Ahead of Tuesday’s announcement, Red Bull had already confirmed the plans for Juri Vips, Yuki Tsunoda, Jack Doohan and Jonny Edgar. The Estonian is to race in Super Formula, the Japanese in F2, the Australian in F3 and the Brit in Italian/German F4.

Like Doohan, Red Bull has added Dennis Hauger and Liam Lawson in the F3 bracket, with the duo joining Hitech GP alongside the newly announced Renault junior Max Fewtrell. This will be Hauger’s first year in F3, while Lawson moves on from MP Motorsport.

Hauger graduates to F3 after winning the 2019 Italian F4 title. Lawson, meanwhile, has already started his 2020 run by competing in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand with Tsunoda, while Doohan is competing in the Formula 3 Asian Championship.

A new entrant in the Red Bull junior line-up is Jak Crawford, who hails from the United States of America. The 14-year-old moves to Europe in single-seater racing after competing in USF2000 and also F4 NACAM Championship.

He will race in Italian F4 and also German F4, which is same as Edgar, for Dutch outfit Van Amersfoort Racing in 2020. They form the seven racers in the family as only known names like Patricio O’Ward, Lucas Auer, Harry Thompson and Dan Ticktum are out.

2020 F3 line-up so far:

Jenzer Motorsport: Calan Williams

Prema Racing: Logan Sargeant, Frederik Vesti and Oscar Piastri

ART Grand Prix: Alexander Smolyar, Theo Pourchaire and Sebastian Fernandez

HWA Racelab: Jake Hughes, Enzo Fittipaldi and Jack Doohan

Trident: Lirim Zendeli

Hitech GP: Max Fewtrell, Liam Lawson and Dennis Hauger

Here’s what Max Verstappen wants in 2020 with Alexander Albon

Here’s news on Red Bull extending with ExxonMobil

Photo: Vettel, Espargaro join Red Bull/AlphaTauri drivers in skiing event

Renault puts Zhou and Lundgaard in F2 as Fewtrell continues in F3

L'entrada Red Bull adds only new name in junior line-up, reveals all programmes ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Following the FIA World Motor Sport Council meet in Paris, the revised list for F1 superlicense points was revealed under the governing body’s International Sporting Code – Appendix L, where there are changes for as many as seven championships.

Among the new additions, it was already known for W Series and Euroformula Open but the FIA has also added F3 Regional Japanese Championship and Japanese Super Formula Lights in the list where young drivers can compete to get F1 superlience points.

The F3 Regional Japanese Championship winner is get 18 points as it follows a descending order format of 14, 12, 10, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1. At the same time, W Series, Japanese Super Formula Lights and EF Open winners will get 15 points respectively.

It then follows the system of 12, 10, 7, 5, 3, 2, 1. Among the series which will see a change in their pattern, Formula Renault Eurocup has been put in the same 15, 12, 10, 7, 5, 3, 2, 1 bracket as it gets demoted from the above F3 Regional’s 18 bracket.

Another big change comes in for FIA Formula 3 Championship where the winner will still get 30 points with 25 for second place and 20 for third, but drivers finishing from fourth down to 10th will get more points in the order of 15, 12, 9, 7, 5, 3, 2.

It is an increase from this year’s system where the driver got 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1. As for the final series to get its system changed is the New Zealand-based winter championship Toyota Racing Series, where the winner will now get 10 as opposed to 7 for 2019.

It will then follow the system of 7, 5, 3, 1 which is change from 5, 3, 2, 1. The rest of the championships remains the same for 2020 with only a name change to United States of America-based Indy Pro 2000 series from Formula Mazda.

As already known from before, racers driving with a Friday superlience in the free practice session in F1, stands to get one point each in each of the session they run. There is a limit, however, with a maximum of 10 points up for grabs from the 22 events.

Here’s the last information from FIA regarding superlience

L'entrada FIA adds four series to F1 superlicense list, changes points for other three ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

One of the premier winter single-seater competitions, the Toyota Racing Series New Zealand, will see a brand new car from the 2020 season onward, which is an upgrade from the FT-50 to a T-60, being overseen by both Toyota and Tatuus.

The new car had its on-track debut in Italy, with a former TRS driver, Maini, in the cockpit. The Indian currently races in the and currently racing in the LMP2 class of European Le Mans Series with RLR MSport as he completed over 900 km in the three days of testing.

The tests took place on three different track in Italy, which were Vairano, Cremona and Franciacorta. The car has new two-litre 285 horsepower (212 kW) engine based on the 8AR FTS engine used in both Toyota and Lexus models, with Hankook tyres fitted.

“It was a very positive first test,” said Maini. “It went very smoothly with the engine. Everything went to plan so that was very good. The engine is powerful and the driveability is very good. The gear change is good and the downshift particularly feels really nice in combination with the new engine.

“We were running in the very hot conditions being experienced all over Europe currently but temperatures were very stable. From a driver’s point of view it was nice to drive and rewards a style young drivers will need to develop as they move up the single seater ladder. The engine and the Tatuus chassis make for a good combination.

“It feels like a much more modern car and is a bigger, turbocharged car in keeping with the direction formula racing is now heading, right up to and including F1. It’s definitely the right choice for the next era of TRS in my opinion. This is a good way to prepare your driving style for the bigger formula cars.

“For a young driver it’s very important to be in the car as much as possible developing all of the skills they need and this next generation of TRS will only add to the quality of the experience drivers will have in the New Zealand series. Overall after three days of driving I think a really significant and relevant step forward.”

The testing in New Zealand will begin at the end of August with the 2020 series to kick-start at Highlands Motorsport Park on January 17-19. Teretonga Park will be next, followed by Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, with Round 4 venue to be confirmed and the finale at Manfeild (February 14-16).

