Archives for American’s racing overseas

Bobby Eberle Shows Big Improvement in Dubai round of MRF Challenge

Posted by  on Friday, December 16th 2016     
Bobby Eberle and his MRF Challenge Team at the Dubai Autodrome (photo courtesy of Bobby Eberle)

Bobby Eberle and his MRF Challenge Team at the Dubai Autodrome (photo courtesy of Bobby Eberle)

Team Release:
Eberle Shows Big Improvements in Dubai

HOUSTON, TX (Dec 13, 2016) – Racecar driver Bobby Eberle has never been afraid to take on new challenges, and that applies more now than ever. This off-season the 48-year old is competing in the MRF Challenge racing series, hosted in the middle east, with a goal of being as prepared as possible for the 2017 Mazda Road to Indy season.

The season kicked off two weeks ago at the Bahrain International Circuit, most well-known for hosting Formula 1 Grands Prix for the last 12 years. Never having experienced the MRF F2000 car, the Bahrain circuit, nor racing in  the middle east, the Texan did a remarkable job to secure an 11th place finish to round out his rookie weekend in the series.

This past weekend, the journey went to the Dubai Autodrome, and yet again Eberle proved his mettle by being closer to the front than ever before, securing a top-10 finish in just his second race weekend in the MRF Series.

“The event at the Dubai Autodrome was everything I hoped it would be,” Noted Eberle, who was crowned Pro Mazda National Class Champion earlier this year. “As soon as I saw the track, I knew it would be a challenge.  It is loaded with many high-speed corners, and those are exactly the types of corners where I needed to improve.  In the third race, I put down the sixth fastest lap of the race.  It shows that the pace is coming, but there’s a lot more work to do.  We were very close to the competition, and getting my first top ten finish was a great way to end the weekend.”

Eberle’s driver coach and mentor, Charles Crews, had similar thoughts on the second race weekend.

“What a tremendous weekend for Bobby,” Noted Eberle’s driver coach and mentor, Charles Crews. “We came out of the box strong and just got stronger each session. For what I thought might not be a track that would suit his strengths, Bobby really came through. His race pace was stronger than Bahrain and we have closed the gap to the front-runners. Managing to score points already is a dream come true, the level is so high here. These are kids who will be in Formula 1 in just a couple years, and here we are going toe to toe with them. The progress we have made in the first two rounds of MRF has been fantastic.”

Next up on the MRF schedule is another four race weekend at Buddh International Circuit, India’s latest and most modern race track, on January 28-29, 2017. The 3.2 mile circuit hosted the 2011-2013 Formula One Grands Prix, all of which were won by German Sebastian Vettel.

TSO Ladder Notes from Steve:

  • Since 2013, the Houston, Texas based Bobby Eberle has made 45 career Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire starts, winning the last three Expert/National class championships. 
  • MRF Challenge is an off-season series that is organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club and based in India. The series attracts up-and-coming Formula 4, Formula 3, GP3, Pro Mazda level drivers from around the world. The first championship in 2013 was won by current Verizon IndyCar Series driver Conor Daly. This years championship includes Rinus Van Kalmthout, who will be making his Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda debut with Benik-Carlin. 
  • The 48 year-old Eberle, who has a  B.S. in Aerospace Engineering; M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering didn’t start his racing career until 2012, and over the last few years it is obvious that he is working very hard on and off the track to improve his craft.
  • While very likely not a championship threat, it is great to have drivers like Eberle in the paddock to provide guidance and an example of what you can accomplish when you work hard to some of the younger drivers. 
  • You can follow Eberle on the following social media platforms: Twitter – Instagram – Facebook 
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American drivers racing overseas update – Tveter Records Two Seventh-Place Finishes

Posted by  on Tuesday, May 17th 2016     

Tveter Records Two Seventh-Place Finishes – As FIA Formula 3 Visits the Streets of Pau

PAU, France, May 16 — The FIA Formula 3 tripleheader on the street course at Pau is one of the most prestigious events on the series’ calendar, and it was even more so this year since it was the 75th anniversary of the event. It turned out to be an excellent points-earning weekend for the only American in the field, as Ryan Tveter of Oyster Bay, N.Y. posted two seventh-place finishes on Saturdayand Sunday.

