Motorsport: Fast young hotshoes set to race

The Toyota single-seater series aims to give local young drivers a chance to advance their careers and compete against international drivers.

Jay Howard, one of the leading young hotshoes in the United States, intends to contest the Toyota single-seater series in New Zealand this summer.

The 25-year-old is based in St Petersburg, Florida, but was born in Britain and built up an impressive racing record there before crossing the Atlantic.

He has just won the American Formula 2000 Zytec championship, winning nine of the 12 races, beating the record of Indycar star Dan Wheldon.

A karter from the age of seven, Howard won three British championships, moving on to Formula Ford and Formula Renault, and winning a Formula Renault winter championship.

He has had 100 career wins and is one of three overseas entries for the opening round of the championship at Pukekohe next weekend.

Nineteen-year-old Hamad Al Fardan from Bahrain comes fresh from third placing in the Formula BMW Asia championship, with four wins, two pole positions and seven podium finishes. He moved into the class a year ago after a successful career in karting with victory in 12 Pro Kart races in Bahrain.

Seventeen-year-old Texan C.R. Crews has no illusions about the task he will have to make an impression in the New Zealand series.

He won three American national titles in karts and at 15 was the youngest driver to earn a podium position in the North American Pro Mazda series.

Toyota's idea for the series, which made its debut last season, is to give local young drivers a chance to advance their careers with "wings and slicks" experience and attract international drivers to compete with our best.

That policy has been rewarded with former world kart champion Wade Cunningham winning the American Infiniti Pro Series and Brendon Hartley off to Europe on a Red Bull racing scholarship.

Daniel Gaunt and Matthew Hamilton have tested for the Infiniti Pro Series and there are hopes that more international drivers will join the fray after Christmas.

For most of last season there were fields of 17 identical cars and there will be four more on the grid for the first race at Pukekohe next week.

Timaru driver Brent Collins, who won the inaugural title, will be at Pukekohe, but at the wheel of a V8.

Second-placed Andy Knight, who competed in both Formula Ford and Toyota single-seaters last season, will concentrate on the Toyota this time.

The 21-year-old Gaunt was third last year and will be keen to add to his impressive record. He won the Lady Wigram at Ruapuna in an Australian Formula Three car and beat Jonny Reid to win the Australian Formula 4000 title a few years ago.

Hartley, who won the first Toyota race ever, finished fourth for the season. His commitments with Red Bull in Europe take precedence but he hopes to be at Pukekohe at least.

Newcomers this season include Daynom Templeman, who has excelled in offroad racing, rallying and circuit racing, in which he has an Asian Formula 2000 victory to his credit. He raced a V8 last season.

Christina Orr has competed in Formula First and Formula Ford and is no stranger to racing and beating the boys. Another Formula Ford graduate is Marc Doran, who recently finished second in the Formula Ford Festival.

Competitors in the eight-round Toyota championship have an added incentive this year. They will be contesting the New Zealand Grand Prix at Teretonga on January 15, and 64-year-old Kenny Smith, back for another season, will have the chance to record his fourth win in New Zealand's premier single-seater race.