Toyota Racing Series
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 Toyota Racing Series |
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| Country or region | New Zealand |
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| Inaugural season | 2005 |
| Drivers | 18 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Constructors | Tatuus |
| Engine suppliers | Toyota |
| Drivers' champion | Nick Cassidy |
| Teams' champion | Giles Motorsport |
| Official website | toyotaracing.co.nz/ |
 Current season |
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The Toyota Racing Series is New Zealand's premier "open-wheeler" motorsport category. The Series includes races for every major trophy in New Zealand circuit racing including the New Zealand Motor Cup and the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy. The cars are also the category for the New Zealand Grand Prix - one of only two races in the world with FIA approval to use the Grand Prix nomenclature outside Formula One.
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[edit] Summary
The Toyota Racing Series is an incubator and showcase for the next generations of New Zealand racing talent, the Series offers emerging drivers the chance to gain valuable experience with carbon-fibre composite chassis, aerodynamics and slick tyres.
The Series has the full endorsement of Motorsport New Zealand, the sport's governing body.
Previously, the country's leading drivers had to go offshore to step up to this level. High profile graduates from the series to date includes Brendon Hartley, now signed to race Formula Three for the respected Carlin Motorsport team in the UK and Earl Bamber.[1]
For 2008, the series has also gone "green". Fuels for all cars racing in the series are now an E85 biofuel blend of 85 per cent ethanol made from whey, a dairy industry by-product; and petrol. Reduced emissions, reduced carbon "footprint" and reduced use of fossil fuels are all being showcased in this unique New Zealand programme. The 2008 New Zealand Grand Prix thus becomes the first ever biofuel grand prix in the world.
[edit] Circuits
The current championship consists of five rounds, each comprising three races. The circuits include:
[edit] Car
The Toyota Racing Series run a Toyota Tatuus TT104ZZ with modified versions of 1.8L Toyota four cylinder 2ZZ-GE production engines which can produce 200BHP, a six speed Sadev sequential transmission with limited slip differential with a carbon fibre body and a Carbon monocoque chassis built by Tatuus in Italy to full FIA F3 specification.[2] The cars use Michelin S308 tyres (Front 20x54x13, Rear 24x57x13) and weigh approximately 480 kg.
[edit] Points system
Each championship round consists of three races, one on Saturday afternoon, one on Sunday morning and the final on Sunday afternoon.
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 75 | 67 | 60 | 54 | 49 | 45 | 42 | 39 | 36 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 22 |
| Position | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd | 23rd | 24th | 25th | 26th | 27th | 28th | 29th | 30th |
| Points | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
[edit] International Drivers
The Toyota Racing Series has featured international drivers since the first season when Austrian driver Walter Grubmuller came out to New Zealand. Grubmuller was competing in the Italian Formula Renault class before joining the Toyota Series.
Since the first season there have been sixteen other drivers follow in Grubuller's footsteps and traveled out to New Zealand to race in the series, most of which coming from Australia.
[edit] Champions
Source:[3]
| Season | Champion | Team Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 |  Brent Collins |
Brent Collins Motorsport |
| 2005–06 | Daniel Gaunt |
International Motorsport |
| 2006–07 | Daniel Gaunt |
International Motorsport |
| 2007–08 | Andy Knight |
Knight Motorsport |
| 2008–09 | Mitch Cunningham |
Giles Motorsport |
| 2010 | Mitch Evans |
Giles Motorsport |
| 2011 | Mitch Evans |
Giles Motorsport |
| 2012 | Nick Cassidy |
Giles Motorsport |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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