FIA reveals details of Motorsport Games, first-ever hybrid F4 car unveiled

L'entrada Arjun Maini tests the new Toyota FT-60 in Italy ahead of 2020 debut ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

It was a frantic final weekend with the title going right down to the wire between Lawson and Armstrong as the former had the last laugh with a five-second penalty eventually deciding Armstrong’s fate.

The Race 1 on Saturday had Armstrong in prime position at the start when he took the lead pushing pole-sitter Lawson to second as M2 Competition’s Lucas Auer tried his luck on Lawson. Victory Motor Racing’s Brendon Leitch leapt to fourth from seventh.

It was settled up front until a safety car period when MTEC Motorsport’s Kazuto Kotaka ran into the back of Giles Motorsport’s Petr Ptacek. The re-start was clean for Lawson as he challenged Armstrong but the Ferrari junior had the answer in place already.

Armstrong had it under control to win the race and bring the title fight to just one point with leader Lawson in second and Auer completing the podium. Leitch was fourth as MTEC Motorsport’s Calan Willians secured his best finish in fifth.

M2 Competition’s Esteban Muth got the better of teammate Cameron Das to be sixth with MTEC Motorsport’s Petru Florescu, Giles Motorsport’s Raoul Hyman and MTEC Motorsport’s Jackson Walls completed the Top 10 among the 14 finishers.

M2 Competition’s Artem Petrov did not start due to illness as veteran Kiwi Kenny Smith finished 13th. Position 11-14: Dev Gore, Parker Locke, Smith, Thomas Smith. The Race 2 on Sunday had Das under control to pick up his first win.

The American held the lead from start on after dispatching reverse-grid pole-sitter Florescu with the Romanian dropping to fourth as Auer and Muth took second and third respectively, while title contenders Lawson and Armstrong were sixth and seventh respectively.

A safety car for Florescu brought the field together but Das held on while a back and forth fight went on between the contenders with Lawson emerging ahead. Das eventually took it home from Auer and Muth with Leitch securing fourth.

Lawson ended up fifth from Armstrong with Hyman in sixth as Williams, Smith and Kotaka rounded out the Top 10. Position 11-13: Locke, Ptacek and Kenny. DNF: Gore, Walls and Florescu. DNS: Petrov.

The Race 3 ended up being a frantic one with Lawson seeing off his rival to secure his maiden TRS triumph as Armstrong couldn’t win the championship for the third consecutive year – having ended up fourth, third and now second respectively.

Lawson led the way from Auer at the start with the pole-sitter then losing out to a charging Armstrong as well as the Top 3 settled in with Muth and Leitch in the Top 5. A red flag got things at a step when Ptacek went off as re-start gave Armstrong a chance on Lawson.

He held on but behind him Muth passed Auer for third as the Austrian lost out to Leitch as well but a move from Das on Auer proved costly with the two making contact and initiating a multi-car pile-up. A re-start had Armstrong making a move on Lawson to take the lead.

He dropped to fourth but the stewards handed Armstrong a five-second penalty with an incident between Walls and Gore brought the race to a halt once again. The re-start worked well for Lawson as quickly got to second as Armstrong crossed the line first.

With the penalty, he dropped to second with Lawson winning the race and the title as Kotaka took the final podium spot from the finishers Hyman, Muth, Leitch, Locke and Kenny in Top 8. DNF: Gore, Walls, Auer, Das, Williams, Ptacek, Smith, Petrov, Florescu.

Lawson scored 356 points in all with five race wins to Armstrong’s 346 which had five wins as well. Red Bull junior Auer ended up third overall with 270 points after leapfrogging Hyman by two points in the end with Muth rounding off the Top 5.

L'entrada TRS: Lawson beats Ferrari junior Armstrong at Manfeild to win 2019 title ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The penultimate weekend at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo started off with the qualifying and race from the Teretonga weekend as M2 Competition’s Lawson, not only took pole but also victory as well in a dominant fashion.

Lawson controlled the pace all-through despite few hiccups to win as nearest contender and Ferrari junior Armstrong fell into the clutches of the Red Bull junior and M2 Competition teammate Lucas Auer to concede second place midway in the race.

The Kiwi had to settle for third from teammate Artem Petrov as Giles Motorsport’s Raoul Hyman completed the Top 5. MTEC Motorsport’s Kazuto Kotaka held sixth for long but was undone by teammate Jackson Walls, who had a dream start from 11th to seventh on Lap 1.

Walls fought off the pack behind with Victory Motor Racing’s Brendon Leitch leading M2 Competition’s Cameron Das, MTEC Motorsport’s Calan Williams, M2 Competition’s Esteban Muth and Giles Motorsport’s Petr Ptacek.

A safety car period to recover the Victory Motor Racing’s Parker Locke’s car allowed Walls to get away from the pack and get Kotaka as a moment between Leitch and Das helped Muth to get a three-place jump to end up seventh behind Walls.

Behind them in eighth was Williams with Kotaka ending up ninth and MTEC Motorsport’s Petru Florescu gaining as well to round out the Top 10. Position 11-16: Thomas Smith, Dev Gore, Leitch, Ptacek, Das and Locke.

The actual Race 1 of Taupo weekend saw Lawson start from pole but was immediately cleared by Auer as the pole-sitter then lost out to Armstrong as well to drop to third after the opening lap ahead of Hyman.

Disaster then struck Armstrong as a suspension issue sent him in the gravel as he limped back into the pits. The mechanics sorted his car as he went out but unfortunately the Kiwi was not a classified finisher as he completed only 66.6% of the required 75% of the race.

