“I ll have to sort my starts out,” van Gisbergen said following his victory. “I managed to get past him and took the only chance I got and it worked out really well. Twenty-eight laps tomorrow is going to be a long way. “We ve been making a few tweaks and the car is almost there but there s a little more to come. It s going to be awesome tomorrow and qualifying in the morning is going to be really important. Van der Drift was philosophical with his second place and felt the car had lost a tiny percentage of its pace-setting speed from Friday, but he remained optimistic about his chances on Sunday.
Van Gisbergen wins NZGP curtain raiser Repco Supercars Championship By James Pavey, Pics by John Cowpland
Shane van Gisbergen has translated his successful Supercars form into the Toyota Racing Series season opener at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park.
The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver, who took victory his last Supercars start at last October s Bathurst 1000, claimed the Race 1 win ahead of tomorrow’s New Zealand Grand Prix.
The Kiwi started on pole alongside countryman Chris van der Drift, who led the early stages of the race.
The duo traded fastest lap times, with the Supercars star looming large in van der Drift s mirrors.
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.
Conrad
Clark will race in the weekend’s Grand Prix and completes
the 16 driver line up.
Picture
TGRNZ
Clark’s China campaign
also saw him awarded Rookie of the Year and the MiTime Star
award for outstanding performance.
As well as his
successful campaign in the Chinese Formula 4 championship
where he secured no fewer than 12 race wins on his way to
the title, Clark debuted internationally in the USA Formula
4 championship in 2018 where he learnt the foundations of
international motorsport and has continued to capitalise on
that experience since.
Clark has raced internationally
more than he has in New Zealand and with COVID-19 putting an