2017 New Zealand Grand Prix Explained

Type:CUST
Description:Race 3, Round 5 of 5 of the 2017 Toyota Racing Series
Grand Prix:New Zealand
Country:New Zealand
Date:12 February,
Year:2017
Official Name:LXII New Zealand Grand Prix
Course:Permanent racing facility
Location:Circuit Chris Amon, Feilding, New Zealand
Course Mi:1.885
Course Km:3.033
Distance Laps:35
Distance Mi:65.96
Distance Km:106.16
Weather:Fine
Pole Driver:Jehan Daruvala
Pole Team:M2 Competition
Pole Time:1:02.258
Pole Country:IND
Fast Driver:Thomas Randle
Fast Team:Victory Motor Racing
Fast Time:1:03.426
Fast Lap:14
Fast Country:AUS
First Driver:Jehan Daruvala
First Team:M2 Competition
First Country:IND
Second Driver:Marcus Armstrong
Second Team:M2 Competition
Second Country:NZL
Third Driver:Thomas Randle
Third Team:Victory Motor Racing
Third Country:AUS

The 2017 New Zealand Grand Prix event for open wheel racing cars was held at Circuit Chris Amon near Feilding on 12 February 2017. It was the sixty-second New Zealand Grand Prix and fielded Toyota Racing Series cars. The event was also the third race of the fifth round of the 2017 Toyota Racing Series, the final race of the series.

Report

Practice

SessionDayFastest lap
No.DriverTeamTime
Practice 1Thursday5 Pedro PiquetM2 Competition1:03.244
Practice 222 Richard VerschoorGiles Motorsport1:03.122
Practice 3Friday49 Thomas RandleVictory Motor Racing1:02.826
Practice 465 Enaam AhmedGiles Motorsport1:02.878
Practice 549 Thomas RandleVictory Motor Racing1:02.416

Race 1

Qualifying

PosNoDriverTeamLapGrid
19 Jehan DaruvalaM2 Competition1:02.4741
25 Pedro PiquetM2 Competition1:02.5462
38 Marcus ArmstrongM2 Competition1:02.5533
422 Richard VerschoorGiles Motorsport1:02.6624
526 Harry HayekGiles Motorsport1:02.7065
649 Thomas RandleVictory Motor Racing1:02.7306
765 Enaam AhmedGiles Motorsport1:02.9517
811 Taylor CockertonMTEC Motorsport1:02.9818
947 Keyvan Andres SooriGiles Motorsport1:02.9829
103 Brendon LeitchVictory Motor Racing1:02.99210
1183 Kami LalibertéM2 Competition1:03.06111
1296 Luis LeedsGiles Motorsport1:03.07412
1351 Shelby BlackstockVictory Motor Racing1:03.09613
1462 Ferdinand HabsburgM2 Competition1:03.12814
1524 Ameya VaidyanathanMTEC Motorsport1:03.28015
1627 Jean Baptiste SimmenauerM2 Competition1:03.35716
1712 Christian HahnGiles Motorsport1:03.37617
1880 Nikita LastochkinVictory Motor Racing1:03.50618
1933 Kory EndersMTEC Motorsport1:03.63519
-10 Thomas NeubauerMTEC Motorsportno time-
Source(s): [1]