American Ryan Tveter had his second and third points scoring finishes of the FiA Formula 3 Championship season on the difficult Pau street circuit. (Photo Courtesy of Restart Communications)

Two races of 33 minutes plus one lap were held on Saturday. Tveter started tenth and finished seventh in the first one on Saturdaymorning even though the narrowness of the street circuit keeps passing to a minimum.

He was involved in an accident in the race on Saturday afternoon, but he got another seventh-place finish on Sunday afternoon after he started ninth and missed a big collision on the opening lap.

Visibility was poor throughout Saturday morning’s race due to spray from rain. The polesitter’s car stalled at the start but Tveter got around him safely and leapt into action immediately. The seventh-place driver on the grid also had problems initially, and Tveter passed him as well as the driver who started right in front of him, Sergio Sette Camara, to rise to seventh place.

He continued to hold seventh through the end of the race. There was one full-course caution on lap eight when one of Tveter’s teammates, Zhi Cong Li, got into a barrier, and two incidents came under investigation after the race, but Tveter wasn’t involved. He took the checkered flag on lap 24 just 1.290 seconds behind sixth place and a whopping 4.169 seconds ahead of eighth place. His fastest lap of that race was lap 22, when he turned a 1:24.090. He was the fastest and highest-placing driver using a Volkswagen engine.

Sunday’ race was held under sunny skies, but it got off to a rocky start when the two drivers who shared Row 2, Sette Camara and Nick Cassidy, made contact and several drivers behind them couldn’t avoid becoming involved in a chain-reaction crash. Tveter took evasive action and emerged unscathed and in sixth position for the restart on lap five.

Joel Eriksson passed him on the outside of Turn 1 working lap eight to push him back to seventh after Tveter’s car’s brakes locked up when he ran over some oil. Tveter remained in that position for the rest of the race. He set his fastest lap of the 25-lap race on lap 13 with a 1:11.589 while successfully holding off the challenges of Niko Kari to once again score valuable points in the championship.

“Pau was a great weekend for us as a team and also my best to date in FIA F3, so I’m feeling very confident and excited going into Red Bull Ring this coming weekend,” Tveter said. “Conditions at Pau were very difficult throughout, with constantly changing, wet conditions in free practice and qualifying, but the pace was right there from the beginning and I’m very happy we scored some good, consistent points in the races.

“The Pau Grand Prix is an incredibly historic event and it’s a massive privilege to be able to race at such a prestigious and challenging circuit,” Tveter added. “I loved every minute of driving there, and I’d like to thank the team and also congratulate my teammate, Alessio, on his Pau GP win.”

The next event is another tripleheader this coming weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Tveter will celebrate his 22nd birthday there on Friday.

Tveter’s primary marketing partners are Skratch Labs, Pacha Macau, Hintsa, Stilo, Freem, and the social media app With. His black and blue #3 is also carrying the logos of three not-for-profit organizations this year: Right To Play, MTV Staying Alive, and the Lessons for Life Foundation.

For more information see RyanTveter.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. For more information on the series, live timing and scoring and live video streaming, see FIAF3Europe.com. Tveter’s team’s Web site is at Carlin.co.uk. Videos of all the races are available on YouTube.

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American overseas update – Tveter Achieves Best Results to Date in FIA F3

Posted by  on Monday, April 4th 2016     

Tveter Achieves Best Results to Date in FIA F3,
Coming from 17th to Seventh at Paul Ricard

LE CASTELLET, France, April 4 — Thanks to some incredible heads-up driving, America’s Ryan Tveter posted his best finish to date in the tough FIA Formula 3 series when he came from 17th to finish seventh Saturday afternoon in Race 2 of the season-opening tripleheader at Paul Ricard.

Tveter displayed a fine combination of simultaneous offense and defense at the start. By the end of a tumultuous first lap he had bettered his starting position by an incredible 11 positions.

Five drivers (Ben Barnicoat, Lance Stroll, Joel Eriksson, Max Gunther and Harrison Newey) were all out due to contact in the first turn. In addition, another driver who started in the top five, Ralf Aron, dropped far back in the field trying to miss getting involved in the big crash. Tveter had his hands full trying to avoid the mess too, but he not only wasn’t involved in the accident, but he passed Sergio Setta Camara, Nikita Mazepin, Alessio Lorandi, Raoul Hyman and Niko Kari in the process to take sixth position before the first full-course caution of the season waved.

