Juan Manuel Correa won the opening Toyota Racing Series race in Taupo. Photo / Matthew Hansen
American Juan Manuel Correa has taken the chequered flag in the first Toyota Racing Series race at Taupo Motorsport Park on Saturday while the championship protagonists finished line of stern.
Correa got a lightning-fast start from pole that might come under post-race scrutiny and drove away from the field.
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James Pull finished second while championship contenders Richard Verschoor, Robert Shwartzman and Kiwi Marcus Armstrong finished third, fourth and fifth respectively.
It was the first time this season that Armstrong, the series leader, hasn't finished on the podium. The disappointment will be offset by the fact that teammate Shwartzman and Verschoor were barely able to eat into the 41-point championship lead he took into the weekend.
New Zealander Reid Harker finished an impressive sixth while fellow rookie Ryan Yardley led home a tight battle between the remaining Kiwis. Yardley finished seventh, Brendon Leitch eighth and Taylor Cockerton ninth.
