Motorsport: Fast track to the big time

Barry Thomlinson (right) with multi-European champion Kiwi Chris van der Drift at TRS testing in Manfeild. Photo / Bruce Jenkins

While the door-banging antics of the BNT V8s may grab most of the glory in the MotorSport New Zealand Championship series, it's the Toyota Racing Series (TRS) that's producing our brightest new talent.

These wings-and-slicks scaled-down Formula One-looking cars provide an excellent grounding for young drivers who want to move on to bigger and better things.

Kiwi Brendon Hartley, former reserve F1 driver for Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso Kiwi, won the first TRS race at Palmerston North in 2005, bringing him to the notice of the Red Bull junior driver development squad.

Other emerging stars, including Chris van der Drift, Earl Bamber, Wade Cunningham, Shane van Gisbergen, Mitch Evans and Richie Stanaway, have raced in the Toyota Racing Series and gone on to make their mark internationally.

The series is also popular with some overseas drivers who come to the Southern Hemisphere to get race practice in the European off-season.

For the five-race series beginning in January, New Zealand will host young drivers from Brazil, France, Britain, India, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, Malaysia, Thailand and the Netherlands, as well as a crop of local talent, who will do battle on some of our best circuits.

This is the biggest bunch of overseas drivers to hit our shores for a series and it's all down to one man, category organiser Barrie Thomlinson, and his crew, including his wife Louise and Steve Boyce.

Thomlinson grew up competing in rally cars, Formula Ford, Formula Atlantic and touring car, and was a crew chief and mechanic in America.

He has been the leading light in getting young, up-and-coming overseas drivers to come south in their off-season and get quality race miles under their belts.

"It's taken a lot of hard work over a long period of time to get such a great field of overseas drivers to come and race in New Zealand," he said.

"We've been building a reputation, and I think we've done that now. There are a number of teams and managers in Europe who know how good the series is and know they can send drivers to a professionally run series.

"Undoubtedly the Kiwi drivers doing well in Europe has helped a lot, and I think people in Europe can now see that we are producing a calibre of drivers that is very, very good."

The organisers of this eighth TRS series believe their new five-round, back-to-back format has played a big part in attracting such a sizeable overseas contingent.

"Coming to race here is very cost-effective for the overseas teams now the racing is back-to-back," Thomlinson said. "In the 32 days they are here, the drivers will complete around 3000km over 15 races.

"These guys see the benefits of getting big race kilometres under their belts before their seasons start again in their countries."

Because of constraints and financial upheavals, there are not many feeder classes for young Kiwi open-wheel drivers.

The TRS series gives New Zealand hopefuls the chance to match their talents against drivers from junior classes around the world.

"Although we've got a lot of internationals coming, at the end of the day our focus is always on the Kiwis and there will always be an opportunity for the Kiwis," Thomlinson said.

"It probably offers more opportunity for Kiwi drivers if we can grow the field the way we have."

Fifteen young International drivers will join New Zealand drivers when racing begins at the Teretonga circuit in Invercargill on January 14 and 15.

The series moves north to Timaru, Taupo, and Hampton Downs on successive weekends leading up to the grand finale - the 57th New Zealand Grand Prix at the Manfeild circuit near Palmerston North on February 12.

TRS driver lineup

1. Mitch Evans, 17, NZ
2. Nick Cassidy, 17, NZ
4. Chris Vlok , 19, NZ
5. Bruno Bonifacio, 17, Brazil
6. Felix Serralles, 19, Puerto Rico
7. Jono Lester, 22, NZ
8. Melvin Moh, 23, Malaysia
9. Victor Sendin, 16, France
10. Josh Hill, 20, UK
11. Shahaan Engineer, 16, India
15. Lukas Auer, 17, Austria
16. Hannes van Asseldonk, 19, Netherlands
42. Jordan King, 17, UK
52. Nathanael Berthon, 22, France
53. Raffaele Marciello, 16, Switzerland
87. Damon Leitch, 18, NZ
88. Michela Cerruti, 24, Italy
TBA. Sheban Siddiqi, 23, India
TBA. Tanart Sathienthirakul, 19, Thailand
TBA. Jordan Oon, 20, Australia