Motorsport: Cassidy in spin but keeps ahead of pack

Nick Cassidy. Photo / Geoff Ridder

Aucklander Nick Cassidy left the third round of the Toyota Racing Series at Taupo yesterday having extended his championship lead over Damon Leitch, but the chasing pack have closed up a touch.

It was the trio of international drivers Hannes van Asseldonk, Josh Hill and Jordan King who came away with the majority of the points over two of the races while teenager Cassidy and Leitch profited from one.

King was the round winner with a win, a fourth and a third, which moved him even further up the overall points table into sixth. The Brit had an awful first round in Teretonga where he, and others, struggled in the atrocious conditions.

"It couldn't have gone much better and being the highest points scorer of the weekend is good news," said King.

"It's good to get back up the table as the first weekend [Teretonga] was disappointing for us with a crash, a puncture and everything else that could go wrong did go wrong.

"We had a good second weekend [at Levels] and this time out we pushed a bit harder and went a bit better."

Cassidy started the weekend with a fourth, but stamped his mark on the field with a win in the first race yesterday. He couldn't repeat the feat in the third race and had to settle for eighth.

"I had race-old tyres and couldn't get a good start in the last race and I spun my wheels a lot," said Cassidy. "The pace for the tyres we had was really good and I always knew it was going to be a struggle for that race."

Hill continues to improve and is now a regular frontrunner. He had two podiums over the two days of racing. He came unstuck in race two while in with a chance for yet another podium when hustling through the infield. He managed to gather it up and finish the race, albeit in 13th spot.

"It was a pretty up and down weekend and a bit disappointing," said Brit Hill whose father and grandfather knew a bit about open wheel racing.

Van Asseldonk nearly came away with the round win, matching King with a win and a third, but finished behind fellow Brit in race two. Dutch driver Van Asseldonk, now sits equal with the Kiwi Cassidy with three wins each in the championship. "It was a good battle in the third race for the first part but I got the lead and from then on I think I was the fastest," he said.

TRS POINTS

* Nick Cassidy 546
* Damon Leitch 517
* Josh Hill 424
* Hannes van Asseldonk 423
* Felix Serralles 385
* Jordan King 369.