KEY POINTS:
At just 17, Wanganui driver Earl Bamber has become the youngest-ever winner in the 48 year history of the Lady Wigram Trophy.
Bamber had pole but was overtaken off the start line by Lower Hutt's Ben Harford, and the pair sprinted away from the pack with only series
leader Andy Knight of Christchurch able to tag along.
Knight had stalled on the start line before the warm-up lap but was able to join the grid for the start. His challenge faded mid-race when his car developed a misfire, allowing Matt Halliday and Michael Burdett through to chase the two leaders.
Defending Trophy holder Daniel Gaunt had little chance to challenge for a third title, forced to start from the rear of the grid after his car was found to be under weight in qualifying. He carved through half the field in an inspired drive but could not close in on the front runners.
Bamber's dream result came after he forced his way past Harford, who had led for most of the race. The two had outstripped third-placed Matt Halliday and battled for the lead over twenty of the twenty-five laps before Bamber squeezed past Harford and leapt into the lead.
From that point, he said, he was focussed on the chequered flag.
Harford said his early race speed had given him confidence he could hold out the young Wanganui driver.
"I just left him a little too much room in a corner and he took full advantage. I'm pretty gutted to be honest."
Bamber said the win caps a special weekend.
"We have gone really well all weekend, barring one mistake in race two. Winning this trophy means a great deal to me and also of course to my parents, who have backed me right from the start. I'm really looking forward to the New Zealand Grand Prix now."
Halliday, making his first appearance in Toyota Racing Series for the new XXX Motorsport team, was philosophical about his third placing.
"It's not the one any racer really wants, but we've worked really hard to get here and I'm pleased to have a result to show for the effort the team has put in."
The weekend brought mixed fortunes for the early series leaders. Andy Knight retains his overall series lead though he finished the Lady Wigram 16th, unable to shake the car's persistent misfire.
Ben Harford is now second on points for the series, having won two of the three TRS races of the weekend and taken the second round overall. He leads the international "series within a series" that continues this weekend at Manfeild with the New Zealand Grand Prix.
Races one and two: the build- to the Lady Wigram
The two races before the Lady Wigram produced wins for Harford and Knight.
In the first race of the day Ben Harford sprinted into the lead off the start as pole man Earl Bamber lost momentum with excessive wheelspin. Harford defended his lead as the field settled into the race and was never headed.
Bamber had dropped to third in the opening laps, overtaken also by a charging Andy Knight, but was able to re-take second and mounted a strong challenge to Harford, outbraking him lap after lap into the hairpin.
Andy Knight's race had started badly when he spun on the warm-up lap and damaged his rear wing, forcing his pit crew to make temporary repairs. Nic Jordan also spun on the warm-up lap, damaging a rear tyre in the process.
Harford was able to dictate the race from the front, however, and in the later laps Bamber dropped back, securing his second place ahead of series leader Andy Knight, both drivers mindful of the need to focus on their series points.
Fastest race lap went to Bamber in his pursuit of Harford: a 1:20.004.
The second twelve-lap race was marred by a crash that took out Michael Burdett and Mitch Cunningham on the back straight at the "pothole" corner. The pair tangled on the first lap and Cunningham's car fared worst, spinning sideways into the tyre wall and all but destroying the left hand side of the car, tearing off both wheels.
Burdett, who had spun in front of Cunningham, got off lightly with bent front and rear left side suspension.
Neither driver was injured, the carbon-fibre "tub" of Cunningham's car withstanding the sideways crash forces as intended by its designers, Italian race car manufacturer Tatuus.
The single-file restart saw Andy Knight hold the lead he had taken from his pole start, with Ben Harford and Earl Bamber close behind.
Bamber challenged Harford for second place on the front straight, but was off line into the left hander afterward as Harford held his ground, Bamber sliding off the end of the straight and damaging his front wing.
This elevated Matthew Halliday into third in the XXX Motorsport-run car, with Australian Nathan Antunes taking over fourth ahead of Palmerston North driver Nelson Hartley.
The front three cars stayed close together over the remaining laps of the race, Harford careful not to compromise his points for the series but pushing Knight hard into the corners in the final few laps.
Antunes came home fourth overall, his best result of the series to date. The other international entry in the series, Iceland's Kristjan Einar, finished 13th.
Summer of motorsport under way
The Lady Wigram Trophy, round two of the 2008 Toyota Racing Series, capped an action-packed Sunday of motorsport at the Ruapuna. The weekend kicks off New Zealand's "summer of motorsport": three solid weekends of motor racing that will bring the TRS racers from Christchurch to Palmerston North for the New Zealand Grand Prix and then to Taupo for the A1GP race meeting and the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy.
The Trophy goes "green" in 2008. The Toyota Racing Series has switched to an E85 ethanol-petrol biofuel made from whey, a by-product of the dairy industry. This significantly reduces its carbon "footprint" and exhaust emissions as part of Toyota's commitment to reducing carbon emissions across all its business operations here and around the world.
The Lady Wigram Trophy is only the second premier New Zealand title to be raced by cars using biofuel, the New Zealand Motorcup won by Andy Knight at the first TRS round of the series in November being the other.
Next weekend New Zealand hosts the world's first ever biofuel Grand Prix at Manfeild near Palmerston North.
- TOYOTA RACING.COM
