Knight aims to build Toyota Racing Series lead at A1GP

New Zealand Grand Prix winner Andy Knight of Christchurch is heading for Taupo keen to extend his series points lead at the A1GP race meeting this weekend.

With his name on New Zealand’s most prestigious race trophy and in the midst of what many are saying is his best ever Toyota Racing Series performance, Knight says his has two aims from the Taupo weekend – to win the Denny Hulme Memorial Race and to move further ahead in the TRS points standings.

His victory at Manfeild last weekend has already put Knight into the history books as the winner of the first ever biofuel Grand Prix in the world. That race turned into a battle of wills and wits as Knight fought off repeated challenges from Matt Halliday, who finished the Grand Prix second and currently leads the three-round international series.

Aucklander Halliday had originally intended to contest only the Lady Wigram Trophy and the New Zealand Grand Prix, but having found himself in the lead in the international series after two of three rounds he has confirmed he will race both his VnC-backed Triple X Motorsport Toyota single seater and his Porsche GT3 car.

Arch rival Daniel Gaunt had returned to the TRS for the same two rounds but will focus solely on his Porsche drive at Taupo with the International Motorsport team.

The A1GP World Cup Of Motorsport programme at Taupo gives the TRS drivers three days of racing. While TRS races are usually scheduled for the Saturday and Sunday of a race weekend, at Taupo there will be one race per day, with two qualifying sessions and the first 10 lap race all held on Friday afternoon at 5.25 pm and a second 10 lap race at the same time on Saturday.

The feature event for the TRS drivers is the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy Race over twenty laps which is timed to start at 1.10pm on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the TRS grid will remain at a full 18 cars for this third round of the international series in New Zealand’s summer of motorsport, one of the most hotly contested grid in the four year history of TRS.

22-year-old Formula Ford champion Sam MacNeill of Palmerston North makes a return to the series after missing the Lady Wigram and NZ Grand Prix rounds, having made a marathon effort to raise the cash to race.

MacNeill was third overall at the first round late last year, putting in three solid drives to outstrip the field and stay in touch with early points leaders Andy Knight and Nic Jordan of Cambridge.

At the first round, he was driving the car now taken over by speedway midget-car champion Michael Pickens. With Pickens remaining in the series, MacNeill now steps into the car vacated by Daniel Gaunt.

The deal has come together through Knight Motorsport, run by Peter Knight Junior; the backers who have helped make the drive happen are Wellington's Oliver Construction, Palmerston North Transport Services, Tissot Watches and the New Zealand Motorsport Trust.

"At this stage it's a one-round deal but ideally I'd like to be in the next round at Manfeild for the Dan Higgins Trophy."

MacNeill says he has never driven a TRS car at Taupo but is familiar with the circuit and “loves” its mix of fast straights and an infield filled with sweeping corners. With a crowd of 90,000 or more likely to be at the track this weekend MacNeill is looking forward to showing what he is capable of.

The Toyota Racing Series points battle is heating up. With 75 points the reward for every race win at each round, Knight’s points tally of 564 is handy but by no means secure. Second on points for the Series to date with 458, Ben Harford is looking forward to Taupo, a track he rates highly.

“I really like Taupo, I’d would say it is my favourite track. While it is as technical as Ruapuna you drive it very differently. You can really attack each individual corner and it’s one of those tracks that rewards you for your hard work. Turn nine, the new fast corner taking you onto the old track, is a blast!”

Harford has had two pole positions at Taupo in TRS; two race wins and two podium placings.

Close behind these two is Earl Bamber from Wanganui, on 423. Bamber has already shown race-winning form this year, taking out the Lady Wigram Trophy at Ruapuna two weeks ago.

Fourth despite crashing out of the New Zealand Grand Prix is Cambridge driver Nic Jordan, who has 378 points, ahead of Matt Halliday who has amassed 350 points though he has not contested all rounds of the series.

The leading rookie in the series is Dominic Storey, sixth overall on 346 points; first international driver is another series rookie, Australian Nathan Antunes, on 226.

-Ends-


Toyota Racing Series
Points after three rounds
Position Car number Name Team Points
15Andy KnightKnight Motorsport564
27Ben HarfordNZ Motorsport Trust458
31Earl BamberInternational Motorsport423
49Nic JordanMotorsport Solutions378
53Matt HallidayTriple X Motorsport350
610Dominic Storey (R) NZ Motorsport Trust346
774Michael Burdett (R) Motorsport Solutions316
855Christina OrrMark Petch Motorsport306
987Ben CrightonBen Crighton Racing294
106Hamish Cross (M)Scorpion Racing294
1128Nelson HartleyVictory Motor Racing284
1211Ken Smith (M)Ken Smith Motorsport272
132Mitch Cunningham (R) International Motorsport262
1427Daniel GauntInternational Motorsport (3)238
1547Nathan AntunesEuropean Technique226
1619Sam MacNeill (R) Knight Motorsport148
1740Matthew HamiltonD J Hewitt Racing127
1844Kristjan EinarTriple X Motorsport124
1919Michael PickensKnight Motorsport118
2020Daynom TemplemanZenith Racing106




Toyota Racing Series programme
A1GP race meeting, Taupo
Friday January 18
3.10 pm – 3.25 pm TRS Qualifying session 1
3.30 pm – 3.45 pm TRS Qualifying session 2
5.25 pm TRS race 1 (ten laps)

Saturday January 19
5.25 pm TRS race 2 (ten laps)

Sunday January 20
1.10 pm TRS race 3, Denny Hulme Memorial, 20 laps