While Armstrong battled through, Lawson started to attack Auer but the Austrian resisted to claim his first TRS victory – also his first single-seater win since the 2014 European F3 race at Nurburgring. Lawson took second with Hyman in third.

Petrov was fourth ahead of the battling Leitch and Muth with the former keeping fifth as the latter settled for sixth ahead of Ptacek, Walls, Williams and Das in the Top 10. Position 11-15: Gore, Florescu, Locke, Smith and Kotaka.

The Race 2 on Sunday, reverse-grid pole-sitter Muth started off nicely along with front-row starter Leitch with Lawson on their tail as they pulled away from the rest of the grid with Armstrong fighting back up after a non-finish on Saturday.

The battle between Muth and Leitch continued on until the end but it was the Belgian who secured his first win of the series with Leitch returning to the podium after six races while Lawson completed the podium position.

Petrov was fourth with Das in fifth ahead of Hyman and Ajuer. The Austrian fended off a recovering Armstrong, who had to settle for eighth with Williams and Kotaka rounding the Top 10. Position: 11-15: Ptacek, Walls, Smith, Gore and Locke. DNF: Florescu.

The Race 3 had Armstrong put in a solid show after clearing pole-sitter Auer in Turn 1 and leading the way until the end, even surviving a safety car re-start to not only win the race but also keep himself well in contention for the title.

Auer had no answer to Armstrong’s pace with Muth holding off points leader Lawson until the re-start after which the Belgian’s work was undone when the Kiwi took third in Turn 1 and completed the final place on the podium.

Muth settled for fourth with Hyman in fifth, led the rest of the Top 10 which had Kotaka, Williams, Das, Leitch and Walls. Position 11-13: Florescu, Gore and Smith. DNF: Ptacek and Locke. NC: Petrov.

As things stand, Lawson has 278 points to Armstrong’s 273 with three more races to go at Manfeild. A spirited performance from Auer has put him in third with 225 points as he leapfrogged Hyman, who has 222 with Muth (200) completing the Top 5.

L'entrada TRS: Lawson retakes points lead from Armstrong at Taupo ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Marcus Armstrong has taken over the points lead from teammate Liam Lawson with the former having 203 in his kitty to 169 for the latter after two wins at Hampton Downs to the one for Lawson, for whom the DNF in the final race hit him hard.

The weekend, in fact, opened with the Race 2 of Teretonga weekend on Friday. With the Top 6 reserved, it was MTEC Motorsport’s Kazuto Kotaka starting on pole alongside M2 Competition’s Lucas Auer but the two collided in the very first corner itself.

At the same time, Victory Motor Racing’s Brendon Leitch and M2 Competition’s Esteban Muth came together few corners later with the Belgian’s stricken car requiring a safety car period as M2 Competition’s Cameron Das took the lead of the race.

The race was red-flagged and upon re-start, M2 Competition’s Lawson attacked Das for the lead but before he could get by, Auer had another tangle with Giles Motorsport’s Thomas Smith which brought out the safety car again.

The elongated period allowed Auer to still run but before any action could take place, there was clash between Kotaka and MTEC Motorsport’s Calan Williams which brought out the safety car which soon turned to a red flag situation.

The re-start went wrong as Cameron Das and Lawson crashed when the former’s bunching up tactics behind the safety car went wrong. It was M2 Competition’s Artem Petrov prevailing to win as he was first to cross the line ahead of Giles Motorsport’s Petr Ptacek.

Leitch was third with Giles Motorsport’s Dev Gore in fourth from teammate Raoul Hyman. MTEC Motorsport’s Petru Florescu slotted in sixth as Lawson limped to seventh from MTEC Motorsport’s Jackson Walls and Victor Motor Racing’s Parker Locke.

A time penalty for M2 Competition’s Armstrong put him in 10th with Kotaka in 11th from Smith and Auer. The Hampton-Downs’ weekend’s Race 1 had Armstrong put in a dominant show from pole to win it well with Hyman in second.

The race though had another dose of red flag when Petrov, Ptacek and Leitch came together. The former two were unable to continue while Leitch dropped outside Top 10. With Armstrong well ahead, Hyman fended off Lawson’s pressure well.

The Kiwi settled for third as Auer was fourth after defending well from Walls in fifth who passed Muth early in the race. Cameron Das was seventh with Williams keeping seventh after a supreme fight with recovering Leitch and Gore.

The duo’s troubles brought out a late safety car as their misery allowed Kotaka and Florescu to finish in the Top 10. Position 11-14: Smith, Locke, Leitch & Gore. The Race 2 on Sunday saw Lawson put on a quality show from fourth on the grid.

The Kiwi was right in the mix with leaders Muth and Walls at the start but a contact between the two unsettled him as he lost out to Auer to be third still with Muth leading the Austrian while Walls lost out due to damage.

Pressure from Lawson on Auer worked when the Red Bull junior made a mistake allowed Lawson into second in his chase of Muth with Armstrong running fourth from Das after Hyman dropped out due to an off-moment.

Lawson eventually made the move on Muth to win the race with the Belgian then fending off Auer and Armstrong to keep second with Cameron Das completing the Top 5 ahead of Kotaka, Petrov, Williams, Hyman and Leitch.

Position 11-16: Ptacek, Smith, Florescu, Gore, Locke and Walls. The Race 3 was another dominant show from Armstrong from pole as he took the win at ease despite a late charge from Petrov, who gained places due to other mishaps.

While Armstrong led the way, teammate Auer had Lawson on his tail soon. A safety car period for the incident between Gore and Florescu got them together as Lawson tried a move on re-start but it didn’t come off when they made contact.

