Auckland schoolboy racer Mitch Evans has turned pole position into a fine race win in the first competition outing for the Toyota Racing Series at Hampton Downs race circuit.
Evans survived a safety car interlude on the first lap and subsequent re-start and controlled the 15-lap race from the front, dictating pace at will. His win hands him the championship lead with 449 points over his Giles Motorsport team-mate Sten Pentus on 428; Earl Bamber is third for Triple X Motorsport on 412 points.
Brazilian Lucas Foresti stayed with Evans in the opening laps of the race but was unable to challenge for the lead. Foresti said afterward he was happy to take points for second and gather data to set up the car for tomorrow’s races.
The first-lap incident can at turn one as the field dropped down off the start-finish straight. Jamie McNee and former TRS champion Andy Knight touched, both cars leaving the circuit. Knight was unable to restart, his right rear suspension damaged in the collision. His car was stranded in a run-off area, forcing the safety car out and bringing the cars to the front straight for a re-start.
Evans said after making a perfect start first time out, the re-start gave Foresti a chance to challenge for the lead once more.
“I had a great run first time off pole here, but I was a bit worried about the re-start because we go line astern for a rolling start and it’s hard to defend your position going into a corner like turn one. Lucas was real close there and I was off the fast line, but once I was out on the back of the circuit I got away and could drive my own race,” Evans said afterward.
Daniel Jileson and Andrew Waite had both stalled on the grid at the original start, so the restart worked in their favour as well.
McNee had pitted and both Jileson and McNee would take the re-start from the pit exit.
Waite was the big improver from his initial nightmare stall on the grid, clawing his way up through the field over the first five laps and eventually finishing fifth overall.
But from start to finish, 15 year old Mitch Evans owned the first race, Foresti an equally unchallenged second behind him lap after lap.
Both Alistair Wootton and Jamie McNee passed Kenny Smith, then as McNee lined up to pass Stefan Webling the two made contact, McNee ending up off the track and a lap later finding himself stranded in the middle of the track with no drive. His car was pushed off to safety by marshals as the race continued.
A challenge by fourth placed Richie Stanaway on Sten Pentus went wrong for both, the pair taking a right hand corner side by side but in the process allowing Earl Bamber through to take third place.
Stanaway emerged the winner of that battle to salvage fourth behind Bamber, while Pentus made sure of fifth overall.
The new Toyota racing Series – and outright – lap record at Hampton Downs was set by Richie Stanaway, a 1:02.201 on the final lap for a best speed of 152.216 km/h.
The Toyota Racing Series returns to the track at Hampton Downs’ first international race meeting tomorrow with a 15 lap race at 11.35 am and then for the weekend’s feature
