Motorsport: Russian the one to watch in Toyota Racing Series

Daniil Kvyat honed his skills in the TRS to become a F1 driver. Photos / Bruce Jenkins

Toyota series chance to see three young front-runners

The Toyota Racing Series had its first hit at Ruapuna over the weekend with 13 races to go and a chance for fans to get a glimpse of a future Formula One star.

Over the past four years the series has seen the skills of three young international racers being honed on the Kiwi circuits.

The most notable is Daniil Kvyat, who raced here in 2011 and is now in the Red Bull Racing seat vacated by Sebastian Vettel.

Another, Ferrari Driver Academy's Raffaele Marciello, has been named as a test and reserve driver for the Sauber F1 team after contesting the TRS championship in 2012.

Brit Will Stevens competed here in 2008 and 2009 and drove for the Caterham F1 team at the end of last year.

Kvyat raced for the Victory Motor Racing team when he was here and owner Gary Orton remembers how dedicated the young Russian was to get to his ultimate goal of Formula One.

Kvyat on podium with Kiwis Mitch Evans (middle) and Nick Cassidy (left).

"I remember Daniil as being incredibly focused straight out of the box when he got here," said Orton.

"He'd only done karting before he got here to race with us.

"He'd done some testing in a Formula Renault before he arrived and he had total faith in his engineers [who were tied up with the Red Bull Junior team at the time].

"If he was told turn one at Teretonga was flat in sixth gear he'd just go out there and do it.

"Every time he went on to the track he wanted to do it dead right. He had a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders with Red Bull back in Europe watching every move he made - and they don't suffer fools lightly."

At Hampton Downs Kvyat set a lap record. By the time the series got to Manfeild for round four of the series Kvyat was a front-runner and he showed his pedigree by winning the Dan Higgins Trophy - his first single-seater race win.

He was talent spotted by Dr Helmut Marko, the Red Bull Racing Formula One Team adviser and head of its driver development programme, and supported by Red Bull from the start of his open-wheel career and through the TRS season with Victory.

Orton has a solid background in engineering and motorsport, having worked in the United States with Ralt, Dave McMillan and Keith Duesenberg, and is familiar with all forms of machinery from Formula 3 to Formula Atlantic, Indy Lights and IndyCars.

Before getting involved in TRS 10 years ago (the only team in the series that has been involved since day one) Victory ran touring and GT car programmes which included Grant Sylvester's championship-winning TranZam and NZV8s frontrunner Dean Perkins.

He's also worked with high profile drivers such as Johnny Herbert and Al Unser III.

"The last 10 years have been pure madness really," Orton said.

"It's a passion and we just love doing it. You meet some good people and it's the lure of the competition really.

"The best part, and it's great, is to follow some of these kids that come through the series afterwards. Like with Daniil, you could just tell right from day one he was going to make it somewhere.

"He'd shake everyone's hand and say hello first thing in the morning and he wouldn't leave in the evening until he'd found the whole team and done the same thing ... it's really cool to see where he's got to.

"Toyota's should also be proud of what they are doing. You just have to have a look at some some of the drivers who have come through the series and see where they are now."

Kvyat drove the same TRS chassis that Kiwi Brendon Hartley used for his two TRS seasons and won the first TRS race at Timaru in 2005.

The car has been restored in Red Bull livery and is displayed at the Tulley museum in Nelson.

Eric Thompson is also a race commentator for TRS.