It was it for the Kiwi which lost him the championship leads as well. The race was stopped for some time but it got underway cleanly as Armstrong led Auer, Petrov, Leitch and Das in the Top 5. While Auer battled Petrov, Leitch also had a pack of cars behind.

The Kiwi lost out to Das as Hyman and Ptacek had their share of bad luck in the fight when both dropped off to bring Muth and Kotaka in the game. At the front though, Petrov stayed on Auer’s tail but it was anti-climatic when Auer slowed down and pitted.

It put Petrov in second with Armstrong crossing the line in front. Auer’s misery helped Das to take the podium with Leitch and Muth completing the Top 5 ahead of Kotaka, Williams, Walls, Smith and Hyman in Top 10 at Hampton Downs final race.

Position 11-15: Locke, Ptacek, Florescu, Gore and Auer.

L'entrada TRS: Armstrong’s double win at Hampton Downs puts him in points lead ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The win on Saturday in Race 1 for Armstrong meant the Kiwi is tied on points now with teammate Liam Lawson at 113, after poor weather conditions at Teretonga on Sunday forced the organisers to re-schedule the races.

Lawson started Round 2 on a sound note as he claimed pole for Race 1 on Saturday. However, a better start for Marcus Armstrong from the front-row helped the Kiwi take charge with Lawson dropping to third behind teammate Artem Petrov.

The Kiwi though made a quick work of Artem Petrov and set his chase for Marcus Armstrong. A safety car period to recover MTEC Motorsport’s Petru Florescu’s car brought them ever closer on a drying track but Marcus Armstrong held on to score his first win of the 2019 season.

Behind the Top 2, the fight for third place went on long between Artem Petrov and Giles Motorsport’s Raoul Hyman – the latter climbing up from 11th to fourth. The two tussled for the final spot on the podium but a mistake from Hyman allowed Petrov to keep the place.

The South African lost out as he dropped back to finish 11th with M2 Competition’s Cameron Das taking fourth ahead of Red Bull junior Lucas Auer – who struggled for grip – and MTEC Motorsport’s Kazuto Kotaka.

The Top 10 was then rounded out by MTEC Motorsport’s Calan Williams, Victory Motor Racing’s Brendon Leitch, M2 Competition’s Esteban Muth and Giles Motorsport’s Dev Gore. Position 11-15: Hyman, Petr Ptacek, Jackson Walls, Thomas Smith & Parker Locke.

Hampton Downs will host one of the Sunday’s race with the other at Taupo. “Our conclusion is that the predicted wind speeds and gusts combined with the high speed nature of the coastal track could compromise the downforce of the 500kg machines and potentially put driver safety and the safety of others at an enhanced and unacceptable level of risk.

“It’s a shame and we have considered the situation carefully for fans and drivers, but safety comes first and we have reluctantly decided to cancel our qualifying and racing today,” said TRS category manager, Nicolas Caillol.

[Read: Round 1 recap]

L'entrada TRS: Armstrong lone winner after rain at Teretonga forces re-scheduling ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

M2 Competition’s Lawson started the 2019 TRS season on a solid note with a win in Race 1 on Saturday after starting from the front-row. He made a quick work of pole-sitter and Giles Motorsport’s Raoul Hyman.

The South African was second ahead of M2 Competition’s Marcus Armstrong who lost his pole after setting his best time under yellow flag. The Kiwi had teammates Esteban Muth and Lucas Auer to give him company in fourth and fifth respectively.

At the front, Lawson had things under control but Hyman soon fell prey to Armstrong with Auer also getting through after the Austrian had cleared Muth, who had Victory Motor Racing’s Leitch and M2 Competition’s Cameron Das on his tail then.

Das lost out in the fight with Leitch passing Muth to fifth where he finished after Lawson took a fine win from Armstrong and Auer with Hyman in fourth. Muth was sixth from Giles Motorsport’s Petr Ptacek in seventh.

The Top 10 was completed by MTEC Motorsport’s Kazuto Kotaka, Das and M2 Competition’s Artem Petrov. Position 11-15: Calan Williams, Petru Florescu, Parker Locke, Dev Gore and Thomas Smith.

The Race 2 saw a reverse grid formation of the Top 6 with Muth on pole from Leitch – the former almost got the place but for a red flag situation for a crash between Petrov and Smith at the back of the field.

The race re-started with Muth keeping his lead from Leitch and ending in front to score his first win but the Belgian was adjudged to have jumped the start which dropped him to fourth as Leitch inherited the victory.

The fight for third had Hyman defending from Auer, Armstrong and Lawson with the South African taking it from the trio – he was eventually promoted to second. A move from Auer on Hyman went wrong which forced the Austrian into retirement.

Armstrong took the final podium position with Leitch in fourth and Lawson rounding the Top 5. The race ended under red flag due to Auer’s crash with Das, Williams, Ptacek, Gore and Florescu completing the Top 10. Position 11-12: Locke and Smith.

Lawson was on song in the wet Race 3 at Highlands Park as the New Zealander made it a double after a supreme run. Lawson passed both Armstrong and pole-sitter Auer to take the lead and then build a 10 second gap to win the final race handsomely.

The safety car start wasn’t to stop Lawson with the pace he had in the wet conditions. With his car only repaired after early crash, Auer struggled a bit as he lost to both Armstrong and Hyman with the duo ending up on the podium.

The Austrian was fourth with Ptacek in fifth as Petrov fended off rivals to end up sixth from Das, Williams, Leitch and Kotaka in the Top 10. Position 11-14: Muth, Smith, Gore and Locke. With Round 1 complete, Lawson (82) leads Armstrong (78) by four points.

L'entrada TRS: Lawson and Leitch share wins in Round 1 at Highlands Park ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The winter single-seater series where the drivers can earn FIA’s F1 superlicense points will feature 16 drivers in the 2019 season starting later this weekend (January 10-13) at Highlands Motorsport Park in New Zealand.

