Motorsport event
2018 Toyota Racing Series
Drivers' Champion: Robert Shwartzman
The 2018 Castrol Toyota Racing Series was the fourteenth running of the Toyota Racing Series, the premier open-wheel motorsport category held in New Zealand. The series consisted of fifteen races at five meetings. It began on 13 January at Ruapuna Park in Christchurch, and concluded on 11 February with the 63rd running of the New Zealand Grand Prix, at Circuit Chris Amon in Feilding.
M2 Competition driver Robert Shwartzman won the title, being the only driver who finished in the top-five every race of the season.[1] His teammates (and series returnees) Richard Verschoor and Marcus Armstrong had more podium finishes and race wins, but were not as consistent as Shwartzman. Another M2 driver Juan Manuel Correa raced his first season in the series, but was not considered as a rookie due to his GP3 Series experience, and he won races at Teretonga and Taupō; he finished fourth in the standings.[2][3] Giles Motorsport driver Clément Novalak was the highest placed rookie who conformed series regulations, winning races at Teretonga and Hampton Downs and completed the top-five in the championship.[4][5]
Teams and drivers
Race calendar and results
The calendar for the series was announced on 22 June 2017, and was held over five successive weekends in January and February.[15]
Championship standings
In order for a driver to score championship points, they have to complete at least 75% of the race winner's distance, and be running at the race's completion. All races counted towards the final championship standings.
- Scoring system
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th |
Points | 75 | 67 | 60 | 54 | 49 | 45 | 42 | 39 | 36 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 |
Drivers' championship
| Colour | Result | Gold | Winner | Silver | Second place | Bronze | Third place | Green | Points finish | Blue | Non-points finish | Non-classified finish (NC) | Purple | Retired (Ret) | Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) | Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) | Black | Disqualified (DSQ) | White | Did not start (DNS) | Withdrew (WD) | Race cancelled (C) | Blank | Did not practice (DNP) | Did not arrive (DNA) | Excluded (EX) | Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap |
- ^ a b c d e Under the series' sporting regulations, not considered as Rookie because of his previous racing experience
References
- ^ Waring, Bethonie (11 February 2018). "Shwartzman nicks TRS title from Ferrari stable-mate Armstrong in late drama". formulascout.com. Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ Waring, Bethonie (20 January 2018). "Juan Manuel Correa wins TRS Teretonga reversed-grid race". formulascout.com. Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ Waring, Bethonie (11 February 2018). "Juan Manuel Correa controls Taupo Toyota Racing Series opener". formulascout.com. Formula Scout. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ Waring, Bethonie (21 January 2018). "Novalak beats Armstrong to win Teretonga TRS feature race". formulascout.com. Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ Waring, Bethonie (11 February 2018). "Novalak takes second Toyota Racing Series win in Hampton Downs reversed-grid race". formulascout.com. Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ "Albany racer Reid Harker steps up to Castrol Toyota Racing Series title". 16 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ^ "Clement Novalak hoping to replicate karting success in Toyota Racing Series". 17 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ "Charles Milesi and Theo Coicaud heading to New Zealand for the Toyota Racing Series". 7 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
- ^ "Richard Verschoor to return to Toyota Racing Series with M2 | Formula Scout". www.formulascout.com. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
- ^ "FORMULA 4 CHAMP MARCUS ARMSTRONG BACK FOR TOYOTA RACING SERIES TILT". 9 November 2017. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- ^ "James Pull runner-up in British F3 for Toyota Racing Series". Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ "RUSSIAN FERRARI JUNIOR HEADING DOWN UNDER FOR TOYOTA RACING SERIES". Archived from the original on 19 February 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "American driver for Toyota Racing Series". 14 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "Southland driver Brendon Leitch targets 2018 Toyota Racing Series". 3 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ "Toyota Racing Series reveals 2018 schedule". Motorsport.com. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
External links
- Official website of the Toyota Racing Series