2011 New Zealand Grand Prix

2011 New Zealand Grand Prix
2011 New Zealand Grand Prix
Race 3, Round 4 of 5 of the 2011 Toyota Racing Series
Race details
Date	13 February 2011
Official name	LVI New Zealand Grand Prix
Location	Manfeild Autocourse, Feilding, New Zealand
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	3.033 km (1.885 mi)
Distance	35 laps, 106.16 km (65.96 mi)
Weather	Fine
Pole position
Driver	Mitch Evans;
Time	1:04.141
Fastest lap
Driver	Mitch Evans
Time	1:04.509 on lap 31
Podium
First	Mitch Evans;
Second	Daniil Kvyat;
Third	Scott Pye;

The 2011 New Zealand Grand Prix event for open wheel racing cars was held at Manfeild Autocourse near Feilding on 13 February 2011. It was the fifty-sixth New Zealand Grand Prix and was open to Toyota Racing Series cars. The event was also the third race of the fourth round of the 2011 Toyota Racing Series.

Sixteen Tatuus-Toyota cars started the race which was won by 16-year-old New Zealander Mitch Evans who became the youngest ever winner of the New Zealand Grand Prix^[1] and who is believed to have become the youngest driver to win an international grand prix anywhere in the world.^[2] The Giles Motorsport driver won by three seconds from another 16-year-old competitor, Russian Daniil Kvyat, of Victory Motor Racing. Australian ETEC Motorsport driver Scott Pye was third.

Evans started from pole position alongside Nick Cassidy^[3] and won the drag race to the first corner. Evans, Cassidy, Kvyat and Pye quickly built a gap on the field.

On lap 16 Cassidy spun, bringing to an end to the direct threat to the lead held by Evans who controlled the second half of the race from the front to win from Kvyat and Pye.^[4] British driver and grandson of 1964 and 1965 NZ Grand Prix winner, Josh Hill finished fourth winning a battle for the position with Australian Nick Foster. German driver Mario Farnbacher was sixth also winning his position battle with Russian Ivan Lukashevich. Cassidy finished a disappointing eighth ahead of Kotaro Sakurai and Jordan Skinner. New Zealand open-wheel legend Ken Smith also completed full race distance. Jamie McNee was the only other driver to be classified.

Defending race champion Earl Bamber, a late entry into the race, withdrew on lap 19.

Classification[]

Results:^[5]

Pos	No	Driver	Team	Car	Laps	Gap
1	1	Mitch Evans	Giles Motorsport	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	38m 55.818s
2	29	Daniil Kvyat	Victory Motor Racing	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	+3.2
3	19	Scott Pye	ETEC Motorsport	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	+4.9
4	20	Josh Hill	ETEC Motorsport	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	+14.0
5	13	Nick Foster	Giles Motorsport	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	+14.3
6	48	Mario Farnbacher	Giles Motorsport	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	+16.5
7	5	Ivan Lukashevich	M2 Competition	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	+16.9
8	7	Nick Cassidy	Giles Motorsport	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	+21.4
9	4	Kotaro Sakurai	M2 Competition	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	+24.6
10	22	Jordan Skinner	M2 Competition	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	+26.4
11	11	Ken Smith	Ken Smith Motorsport	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	35	+22.5
12	8	Jamie McNee	ETEC Motorsport	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	32	+ 3 laps
Ret	2	Earl Bamber	Bamber Motorsport	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	18
Ret	17	Alastair Wootten	DART International	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	14
Ret	36	Alex Lynn	Giles Motorsport	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	13
Ret	87	Damon Leitch	Victory Motor Racing	Tatuus TT104ZZ Toyota	1