The season will see four more rounds with Teretonga Park hosting Round 2 on January 17-20, followed by races in Hampton Downs Motorsport Park (January 24-27), Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park (January 31 – February 3) and Circuit Chris Amon (February 7-10).

Among the 16 entered for the season, Ferrari junior Armstrong will be the favourite for the title with the Kiwi racing for M2 Competition for the third consecutive season after having finished fourth and third respectively in 2017 and 2018.

The team will also field the new Red Bull Junior Team recruit Auer (Austria) along with F3 racers Artem Petrov (Russia) & Cameron Das (USA) and F4’s Liam Lawson (New Zealand) & Esteban Muth (Belgium) in a six-driver effort.

Fielding four drivers each will be MTEC Motorsport and Giles Motorsport respectively with the former having F3’s Kazuto Kotaka (Japan) & Calan Williams (Australia) and F4’s Jackson Walls (Australia) in its ranks with the final name yet to be released.

At the same time, Giles Motorsport will field 2018 Asian F3 champion Raoul Hyman (South Africa), F3’s Dev Gore (USA) and F4’s Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic) & Thomas Smith (Australia) in the team.

The fourth and final team Victory Motor Racing will have two drivers in its ranks with Brendon Leitch (New Zealand) returning for his sixth season in TRS after racing in F4 USA in 2018 alongside fellow rival Parker Locke (USA).

Last year saw another Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman win the title with M2 Competition in a close fight with his teammates Richard Verschoor and Armstrong. Most certainly, this year Armstrong will like to finally win the coveted title.

L'entrada Armstrong, Auer lead 2019 Toyota Racing Series entry list ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The first race of the weekend was easily won by Richard Verschoor, who led from lights to flag from Pole Position. The driver in second place of the standings, Robert Shwartzmann, managed to finish second after starting fourth and avoiding a crash on the start.

The championship leader at that time, Marcus Armstrong, did not start the weekend the way we would have wanted as he could only finish fifth. The battle for the title was tighter than ever with only two races to go. Clement Novalak finished third.

The second race, the one with reverse grid, ended up with almost every driver finishing in the postion he started on. Leitch took his second win of the season after containing Novalak, who finished second. Verschoor overtook Shwartzmann for third place, in which he finished ahead of the Russian driver and Armstrong. The title was far from decided and there was only one race left.

On the last race, Armstrong managed to pass Verschoor on the start, but the Dutch driver recovered the lead after a small mistake from the local driver on lap 31. Then, the Safety Car was deployed due to the retirement of Taylor Cockerton for mechanical issues.

When the race was restarted, Armstrong had problems with his engine that made him lose power and get dropped to seventh place, where he would end the race.

Shwartzmann, who had been in fourth place during the entire race, overtook Armstrong‘s damaged car and Charles Milesi on the restart to finish in second place, which was enough to take the title away from Verschoor.

It all ended like that, Verschoor took a win that was not enough to win the title as Shwartzmann‘s overtake on Milesi gave him the title by five points. The Frenchman finished the race in third place.

With this results, Armstrong, who arrived to Feilding being the championship leader, finishes the season in third place with 901 points. Verschoor, who arrived here with minimum options to win the title, finishes as the runner-up only five points behind Shwartzmann, whose regularity has allowed him to win the championship despite not being the driver with more wins, nor the one with more podium finishes. He, however, has finished every race in the Top 5 to clinch his first single-seater title.

L'entrada Shwartzmann claims Toyota Racing Series title ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

On the first race, Juan Manuel Correa dominated from lights to flag and took his second win this season. The American driver had to push harder since the beggining as he was investigated for a possible jump start, which was proved he had not done and no penalty was given to him.

Behind Correa, Richard Verschoor started in front row, but he was overtaken on the first corner by James Pull, who ended up taking second place on the race with the Dutchman on third place. Robert Shwartzmann finished in fourth position with championship leader Marcus Armstrong in fifth.

The second race of the weekend had the most unusual results. Brendon Leitch, who was yet to finish on the podium this season, took win ahead of Ryan Yardley, who finished second on which was also his first podium finish of the season. Verschoor took another third place and Armstrong and Shwartzmann switched their postions from Race 1, with the local driver in fourth place and the Russian in fifth.

Finally, the last race of the weekend had the most ‘normal’ results. Shwartzmann finally won his first race this season after six previous podium finishes. The Russian driver had to face his first ever SC restart leading the pack. The Safety Car was deployed when the race was restarted after a red flag caused by Clement Novalak.

Championship leader, Armstrong, saved the day on this race with a second place after a weak weekend. Verschoor finished, one more time, in third position, followed by Correa and Leicht.

With only three races to go until the end of this season, the fight for the title is very open after the races at the Bruce McLaren Motorsports Park. Armstrong is still leading the standings, with 761 points. But Shwartzmann has closed the gap this weekend to only 33 points. Verschoor is in third with 701 point so he could still join the battle, while drivers from fourth (Correa with 612), will have it more difficult.

And that is the end of the fourth round of the 2018 Toyota Racing Series season. The next one, the season ender held at Chris Amon Circuit, in Feilding; will be held next weekend, the 1oth and 11th of February.

L'entrada Correa, Leitch and Shwartzmann win in Taupo ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

It was the Dutch 17 year old’s fourth win of the series and helps close the gap to Championship leader Marcus Armstrong who finished second.

“It’s amazing,” said Verschoor, who like the other international drivers has had a chance to look at the trophy for the last three days. It used to be awarded for the New Zealand Grand Prix when the event was held at Ardmore and Pukekohe, when it was won by the likes of Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Chris Amon and Keke Rosberg.

