KEY POINTS:
Earl Bamber has closed in on Toyota Racing Series leader Andy Knight with victory in the weekend's round at Manfeild - including picking up the prestigious Dan Higgins Trophy.
Wanganui-based Bamber, 17, led from the start and held out Knight until the final lap, when Knight spun off the track at the end of Dunlop, the long right hand corner that brings the cars back onto the front straight.
Palmerston North's Nelson Hartley started well and held third through the opening laps, while Australian Nathan Antunes spun away any hope of a top placing and pitted to have the car checked.
Behind Bamber, Knight and Hartley, Dominic Storey and Christina Orr were locked in close combat until Storey's car left the track on the infield. He rejoined just in front of Ben Crighton and set about clawing his way back through the field.
Wellington's Ben Harford, second in the series at the start of this round, was also coming up through the field. Once away from Orr, he set about chasing down Sam MacNeill.
MacNeill, however, was in the midst of a gritty comeback from a qualifying accident that forced his team to work into Saturday night to rebuild his car. Starting fourth, he held off Ben Harford and found himself well positioned to capitalise when Nelson Hartley stepped out of line.
At the front of the field, Bamber and Knight had cleared out into a lead of almost eight seconds, with MacNeill third behind them.
Dominic Storey had passed both Michael Burdett and Nic Jordan on his comeback, and overtook Christina Orr but crashed heavily at Dunlop.
On the final lap, Andy Knight too fell victim to the Dunlop corner exit, spinning into the gravel.
That left Bamber in the clear for the final few corners of the race, with Sam MacNeill and Nelson Hartley holding up local honours in second and third place respectively.
Bamber, who last month became the youngest ever winner of the Lady Wigram Trophy, is the third TRS winner of the Dan Higgins Trophy, which has been won by TRS graduates Brendon Hartley and Daniel Gaunt.
The Toyota Racing Series now heads south to Timaru for the penultimate round of the Championship, which concludes a week later at Teretonga near Invercargill. The cars return to the track for a non-championship race at the V8 Supercar event at Hamilton in April.
Pole pays in Race 1
Bamber started off pole in the first TRS 12 lap race of the weekend and was never headed, building a lead of more than three seconds as he went.
Off the start line, Palmerston North driver Nelson Hartley grabbed into second place with Andy Knight third.
Christchurch driver Hamish Cross had a sensational start and slotted in behind Knight, dicing with Mitch Cunningham and Christina Orr.
Bamber meanwhile had stretched out a 1.5 second lead and was dictating the race from the front. Hamish Cross fell back, and almost at the same time Andy Knight forged past Nelson Hartley to hold second place - a position that would enable him to maintain his championship points lead.
Cross then went wide and spun in the infield corners, dropping down the race order and bringing Mitch Cunningham up to fourth with Christina Orr fifth but not positioned to challenge.
"The car got two wheels onto the grass and just kept dragging itself off the track. I thought it was going to turn nasty when the car stopped and I was looking back down the track at the rest of the field, but somehow we all managed to avoid each other," he said afterward.
Behind them, Ben Crighton overtook Ken Smith at the end of the start-finish straight, them promptly ran wide and retired onto the infield grass. Ben Harford overtook Nic Jordan and began to line up Christina Orr for a late-race overtaking opportunity.
Though Harford tried to get past lap after lap, Orr was able to defend all the way to the chequered flag. Dominic Storey also closed up on Jordan, and was able to overtake easily when Jordan spun after the hairpin. Another to spin in the same spot was Australian Nathan Antunes.
Also past Jordan as he regained the track were Smith and Antunes.
Harford finished sixth, sacrificing his second place in the championship points race to Bamber. Nelson Hartley posted fastest time around the 3.03 km circuit, and his third overall was good enough to bring him into fifth overall on points, while 33 points for tenth overall keeps Nic Jordan in fourth for the championship. Earl Bamber moved into second in the points title chase, just 73 points behind Andy Knight.
Of the two drivers involved in the qualifying crash only Michael Burdett was able to take the start, and completed the race though his car's suspension set-up had not been fine-tuned.
Knight fights back
The second race of the weekend belonged to series leader Knight, who surged past Bamber into a lead he quickly stretched out to a comfortable two second gap.
Palmerston North's Nelson Hartley slotted into second, with Bamber pushing hard for a chance to overtake.
Behind them Christina Orr, Ken Smith and Ben Harford were all locked in a battle for the minor placings, Harford chasing Orr but then losing two places as first Smith and then Mitch Cunningham came past. He re-took the placings on the final lap in a daring pass at the end of the start-finish straight.
The final order was Knight - who took a handy boost to his championship points - Hartley and Bamber.
Quick results
Race 1 (12 laps): Earl Bamber 1, Andy Knight 2, Nelson Hartley 3, Mitch Cunningham 4, Christina Orr 5.
Race 2 (12 laps): Knight 1, Hartley 2, Bamber 3, Nathan Antunes 4, Sam MacNeill 5.
Race 3 (Dan Higgins Trophy) 20 laps: Bamber 1, MacNeill 2, Hartley 3, Hamish Cross 4, Orr 5.
