Thursday, 21 January 2021, 1:01 pm
Sixteen of New Zealand’s top racing drivers are all set
to race in the 66th New Zealand Grand Prix this weekend and
there’s huge interest in what is being billed as an
historic Race of Champions.
Igor Fraga takes the
Grand Prix chequered flag in 2020. Which Kiwi will win it
this weekend and add their name to an illustrious list?
Picture Bruce Jenkins
With the pandemic travel
restrictions accounting for the usual international
entrants, it’s turned into an all-Kiwi affair. It is
arguably the most interesting field in a New Zealand Grand
Prix for a generation with the best of the past, present and
Profiling the next-gen New Zealanders set to rule TRS this year
Photos: TGR NZ / Brunce Jenkins
The lack of available quarantining space for international drivers has meant this year’s Toyota Racing Series will have a grid of home talents. Some are already established talents, but others are new to the limelight
Over the past 10 years, the Toyota Racing Series has emerged as the lead winter series for junior single-seater drivers across the globe. That international appeal has led to many future Formula 1 drivers taking to the championship through January and February – including series champions Lance Stroll and Lando Norris – but also boosted the careers of local talents such as current Formula E star Mitch Evans and Red Bull’s Formula 2-bound junior Liam Lawson.
Friday, 8 January 2021, 5:04 pm
He’s
back and Brendon Leitch will start as one of the GP
favourites. Picture: Dayle ITM
Racing.
Invercargill s Brendon
Leitch will take the wheel of a Castrol Toyota Racing Series
car one more time when he steps aboard to try and add his
name to the New Zealand Grand Prix Trophy later this
month.
Twenty five year old Leitch is the most
experienced TRS racer in the world having competed in TRS
championships in the first generation FT40 car and the more
recent FT50. He has also tested the current FT60 car and has
extensive experience in the Tatuus chassis having raced last
Tuesday, 22 December 2020, 2:02 pm
Rising
Dunedin racing star Josh Bethune has today confirmed his
entry into the 2021 Castrol Toyota Racing Series and he is
looking forward to competing against a high class field of
Kiwi racing
superstars.
The
17 year old is the latest driver to join the 2021 Castrol
TRS Championship. He will contest all three rounds of the
series starting with the 66th New Zealand Grand Prix at
Hampton Downs over the weekend of January 22-24.
He
joins a star-studded entry for the Grand Prix which already
includes reigning Bathurst 1000 winner and former V8
Supercar Champion Shane van Gisbergen, four time Bathurst
Greg
Murphy has sampled the FT60 and will test again before the
GP.
Picture TGRNZ
Murphy, the
four-time Bathurst winner, took the chequered flag and
etched his name onto the famous New Zealand Grand Prix
trophy as a 21-year-old before going on to a successful
Supercars career.
He followed in the footsteps of
legendary world-renowned Formula 1 drivers like Sir Stirling
Moss, Sir Jack Brabham and Sir Jackie Stewart.
Kiwi
icons Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon also featured as winners
of the race before Murphy’s 1994 victory helped launch his
international career.
“It was obviously the most
significant thing that I had achieved in my career,” said