“This was the one I wanted to win,” said Verschoor.

Although he has now won four races to Armstrong’s two victories over the first nine races, Verschoor is philosophical about his chances in the series where he still trails the Christchurch driver by 70 points, after failing to finish the Lady Wigram Trophy race at the first round.

“We’re getting good results. That’s all I can aim for.”

From pole position, Verschoor had to fend off a very strong challenge from Armstrong in the first corner. The gap between them did not vary by more than half a second.

Shwartzman was over a second behind.

The race was stopped when the front wing came off Brendon Leitch’s car which then crashed exiting the last corner on lap 13. The team believes the wing was dislodged when another car moved across on Leitch during the melee of traffic going into the first corner at the start. Leitch was uninjured in the accident.

Verschoor controlled the restart of what became a seven lap sprint. Armstrong had one lunge at him after Verschoor ran wide in a corner.

“He made a mistake in turn five, but I couldn’t quite make the pass stick,” said Armstrong. “Maybe I would have been a bit more ambitious if there was more at stake.”

With his eyes firmly on the Championship title, Armstrong said he does not intend to change his approach to the Toyota Racing Series at the final two rounds. He has won twice, finished on the podium at every race to date, and now leads Shwartzman by 41 points.

The Russian trailed home over a second behind the leading pair and despite his runner up position in the series is looking for more at the fourth round at Taupo next weekend.

“I’m getting annoyed with the seconds and thirds,” said the 18 year old.

Results.-

Castrol Toyota Racing Series, Round 3, Hampton Downs, Race 2, 20 laps.

1, C Novalak (England);
2, R Shwartzman (Russia);
3, M Armstrong (Christchurch);
4, J-M Correa (USA);
5, R Verschoor (Netherlands);
6, B Leitch (Invercargill);
7, J Pull (England);
8, T Cockerton (Pukekohe);
9, R Harker (Albany);
10, R Yardley (Christchurch).

New Zealand Motor Cup, 25 laps

1, Verschoor;
2, Armstrong;
3, Shwartzman;
4, Correa;
5, Pull;
6, C Milesi (France);
7, Harker;
8, C Das (USA);
9, Novalak;
10, Cockerton.

Points.-

1, Armstrong, 591;
2, Shwartzman, 550;
3, Verschoor, 521;
4, Novalak, 470;
5, Correa, 447;
6, Pull, 433;
7, Cockerton, 331;
8, Harker, 327;
9, Ming, 317;
10, Leitch, 293.

Toyota Racing Series Press Release

L'entrada Verschoor dominates Motor Cup ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

“I didn’t push from the start,” said Verschoor. “There were a lot of marbles (small pieces of rubber) out there and I didn’t want to make a mistake. The surface was very loose.”

With series leader Marcus Armstrong pressuring him after making a demon start from the second row of the grid, Verschoor eventually did go slightly off line.

“I made one little mistake and then he was right behind me,” said Verschoor.

But Armstrong found the position untenable.

“I had to back off and get out of his slip-stream as the water temperature started going up. It was bloody hot out there.”

Armstrong said the first few laps were alright, as he was pressuring Verschoor, but once the engine temperature started climbing into the red zone he settled for his seventh consecutive podium finish, slightly extending his lead in the series over Robert Shwartzman, who finished fourth.

The final podium place went to Florida based Ecuadorian Juan Manuel Correa, who had started from the front row of the grid.

“Once I saw Marcus come inside me going into the first corner I just slotted in behind him,” said Correa.

Teretonga main race winner Clement Novalak was fifth, while Reid Harker from Albany in his first season in the Toyota Racing Series completed the top six with his best performance of the series.

Armstrong now leads the series by 41 points from Shwartzman, with Verschoor another 26 points behind.
Race officials postponed two of the support events late yesterday to this morning because of the high track temperatures.

Race results:

1. Richard Verschoor

2. Marcus Armstrong
3. Juan-Manuel Correa
4. Robert Shwartzman
5. Clement Novalak
6. Reid Harker
7. James Pull
8. Taylor Cockerton
9. Brendon Leitch
10. Charles Milesi

Championship standings after 7/15 races:
1. Armstrong: 464 points
2. Shwartzman: 423
3. Verschoor: 397
4. Novalak: 359
5. Pull: 342

L'entrada Verschoor wins Race 1 in Hampton Downs ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Christchurch’s Armstrong had qualified on pole position, but from the outside of the front row, Novalak won the race to the first corner with a better start.

“It was my best start of the weekend,” said the London based French teenager, in his reference to the morning’s preliminary race where he jumped the start and was penalized five seconds, relegating him from second to fifth place.

Last weekend at Ruapuna, Novalak made three slow starts as he got used to the first clutch standing starts of his career.

“I am lost for words,” said Novalak, who controlled the pace and gradually pulled away from the pursuing Armstrong, who in turn came under pressure from Verschoor in the closing laps.

“Everything went very well, although the laps to go seemed to go down so slowly when you are in the lead,” said Novalak, who finished with the fastest lap of the race in 53.6 seconds.

Armstrong conceded he would have liked to win, but the bigger picture was just as important. “We got the round win and if we can continue like this I will be happy.”

Local driver Brendon Leitch had his best race of the weekend, finishing fifth just behind the leading quartet, while Aucklander Reid Harker made it three Kiwis in the top ten in tenth place.

Armstrong was the most consistent of the main contenders over the weekend and has extended his lead in the series to 28 points over Shwartzman, with Verschoor another 47 points back, but they all might be looking over their shoulders at Novalak now, who has qualified well both weekends and now has a pretty good understanding of standing starts.