Tveter had a great restart on lap three. He put Anthoine Hubert under a great deal of pressure but couldn’t find a way past him, so he retained sixth and fell into a comfortable pace behind Hubert while pulling ahead of Sette Camara.

American Ryan Tveter on the way to his best FIA F3 finish, a 7th place at Paul Ricard in the opening event of the 2016 Championship. (Photo courtesy of Carlin)

American Ryan Tveter on the way to his best FIA F3 finish, a 7th place at Paul Ricard in the opening event of the 2016 Championship. (Photo courtesy of Carlin)

Lorandi passed Sette Camara for seventh working lap seven with about 19 minutes gone, and Tveter spent the bulk of the rest of the event trying to catch Hubert while holding off Lorandi. It was during this time that he set his fastest lap of the race with a 1:22.651, but then another challenge reared its head when it began to rain.

The best battle on the track around lap 16 was the one between Tveter and Lorandi, who both drive for Carlin. Their cars were very evenly matched, but Tveter held the Italian off despite every move he attempted and the slippery conditions, as the whole field was on slicks.

The event’s second full-course caution flew with 19 laps down after Aron lost a wheel. That set up a one-lap dash to the finish that was almost as wild as the start. Tveter passed Hubert, but Lorandi and Sette Camara both got around him during the tussle, which saw Tveter take the checkered flag in seventh place and under a blanket with Lorandi and Hubert in the exciting conclusion.

This weekend marked the series’ first visit to Paul Ricard, and the lack of previous data and changing weather conditions were challenging. Tveter set the second-fastest lap of the first practice session on Friday morning with a 1:26.672 for the 3.841-kilometer road course. That was only 0.147 of a second off the top time posted during the session. But the team’s qualifying results and its results in the first race were disappointing after such a good showing in practice. The team never stopped working hard, however, and their adjustments between Race 1 and Race 2 paid off.

The beginning and the end of the first race on Saturday morning were the highlights of Tveter’s experience in the first of the three races, all of which were timed races of 33 minutes plus one lap.

He got off to an amazing start in that one too, blasting from 17th on the grid to 12th before the end of lap one. He got one spot when Sette Camara had a problem right away, but Tveter weaved his way through traffic masterfully and passed Guanyu Zhou, Hyman, Hubert and Mikkel Jensen. That put him just two positions away from a points-paying finish.

It was not to be in this race, however, because Callum Ilott passed him working lap four, Zhou got him back on lap five, and Jensen wiggled ahead on lap six to put Tveter in 15th place.

With no full-course cautions the field got spread out at that point, and Tveter stayed in 15th the rest of the way. But he never stopped trying, and he set his fastest lap of the race on the very last lap with a time of 1:23.493.

Tveter started 17th in the finale on Sunday morning too. Once again he had an amazing start, passing Kari, Hyman, Barnicoat, Sette Camara and Ilott on the first lap to charge into 12th place. A couple of drivers got him back in the early going to push him back to 15th, however. Around the halfway point he got 14th place when both he and his teammate, Hyman, passed the winner of Race 2, Ilott, on lap 10. Tveter did 10 more laps but he was forced to pit five laps from the finish due to mechanical difficulties with his car’s steering unit. His best lap in that race came early with a 1:22.668.

Tveter, 21, is from Oyster Bay, N.Y. and he is the only American competing in the series, which attracted drivers from 16 countries and six continents this season. His primary marketing partners are Skratch Labs, Pacha Macau, Hintsa, Stilo, Freem, and the social media app With.

His black and blue #3 is also carrying the logos of three not-for-profit organizations this year: Right To Play, MTV Staying Alive, and the Lessons for Life Foundation.

“We were very quick out of the box on the Thursday test and also in FP1,” Tveter said after last weekend’s races. “Unfortunately I had a small off on a very slippery track at the end of FP1, so I had to miss FP2.

“Moving into qualifying, we were feeling strong despite the small setback, but we really struggled as a team in Q1, Q2 and Race 1. Between Races 1 and 2 we worked hard to get to the bottom of things together, and we made some good changes that paid off in Race 2.

