The series has arrived in the North Island and round three is set to be a humdinger at the new Hampton Downs circuit just south of greater Auckland.

The track will suit the TRS cars with its fast, flowing and technical layout. Watch out for the international drivers to have a good weekend as the track has a very European feel with lots of elevation and is wide enough to allow side-by-side braking duels.

It'll make for exciting racing this weekend.