Results.-

Castrol Toyota Racing Series, Round 2, Teretonga, Race 2, 20 laps.

1, J-M Correa (USA);
2, J Pull (England);
3, M Armstrong (Christchurch);
4, R Shwartzman (Russia);
5, C Novalak (England);
6, R Verschoor (Netherlands);
7, C Das (USA);
8, B Leitch (Invercargill);
9, C Ming (Guyana);
10, T Cockerton (Pukekohe).

Spirit of the Nation Trophy Race, 25 laps

1, Novalak;
2, Armstrong;
3, Verschoor;
4, Shwartzman;
5, Leitch;
6, Pull;
7, Correa;
8, Das;
9, Ming;
10; R Harker (Albany).

Points.-

1, Armstrong, 397;
2, Shwartzman, 369;
3, Verschoor, 322;
4, Novalak, 310;
5, Pull, 300;
6, Correa, 279;
7, Ming, 229;
8, Cockerton, 220;
9, Leitch, 212;
10, Milesi, 211.

Toyota Racing Series Press Release

L'entrada Novalak upsets favourites at Teretonga ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

“I’ve just got to focus on finishing in front of the others,” said Verschoor. “I can’t change what happened with a technical failure last weekend.”

Verschoor, starting from the outside of the front row of the grid got the jump on pole position man Clement Novalak, making just his fourth standing start of his career.

By the time Novalak exited the first corner he was fourth behind Verschoor, 18 year old Russian Robert Shwartzman and Christchurch’s Marcus Armstrong who won twice at Ruapuna.

The four completed the 20 laps nose to tail with no change in positions, but the front three pushed each other to ever faster lap times in their efforts to unsettle one another and find a way past.

Initially Verschoor got away, but then ran slightly wide out of one corner and the gaps closed up.

“I wanted to save my tyres at the finish,” said Verschoor, who took a narrow win.

Shwartzman and Armstrong both made good starts off the second row of the grid to complete the lockout of the top three places in the same order they finished the first race at Ruapuna.

Novalak had just as much track speed and once he gets his starts dialled in, will become a real threat. Behind him English 17 year old James Pull finished fifth with Florida based Ecuadorian Jean Manuel Correa sixth.

For today’s main race, Armstrong will start on pole, with Novalak alongside him and Shwartzman and Verschoor on the second row of the grid.

Armstrong has a nine points lead in the series, with Verschoor another 42 points back.

Toyota Racing Series, Round 2, Saturday preliminary race:

1, Richard Verschoor (Netherlands);
2, Robert Shwartzman (Russia);
3, Marcus Armstrong (Christchurch);
4, Clement Novalak (England);
5, James Pull (England);
6, Jean-Manuel Correa (USA);
7, Brendon Leitch (Invercargill);
8, Reid Harker (Albany);
9, Cameron Das (USA);
10, Calvin Ming (Guyana).

Progress points after four races:
1, Armstrong, 270;
2, Shwartzman, 261;
3, Verschoor, 217;
4, Pull, 188;
5, Novalak, 186;
6, Correa, 166;
7, Cockerton, 162;
8, Ming, 160;
9, Charles Milesi (France) 153;
10, Harker, 148.

Toyota Racing Series Press Release

L'entrada Verschoor wins Teretonga opening race ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

“I was not familiar with the clutch and this was the first dry-weather start so I didn;’ get the balance right. That was the main issue,” the 18 year old admitted afterward.

“I don’t think he was so bad,” said 17 year old Verschoor, “but I just got a really good start with a really good reaction time.”

Local driver Marcus Armstrong, also aged 17, finished third after starting fourth. Once he got past Clement Novalak on the fourth lap he managed to close a little on the front runners, but all three were lapping consistently.

Verschoor was a front runner in the series last year and eventually finished third and used that experience to control the race this year.

“I didn’t push to the maximum and certainly think we can get the car performing better tomorrow. I was catching Richard a little,” said the St Petersburg resident, “but I decided to back off and save the tyres for tomorrow morning’s first race.”

“It wasn’t a bad started for the series. Richard and Marcus have experience from last year.”

Armstrong was philosophical about his third place in the race he won 12 months ago. “Last year I won the first race of the series, but then didn’t win the championship. Maybe this year we can make the next 14 races count.”

In his first ever race in a full-size ‘wings and slicks’ car, Novalak finished fourth, with English driver James Pull fifth and Taylor Cockerton from Pukekohe completing the top six after starting tenth. Cockerton had a good mid race dice with Guyana’s Calvin Ming before getting past and into clear space.

With Verschoor drawing a number four marble for the partial reverse grid in tomorrow morning’s race, Novalak lines up on pole with Marcus Armstrong alongside him; Shwartzman starting third.

He will start third in the feature race for the Lady Wigram Trophy tomorrow afternoon, while Shwartzman will again be on pole position.

Results.-

Castrol Toyota Racing Series, Round 1 Ruapuna, Race 1.

1, R Verschoor (Netherlands);
2, R Shwartzman (Russia);
3, M Armstrong (Christchurch);
4, C Novalak (England);
5, J Pull (England);
6, T Cockerton (Pukekohe);
7, C Ming (Guyana);
8, R Harker (Albany);
9, C Milesi (France);
10, J-M Correa (United States).

Press Release

L'entrada Verschoor wins opening race in Toyota Racing Series ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

2017 Toyota Racing Series edition will be remembered as one of the most disputed of the entry history of the series. Pedro Piquet arrived as the championship leader in the season finale, with one and two points more than Thomas Randle and Richard Verschoor, respectively.

At the starting grid, Piquet started second, while Randle and Verschoor did it from third and fifth position, so all the three drivers had the chances to take the championship.

