The Ferrari Driver Academy is sending a second driver for the 2018 Toyota Racing Series that gets underway in Christchurch on January 12, with Russian-born Robert Schwartzman joining Christchurch’s Marcus Armstrong on the grid.
Both will be competing with the Prema Team in the 10-round Formula 3 European Championship once the northern hemisphere season gets underway in May.
Schwartzman competed in the 2017 Formula Renault 2.0 Europcup finishing third overall while Armstrong won the Italian F4 Championship and finished runner up in the ADAC German F4 Series.
Previous Ferrari Academy Drivers competing in the TRS have included Raffaele Marciello, Guanyu Zhou and current Williams Racing Formula One driver Lance Stroll.
While Armstrong and Schwartzman are expected to be challengers for the TRS title, it won’t be straightforward for either driver, with the announcement of ‘The Flying Dutchman’ returning to compete.
In the closest championship in the Toyota Racing Series’ 14-year history, Richard Verschoor last season finished third overall, just 12 points behind Australian winner Thomas Randle.
Verschoor heads to NZ ‘on the back-foot’ having had little track time in 2017. He has competed in Formula Renault 2.0 series in both the Europcup and Northern European Championship.
SUPER COMPETITION IN SUPERBIKES
Bay of Plenty’s Scotty Moir has maintained his lead heading to the third and final round of the 2017 Suzuki Series at the Cemetery Circuit in Whanganui on Boxing Day.
This has proved a highly competitive series so far with Suzuki team-mates Daniel Mettam, Moir and Sloan Frost, along with Honda’s Mitch Rees, Yamaha’s Hayden Fitzgerald and Kawasaki’s Glen Skachill, fighting for positions and points.
While Moir dominated the opening round at Taupo two weeks ago, it was Mettam who surged up the leader board at Manfeild last weekend and is now second, just 16 points behind Moir.
The highly competitive series is a great preliminary outing leading into the 2018 NZ Superbike Championship that gets underway in January.
While Wellington’s 2016 champion Sloan Frost and Whakatane’s 2017 champion Tony Rees were again expected to go head-to-head for the premier superbike class title, the tussle has become more intense now that Mettam and Moir have been added to the mix.
The very competitive 600cc supersport class is expected to produce a new champion.
Upper Hutt’s Rogan Chandler and Manukau’s Toby Summers are the most likely favourites, with Kiwi international Avalon Biddle from Orewa, Whangaparoa’s Nathan Jane and Feilding’s Ashton Hughes also likely to feature.
The two title contenders for top 600cc honours last year – eventual winner Damon Rees of Whakatane, and Wainuiomata’s Shane Richardson – are not expected to enter in 2018.
Rees is recovering from injury and expected to step up to the superbike class when he does make a comeback, while Richardson has international commitments that may possibly prevent him achieving a viable Kiwi campaign.
The 2018 Nationals kick off at Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Christchurch on January 6 and 7, with rounds to follow at Timaru’s Levels International Raceway (January 13-14), then at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park (March 3-4), before wrapping up at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo (March 17-18).
Benjamin Carrell is the online editor of nzmotorracing.co.nz
Source :Stuff.co.nz
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