“I had a storming start from 17th to sixth on the first lap, and then had very strong pace throughout the race to finish seventh after a crazy one-last-lap safety car restart shootout on a damp track.

“It was great to get some good points on the board in the championship and also record my highest finish to date in FIA F3; also there were three Carlin cars in the points in Race 2. The team and I are already working very hard to make gains for a consistently strong package at the second round at Budapest.”

The next tripleheader is April 22-24 at the Hungaroring near Budapest, Hungary.

For more information see RyanTveter.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. For more information on the series, see FIAF3Europe.com. Carlin’s Web site is at Carlin.co.uk. Videos of all the races are available on YouTube.

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MRTI connections have forgettable weekend in Toyota Racing Series, while the championship tightens up

Posted by  on Monday, February 1st 2016     

Toyota Racing Series logo

For the third straight weekend, the Toyota Racing Series (TRS) had three different race winners over the course of an event, including Lando Norris with his third, Pedro Piquet with his second and Guanyu Zhou with his inaugural TRS win.

The 19 drivers and four teams travelled to Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in Waikito, New Zealand, which opened in 2009 and currently features six-turns and 2.6km of asphalt.

Race #1

Foreshadowing the remainder of the weekend, the first race on Saturday was certainly forgettable for the group of five drivers that TSO is following, as their Giles Motorsport (Will Owen, Nicolas Dapero, & Devlin Defrancessco) and ETEC Motorsports (Theo Bean, & Timothe Buret) machines struggle to keep up the M2 Competition drivers, who have won eight of the nine races so far.

TSO”s drivers of interest had the following final results:

  • Will Owen – finished 16th after qualifying 15th
  • Nicolas Dapero – finished 19th after qualifying 11th
  • Timothe Buret – finished 13th after qualifying 19th
  • Devlin DeFrancesco – finished 11th after qualifying 13th
  • Theo Bean – finished finished 18th after qualifying 17th

Norris, the reigning MSA Formula champion, scored his fifth consecutive pole and was able to hold off a challenge from previous race winners Piqet and Jehan Daruvala to win his third race of the series. The 16 year-old from Bristol, UK has now won an event in each of the three race weekends.

Race #2

While not podiums, Owen and Bean were able to score 10th and 12th place finishes, respectively.  It was the 3rd top 10 in nine races for the Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire sophomore Owen, and the 12th place finish matched vintage racing star Bean’s best effort to date.

TSO”s drivers of interest had the following final results:

  • Will Owen – finished 10th after qualifying 16th
  • Nicolas Dapero -DNF after qualifying 19th
  • Timothe Buret – finished 15th after qualifying 13th
  • Devlin DeFrancesco – finished 13th after qualifying 11th
  • Theo Bean – finished finished 12th after qualifying 18

The first race on Sunday morning featured a reverse grid where Chinese driver and Ferrari protege Guanyu Zhou started on pole and and held off Toyota Racing Series veteran and New Zealand native Brandon Leitch, to score his first victory of the series. Piquet was able to advance three spots after starting sixth to score his second straight podium of the weekend.

Race #3

Unfortunately, three (Bean, Owen & Dapero) of the five drivers that TSO is following were involved in an incident with only three laps to go in the main event, causing DNF’s for all three.  A 12th place by Ganassi Generation G pilot DeFrancesco was the best any of the “TSO Five” could muster in the New Zealand Motor Cup feature race.

TSO”s drivers of interest had the following final results:

  • Will Owen – DNF after qualifying 13th
  • Nicolas Dapero – DNF after qualifying 15th
  • Timothe Buret – finished 13th after qualifying 16th
  • Devlin DeFrancesco – finished 12th after qualifying 12th
  • Theo Bean – DNF after qualifying 18th

For the first time in six tries, Norris was beat on sheer pace in a qualifying session. Piquet, the son of three-time Formula 1 champion Nelson Piquet, was able to just pip his M2 Competition teammate by 0.086 during Saturday’s second qualifying session. Norris had his stating spot even further penalized when he was docked six grid spots for an incident during the first race on Sunday. He was able to recover to a sixth place finish.