Starting from pole position, Jehan Daruvala kept the lead at the start ahead of Piquet and Marcus Armstrong who overtook Randle. But quickly the race had to be stopped due to a crash between Christian Hahn and Luis Leeds that caused the red flag.

At the re-start, Piquet drop from second to fourth in benefit for Armstrong and Randle who overtook the Brazilian. This situation was favorable for Randle to be crowned the new champion.

So at the checker flag, Jehan Daruvala won the New Zealand Grand Prix with Marcus Armstrong and Thomas Randle closing the podium positions. The later finally took the championship victory ahead of his rivals Piquet –fourth, and Verschoor –fifth.

On sixth position finished Enaam Ahmed, ahead of Ferdinand Habsburg and Keyvan Andres Soori. Harry Hayek and Taylor Cockerton completed the top10.

Is the first time that an Australian driver wins the championship, and is the fourth non-kiwi to do it after Andrew Tang, Lance Stroll and Lando Norris.

L'entrada Randle takes Toyota Racing Series title ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The second race started as always with a reverse grid and with Richard Verschoor from pole position, ahead of Ferrari junior, Marcus Armstrong. Both kept the positions at the start in front of Pedro Piquet who took third place after start fourth, while Thomas Randle drop from fifth to 11^th.

But the Australian benefited from a red flag period, cause by Christian Hahn, Enaam Ahmed and Kory Enders that allowed him to come back to seventh before the re-start.

At the re-start, the top3 kept their positions while the race was neutralized once again due to Kami Laliberté who went off.

The battle for the race then, was for fourth position between M2 Competition team mates, Jehan Daruvala and Ferdinand Habsburg. The Austrian managed to overtake the Force India junior but couldn’t stop Thomas Randle momentum, who overtook the noble driver in the last lap of the race.

Taylor Cockerton finished sixth, ahead of Daruvala and Brendon Leitch. Luis Leeds and Jean Baptiste Simmenauer completed the top10.

Piquet is now the new leader of the championship with one point more than Randle and two more than Verschoor, before New Zealand Grand Prix.

L'entrada Verschoor squeeze the championship before season finale ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The Brazilian is now only five points behind series leader Thomas Randle from Melbourne who could only finish fifth from his sixth starting position.

Invercargill’s Brendon Leitch was involved in a spectacular crash on the second lap which was no fault of his.

The cars of Luis Leeds (Australia) and Keyvan Andres (USA) touched wheels and slid across the track in front of him as they went through the infield curves at the Manawatu track.

Leitch had nowhere to go and rode up over the wheels of the cars in front of him which launched him somersaulting into the air.

“I think I saw the sky twice,” said Leitch, who walked away from his car after it had come to rest. Video replays showed the car looping over three times in mid-air before coming back to earth.

“I reckon that would be worth a ten at the Olympics,” quipped a philosophical Leitch afterwards. “It’s motorsport. You’ve got to take it on the chin. We’ll be back out tomorrow and hopefully get a decent result.”

The race was stopped. Initially Piquet had won the drag race to the first corner and driven around the outside of pole sitter Jehan Daruvala from India.

At the restart, Piquet had an anxious moment when his engine wouldn’t fire up, but the one mechanic allowed at the car pushed started it into life. He was then able to drive away from Daruvala to win by four seconds, with Christchurch’s Marcus Armstrong completing the podium.

Dutch teenager Richard Verschoor finished fourth, but has dropped back to third in the point’s standings after starting the race in second place. Randle closed to within a few car lengths of Verschoor after spending the first half of the race trying to find a way past fellow country man Harry Hayek.

“Harry made it hard for me,” said Randle. “I got close to Richard, but then the dirty air coming off his car made it difficult to get closer.”

All three drivers are still in with a chance to win the Castrol Toyota Racing Series title with two races to go including the 62nd New Zealand Grand Prix, where Piquet will start second on the grid, Randle third and Verschoor fifth.

In the morning’s preliminary race, Verschoor will have the advantage, starting from pole, with Piquet fourth and Randle fifth. The mathematical calculations are almost endless!

Results.

Castrol Toyota Racing Series, Round 5, 20 laps, Circuit Chris Amon, Manfeild.

1, Pedro Piquet (Brazil);
2, Jehan Daruvala (India);
3, Marcus Armstrong (Christchurch);
4, Richard Verschoor (Netherlands);
5, Thomas Randle (Australia)
6, Enaam Ahmed (England);
7, Taylor Cockerton (Pukekohe);
8, Ferdinand Habsburg (Austria);
9, Luis Leeds (Australia);
10, Shelby Blackstock (USA).

Series points.-
1, Randle, 741;
2, Piquet, 736;
3, Verschoor, 719
4, Jehan Daruvala, 664;
5, Armstrong, 658;
6, Ahmed, 541;
7, Cockerton, 492;
8, Kami Laliberte (Canada), 469;
9, Habsburg, 461;
10, Brendon Leitch (Invercargill), 463.

L'entrada Piquet wins as Leitch caught up in crash ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Armstrong took the lead at the start, followed by teammate Jehan Daurvala before the interruption of the race due to a red flag because of an accident from Kory Enders.

At the restart, Armstrong  maintained and managed successfully the gap with Daruvala until the end of the race.

Ferdinand Habsburg completed the podium, followed by Pedro Piquet and Thomas Randle. Taylor Cockerton was sixth, followed by Richard Verschoor who has had a disastrous weekend despite finished all three races in the top10.

Completes the top10 Brendon Leitch, Kami Laliberté and Harry Hayek.

Witho only one round to complete the championship, Randle leads with 27 points ahead of Verschoor and 31 ahead of Piquet.

L'entrada Armstrong wins Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.