Big names back for Toyota Racing series this weekend
Richard Verschoor, will be trying to reboot his career in the Castrol Toyota Racing Series starting this weekend.
Italian Formula 4 winner Marcus Armstrong will start as a heavy favourite this weekend at the Castrol Toyota Racing Series, in Christchurch.
The 17-year-old Canterbury driver finished fourth overall on debut 11 months ago has since won the Italian Formula 4 title and finished runner-up in the German F4 Championship.
Placed third last summer and also in the running for the top spot is Richard Verschoor, the 2016 Northern European and Spanish F4 title winner.
His season in Europe in 2017 was not as significant and he returns to New Zealand to re-ignite his career in the five round, 15-race championship which is run over the next five weekends.
Pukekohe’s Taylor Cockerton is starting the series for a third time after coming seventh and ninth the last two years. Last winter the 20-year-old won the Formula masters championship, which has rounds in China and Malaysia and uses the same car as here, with a different engine.
At 22 Brendon Leitch is the oldest and most experienced participant – this will be his fifth season. Two years ago he finished third overall, but last summer he was involved in two big crashes at Teretonga and Manfeild which held him back in ninth place.
Last winter he raced in Formula 4 in the United States, giving him the extra racing before in the off season. He was fourth overall.
The other champions in the field are Cameron Das ,17, who won the 2016 US F4 title and Calvin Ming ,21, from Guyana who won the Central America F4 championship in 2017.
Christchurch’s other entrant is Ryan Yardley,19, who is making his TRS debut after winning the Toyota 86 sports coupe series last summer. The runner-up in that championship, Reid Harker from Auckland, is also stepping up to the premier single seater class.
There is official practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday morning and the first race that afternoon. The main event, the Lady Wigram Trophy, will be staged on Sunday afternoon.
AT A GLANCE:
Castrol Toyota Racing Series calendar. –
January 12-14, Ruapuna, Christchurch
January 19-21, Teretonga, Invercargill
January 26-28, Hampton Downs, North Waikato
February 2-4, Taupo
February 9-11, Manfeild, Feilding
Warwick Smith
Christchurch driver Marcus Armstrong will compete in the Castrol Toyota racing series starting in Christchurch this weekend.
– Stuff
Source :Stuff.co.nz
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