The 17 year-old Piquet was able to hold on to the win over New Zealand’s James Munro and Daruvala, who’s third place was his second podium of the weekend and fourth overall in nine races.

Pedro Piquet, who had one win and two podiums, in the third weekend of Toyota Racing Series competition, share a moment on the grid with his three-time Formula 1 champion father, Nelson Piquet. (Photo courtesy of Toyota Racing Series)

Pedro Piquet, who had one win and two podiums, in the third weekend of Toyota Racing Series competition, share a moment on the grid with his three-time Formula 1 champion father, Nelson Piquet. (Photo courtesy of Toyota Racing Series)

Norris continues to hold the points lead with six races to go, however Piquet, Daruval and Zhuo were all able to make inroads during the third weekend of the series .  GP2 veteran Artem Markelov was the biggest loser after a disappointing weekend, dropping from 2nd to 6th in the points table. The 21 year-old Russian, who had four podiums in the first six races, had his first DNF and could only manage a best finish of 5th.

The Toyota Racing Series will be back in action at Bruce McLaren Motorsports Park in Taupo, New Zealand again next weekend, and TSO will be back next Monday with another update.

Points standings after nine of 15 races

Rank Driver Native of Total Points
1 Lando Norris Great Britain 518
2 Pedro Piquet Brazil 466
3 Jehan Daruvala India 463
4 Guanya Zhou China 460
5 Brendon Leitch Invercargill, NZ 452
T6 Ferdinand Habsburg Austria 423
T6 Artem Markelov Russia 423
8 James Munro Christchurch, NZ 320
9 Antoni Ptak Poland 303
10 Taylor Cockerton Pukekohe, NZ 289
11 Devlin DeFrancesco Canada 259
12 Kami Laliberte Canada 233
13 Timothe Buret France 228
14 Bruno Baptista Brazil 227
15 William Owen USA 206
16 Rodrigo Baptista Brazil 188
17 Nicolas Dapero Argentina 172
18 Theo Bean USA 152
19 Julian Hanses Germany 138

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Second weekend of Toyota Racing Series action brings mixed results for Mazda Road To Indy pilots

Posted by  on Monday, January 25th 2016     

Toyota Racing Series logo

The Toyota Racing Series (TRS) drivers and teams trekked south from Ruapuna Park to the southern most race circuit in the world, Teretonga Park Raceway, for their second of five consecutive race weekends.

Three of the five drivers that TSO is watching had improved weekends at 7-turn, 1.59 mile high speed circuit located that is located in the sandy environment along the beaches at the southern tip of New Zealand near the town of Invercargill.

Race 1 – 15 laps

After a delay to fix a guard rail that was badly damaged in an earlier race, the first of two 15 lap contests took to the grid with Ganassi Gen G pilot Devlin DeFrancesco (8th) qualifying the highest of “our” five drivers to watch. Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the day for the 15 year-old Canadian, as his day ended prematurely with an off-track excursion in tricky Turn 1 of Lap 1.

Juncos Racing Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire freshman Nicolas Dapero scored his best Toyota Racing Series finish in race #1 at Teretonga Park Raceway (photo courtesy of Toyota Racing Series)

Juncos Racing Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire freshman Nicolas Dapero scored his best Toyota Racing Series finish in race #1 at Teretonga Park Raceway (photo courtesy of Toyota Racing Series)

Juncos Racing Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire freshman Nicolas Dapero qualified 10th and originally finished 10th, but was promoted to 8th place when other drivers were penalized. TSO”s drivers of interest had the following final results:

  • Will Owen – finished 10th after qualifying 15th
  • Nicolas Dapero – finished 8th after qualifying 10th
  • Timothe Buret – finished 14th after qualifying 16th (had finished in 8th, but was penalized 30 seconds for breach of driving standards)
  • Devlin DeFrancesco – DNF after qualifying 8th
  • Theo Bean – finished 12th after qualifying 18th

Despite being marred by two red flags, the first race of the weekend saw a good  back-and-forth battle between previous race-winners Jehan Daruvala and Lando Norris. The Force India backed Daruvala was able to get by Norris for the final time with four laps left and hold on for his second trip to the top step of the podium. The two combatants for the win were joined on the podium by 18 year-old Polish pilot Antoni Ptak.

