MR CONSISTENCY MAINTAINS TOYOTA RACING SERIES LEAD

7 February 2015

Canadian teen Lance Stroll continues to lead the 2015 Toyota Racing Series after key rival Arjun Maini was unable to close the gap in racing at Taupo on Saturday.
Stroll, who is being dubbed ‘Mr Consistency” by media, took a third placing in the first race on Saturday morning and backed that with fourth in the afternoon’s race. He has led the series from the first race and, apart from one DNF, has not finished outside the top five in 12 races.
“I’m trying to be consistent, making sure of getting points in every race,” he said after Saturday’s races. Stroll knows the importance of qualifying well and is vowing to place himself at the front of the grid in this orning’s qualifying session.
With five races remaining in the series – two of which are still to run at Taupo – he is positioning himself to take the title.
With 150 points on offer for wins in two races, Taupo can swing the championship toward or away from the current leader.
Behind him, Maini is still well within reach of the points lead and young American Santino Ferrucci is increasingly competitive, posting a pair of second placings. Australian Thomas Randle posted fastest time in the first race and set a new lap record with a 1:24.382, eclipsing the 1:24.444 set by British driver Jordan King in 2012.
The Saturday races were won by British driver Sam MacLeod – who took his first TRS victory the previous weekend at Hampton Downs – and Stroll’s team-mate, Brandon Maisano.
Russian GP2 driver Artem Markelov ended Saturday with a damaged car after his car and the car of Christchurch driver James Munro tangled on the start of Taupo’s long back straight, where cars accelerate to speeds of 230 km/h or more.
The impact propelled Markelov’s car into the air in a spectacular rollover, bringing out the safety car while the two stricken cars were recovered. Both drivers were checked by ambulance staff.
Though shaken by the rollover, Markelov is expected to be able to restart for Sunday’s races at 1.30 and 3.30 pm.
Team-mate to New Zealand’s Mitch Evans in GP2 last year, Markelov has been showing increasing speed in this year’s TRS Championship and has made a name as a clean and fast opponent on-track.
About TRS
Toyota Racing Series is New Zealand’s premier motor racing championship. It is be contested over five consecutive race weekends in January and February 2015. Taupo (February 7 and 8) is the penultimate round, a last chance for drivers to grab points before the New Zealand Grand prix. It is the first time TRS has raced on the fast and demanding Taupo circuit since 2013 and the feature race will be for the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy.
This year the New Zealand championship introduces the latest Toyota Tatuus FT-50 single-seater, powered by the proven Toyota 2ZZ-GE 1.8-litre engine. The new car features a Sadev six speed transmission with ‘paddle’ gearshift along with FIA-specification driver safety systems, enhanced aerodynamics and braking.
Many drivers who have risen through TRS have gone on to impressive racing careers. The championship has been an important step in the careers of the past three GP3 Series winners: Mitch Evans (2012, now racing in GP2 with the support of Mark Webber); Daniil Kvyat (2013), who made his Formula One debut this year with Scuderia Toro Rosso and steps up to the Red Bull Racing drive vacated by Sebastian Vettel; and Alex Lynn (2014), who was second in TRS in 2013, won the 2013 Macau Formula Three Grand Prix and has recently also tested in Formula One.