Race #2

The second 15 lap contest of the weekend and first of two races on Sunday, once again saw Juncos Racing Pro Mazda rookie Dapero lead the way for “our” drivers. After starting in 8th, the 17 year-old was able to secure quality points by bringing home his No. 21 Toyota powered Tatuus to 7th, a series best (so far) for the Brazilian driver. TSO”s drivers of interest had the following final results:

  • Will Owen – finished 9th after qualifying 10th
  • Nicolas Dapero – finished 7th after qualifying 8th
  • Timothe Buret – finished 11th after qualifying 14th
  • Devlin DeFrancesco – finished 14th after qualifying 19th
  • Theo Bean – finished finished 17th after qualifying 12th

After a podium in the first TRS weekend, Pedro Piquet, the son of three-time Formula One world Champion Nelson Piquet took his maiden victory in second race at Teretonga Park Raceway. The 17 year-old Brazilian who started the contest from pole was able to edge Norris and GP2 driver Artem Markalov.

Race #3

The final race of the weekend was the 20 lap feature with the Sprit of Nation trophy up for grabs.  After a rough start to the weekend that included a DNF in race #1 and a disappointing 14th in race #2, DeFrancesco was able to rebound and score his first TRS top five finish. TSO”s drivers of interest had the following final results:

  • Will Owen – finished 13th after qualifying 17th
  • Nicolas Dapero – finished 18th after qualifying 11th
  • Timothe Buret – DNF after qualifying 16th
  • Devlin DeFrancesco – finished 5th after qualifying 6th
  • Theo Bean – finished finished 14th after qualifying 18th
Ganassi Gen G driver Devlin DeFrancesco brought his Toyota powered Tatuus No. 17 to fifth place. (photo courtesy of Toyota Racing Series)

Ganassi Gen G driver Devlin DeFrancesco brought his Toyota powered Tatuus No. 17 to fifth place. (photo courtesy of Toyota Racing Series)

Norris, the reigning MSA Formula champion is now four for four in scoring the quickest lap in the four qualifying sessions, and used his pole position to his advantage to hold off Kiwi veteran Brendon Leitch and Russian Markelov, who scored his fourth podium in six races.  Norris, a 16 year-old Brit who was teammates with Colton Herta at Carlin in 2015 has an extremely busy 2016 planned. The multi-time world karting champion will once again be teaming with Herta as they move up to with Carlin to contest the BRDC Formula 4 championship. Norris will also take part in two Formula Renault 2.0 championships.

The Toyota Racing Series will be back in action at the undulating Hampton Downs Motorsport park next weekend, and TSO will be back next Monday with another update.

Points standings after six of 15 races

1 Lando Norris Great Britain 380
2 Artem Markelov Russia 346
3 Ferdinand Habsburg Austria 303
4 Brendon Leitch Invercargill, NZ 300
5 Guanya Zhou China 289
6 Jehan Daruvala India 282
7 Pedro Piquet Brazil 271
8 Antoni Ptak Poland 185
9 Taylor Cockerton Pukekohe, NZ 184
10 Devlin DeFrancesco Canada 175
11 James Munro Christchurch, NZ 169
12 Nicolas Dapero Argentina 158
13 Timothe Buret France 154
14 William Owen USA 153
15 Bruno Baptista Brazil 149
16 Kami Laliberte Canada 128
17 Rodrigo Baptista Brazil 118
18 Theo Bean USA 108
19 Julian Hanses Germany 94
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Mazda Road To Indy drivers endure rough start in the first Toyota Racing Series weekend in New Zealand

Posted by  on Monday, January 18th 2016     

Toyota Racing Series logo

The Toyota Racing Series of New Zealand got underway at Ruapuna Park this past weekend, with the group of drivers that TSO is watching having, for the most part, very forgettable weekends.

Juncos Racing sophomore Pro Mazda Pilot Will Owen three wheels his Toyota Racing Series machine during the first of five rounds in New Zealand (Photo courtesy of Toyota Racing Series)

Juncos Racing sophomore Pro Mazda Pilot Will Owen three wheels his Toyota Racing Series machine during the first of five rounds in New Zealand (Photo courtesy of Toyota Racing Series)

Race 1 – 15 laps

A 10th place finish by Timothe Buret was the best result that any of “our” drivers could muster during Saturday’s first 15-lap race. TSO”s drivers of interest had the following final results:

  • Will Owen – finished 11th after qualifying 7th
  • Nicolas Dapero – finished 12th after qualifying 11th
  • Timothe Buret – finished 10th after qualifying  17th
  • Devlin DeFrancesco – finished 14th after qualifying 14th
  • Theo Bean – finished 16th after qualifying  16th

The race was won by sophomore Toyota Racing Series driver and Ferdinand Habsburg. The 18 year-old Austrian was able to hold off GP2 veteran Artem Markelov and current MSA Formula (FIA F4) champion Lando Norris to capture his first ever victory in a formula car.

Race 2 – 15 laps

The second race of the weekend and the first of two chaotic wet races on Sunday, once again had Buret leading the group of drivers that TSO is following. The 20 year-old French driver came home in 6th spot. It was a forgettable race for Owen and Dapero, the two 2016 Juncos Racing Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire teammates. American Owen originally moved up eight spots from his 13th place qualifying slot spot to finish an impressive 5th, but was penalized 10 seconds post-race for weaving behind the safety car. Argentinian Dapero originally finished 17th but was later disqualified for careless driving.  TSO”s drivers of interest had the following final results:

  • Will Owen – finished 12th after qualifying 13th
  • Nicolas Dapero – disqualified after qualifying 11th
  • Timothe Buret – finished 6th after qualifying  13th
  • Devlin DeFrancesco – finished 10th after qualifying 16th
  • Theo Bean – finished 17th after qualifying  18th

After a podium in the first race of the series, the 16 year-old Norris was able to score his first victory. He crossed the line ahead of Pedro Piquet, the 17 year-old son of three-time Formula One world Champion Nelson Piquet, and Italian F4 vice-champion Guan Yu Zho, a 16 year-old from China.

Juncos Racing Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire rookie Nicolas Dapero had a rough start to his Toyota Racing Series experience. He'll look to rebound next round. (Photo courtesy of Toyota Racing Series)

Juncos Racing Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire rookie Nicolas Dapero had a rough start to his Toyota Racing Series experience. He’ll look to rebound next round. (Photo courtesy of Toyota Racing Series)

Race 3 – 20 laps – Lady Wigram Trophy 

The final contest of the weekend, the 20 lap Lady Wigram Trophy race was run under mixed conditions where making the correct tire choice was the key to a good result. Ganassi Gen G driver, Defrancesco continued his steady improvement from the first practice and was able to bring his Toyota powered Tatuus home in 6th place. TSO”s drivers of interest had the following final results:

  • Will Owen – DNF after qualifying 12th
  • Nicolas Dapero – finished 10th after qualifying 7th
  • Timothe Buret – finished 15th after qualifying 19th
  • Devlin DeFrancesco – finished 6th after qualifying 10th
  • Theo Bean – finished DNF after starting 16th

The race was won by Force India protege Jehan Daruvala who started the race in 15th, made the correct tire choice and used a superb restart that saw him jump from seventh to first, to score the 17 year-old Indian’s first formula car victory.  Daruvala was joined on the podium by race one winner Habsburg and Russian GP2 veteran Markelov.

The Toyota Racing Series is back in action at the Teretonga Park Raceway next weekend and TSO will be back with another update that will hopefully be a little happier for the five drivers we are watching.

Points standings after three of 15 races 

Rank Driver Country Total Points
1 Ferdinand Habsburg Austria 184
2 Artem Markelov Russia 181
3 Lando Norris Great Britain 171
4 Guanya Zhou China 163
5 Jehan Daruvala India 140
6 Brendon Leitch New Zealand 130
7 Pedro Piquet Brazil 109
8 Antoni Ptak Poland 103
9 Devlin DeFrancesco Canada 102
10 Timothe Buret France 100
11 Taylor Cockerton New Zealand 96
12 James Munro New Zealand 78
12 Bruno Baptista Brazil 78
14 Kami Laliberte Canada 66
15 Nicolas Dapero Argentina 61
16 William Owen USA 58
17 Rodrigo Baptista Brazil 46
18 Julian Hanses Germany 44
19 Theo Bean USA 38
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Toyota Racing Series provides early season seat time for Mazda Road To Indy drivers

Posted by  on Friday, January 15th 2016     

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While most motorsports series are in the midst of their winter hiatus, 19 junior formula car drivers from 13 countries will get a chance to get some early seat time by participating in the 2016 edition of the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand.

The five race meetings (three races each meetin, 15 total races), will take place beginning this weekend and run five straight weekends through February 14, 2016.  The five circuits the drivers will tackle are:

  • Ruapuna Park, Christchurch
  • Teretonga Park, Invercargill
  • Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, Hampton Downs
  • Bruce McClaren Motorsports Park, Taupo
  • Manfeild Park, Feilding
The Toyota powered Tatuus FT-50 made it's debut in 2015. (Photo courtesy of the Toyota Racing Series)

The Toyota powered Tatuus FT-50 made it’s debut in 2015. (Photo courtesy of the Toyota Racing Series)

The 19 entered drivers are spread amongst four teams and will all be piloting a spec 200hp Toyota powered Tatuus that features a full carbon fiber monocoque chassis, six speed sequential gearbox and Michelin tires.

The list of drivers that TSO will be watching include two MRTI veterans (Will Owen and Timothe Buret), one MRTI rookie (Nicolas Dapero), one American (Theo Bean), and Generation Ganassi (Gen G) driver (Devlin Defrancessco).

Colorado native Owen had an impressive rookie Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire campaign with Juncos Racing in 2015 that included three podiums and 14 top tens. The 20 year-old Texas Christian University student has announced that he will return to Juncos Racing for a sophomore run at the Pro Mazda championship.

Montpellier, France native Buret made the move from Europe to the U.S.A. in 2015 to contest the Pro Mazda championship with Juncos Racing.  After a tumultuous start in St. Petersburg, the 20 year-old settled down and rebounded with one win and eight podiums to finish fifth in the championship, only a single point out of fourth and 13 points out of third. Buret has not announced his plans for 2016.

Dapero, a native of Argentina, spent 2015 in Juncos Racing’s Driver Development program, learning the in’s and out’s of racing in the U.S.A. as well as testing with the Brownsburg, Indiana based team’s Pro Mazda program. The 17 year-old, who will make his Mazda Road To Indy debut during the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg also took part in the Formula 3 Brazil and Formula Renault 2.0 (Argentina) during the past 12 months.

After starting his racing career in the Sportswear Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), Bean will be making his first formula car race start in New Zealand. According to this stuff.co.nz article, the 23 year-old SVRA national champion is interested in pursuing a career path towards the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Defrancesco, who like Bean, will also be contesting his first formula car races was recently named as the first Gen G driver by Chip Ganassi Racing. The 15 year-old, who was a Canadian National Junior karting champion will join Carlin in 2016 to contest the MSA Formula championship in the United Kingdom.

Since it’s inception in 2005, the Toyota Racing Series has been the top level open wheel series in New Zealand and has produced some of the most recognizable names in New Zealand motorsport over the past decade, including: Wade Cunningham (IndyCar), Brandon Hartley (WEC), Earl Bamber (WEC, IMSA), Scott Pye (V8 Supercars), Mitch Evans (GP2), and Nick Cassidy (F3).

Beginning primarily as a championship for local drivers, the Toyota Racing Series has taken on a decidedly more international flavor over the past three years with drivers from more than 20 countries traveling south to test their skills against the top Kiwi drivers. and knock of the rust before their seasons get under way.

Below is a partial list of recognizable international drivers that have taken part in the Toyota Racing Series since 2013:

  • Neil Alberico (MRTI)
  • Lucas Auer (DTM)
  • Tatiana Calderón (MRTI/F3)
  • Alfonso Celis Jr. (GP3/Formula Renault 3.5)
  • Pipo Derani (WEC)
  • Santino Ferrucci (F3)
  • Nicholas Latifi (GP2)
  • Alex Lynn (GP2)
  • Jann Mardenborough (GP3/WEC)
  • Egor Orudzhev (Formula Renault 3.5)
  • Felix Serralles (MRTI)
  • Lance Stroll (F3)

Thanks for reading and make sure to check this post after each race weekend to catch up with how the five drivers we are following faired.

Some highlights from 2013:

category: American's racing overseas
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