Race

PosNoDriverTeamLapsTime / RetiredGrid
15 Pedro PiquetM2 Competition2022min 08.872sec3
29 Jehan DaruvalaM2 Competition20+ 3.453 s1
39 Marcus ArmstrongM2 Competition20+ 4.590 s1
422 Richard VerschoorGiles Motorsport20+ 6.529 s1
549 Thomas RandleVictory Motor Racing20+ 7.689 s1
665 Enaam AhmedGiles Motorsport20+ 14.397 s1
711 Taylor CockertonMTEC Motorsport20+ 14.688 s1
862 Ferdinand HabsburgM2 Competition20+ 15.528 s1
996 Luis LeedsGiles Motorsport20+ 17.596 s1
1051 Shelby BlackstockVictory Motor Racing20+ 21.194 s1
1112 Christian HahnGiles Motorsport20+ 21.561 s1
1233 Kory EndersMTEC Motorsport20+ 22.634 s1
1383 Kami LalibertéM2 Competition20+ 25.708 s1
1424 Ameya VaidyanathanMTEC Motorsport20+ 25.946 s1
1527 Jean Baptiste SimmenauerM2 Competition20+ 26.552 s1
1610 Thomas NeubauerMTEC Motorsport20+ 26.958 s1
1780 Nikita LastochkinVictory Motor Racing20+ 27.690 s1
1826 Harry HayekGiles Motorsport16+ 4 laps1
1947 Keyvan Andres SooriGiles Motorsport16+ 4 laps1
Ret3 Brendon LeitchVictory Motor Racing1Accident1
Fastest Lap: Thomas Randle (Victory Motor Racing) – 1:02.929
Source(s): [2]

Race 2

PosNoDriverTeamLapsTime / RetiredGrid
122 Richard VerschoorGiles Motorsport1522min 08.872sec3
28 Marcus ArmstrongM2 Competition15+ 0.830 s1
35 Pedro PiquetM2 Competition15+ 3.316 s1
449 Thomas RandleVictory Motor Racing15+ 6.587 s1
562 Ferdinand HabsburgM2 Competition15+ 6.705 s1
611 Taylor CockertonMTEC Motorsport15+ 6.906 s1
79 Jehan DaruvalaM2 Competition15+ 7.856 s1
83 Brendon LeitchVictory Motor Racing15+ 7.993 s1
996 Luis LeedsGiles Motorsport15+ 8.767 s1
1027 Jean Baptiste SimmenauerM2 Competition15+ 9.159 s1
1124 Ameya VaidyanathanMTEC Motorsport15+ 10.557 s1
1247 Keyvan Andres SooriVictory Motor Racing15+ 10.560 s1
1351 Shelby BlackstockVictory Motor Racing15+ 12.599 s1
1480 Nikita LastochkinVictory Motor Racing15+ 13.115 s1
1512 Christian HahnGiles Motorsport14+ 1 lap1
1610 Thomas NeubauerMTEC Motorsport14+ 1 lap1
1726 Harry HayekGiles Motorsport14+ 1 lap1
Ret83 Kami LalibertéM2 Competition5Retired1
Ret65 Enaam AhmedGiles Motorsport1Retired1
Ret33 Kory EndersMTEC Motorsport1Retired1
Fastest Lap: Thomas Randle (Victory Motor Racing) – 1:03.438
Source(s): [3]

Race 3

Qualifying

PosNoDriverTeamLapGrid
19 Jehan DaruvalaM2 Competition1:02.2581
25 Pedro PiquetM2 Competition1:02.2992
349 Thomas RandleVictory Motor Racing1:02.3243
48 Marcus ArmstrongM2 Competition1:02.3844
522 Richard VerschoorGiles Motorsport1:02.4405
647 Keyvan Andres SooriGiles Motorsport1:02.4786
73 Brendon LeitchVictory Motor Racing1:02.5097
865 Enaam AhmedGiles Motorsport1:02.6438
911 Taylor CockertonMTEC Motorsport1:02.6659
1026 Harry HayekGiles Motorsport1:02.67210
1162 Ferdinand HabsburgM2 Competition1:02.68111
1210 Thomas NeubauerMTEC Motorsport1:02.71512
1383 Kami LalibertéM2 Competition1:02.73413
1424 Ameya VaidyanathanMTEC Motorsport1:02.85614
1527 Jean Baptiste SimmenauerM2 Competition1:02.96515
1651 Shelby BlackstockVictory Motor Racing1:02.97616
1796 Luis LeedsGiles Motorsport1:03.07817
1812 Christian HahnGiles Motorsport1:03.17418
1933 Kory EndersMTEC Motorsport1:03.30719
2080 Nikita LastochkinVictory Motor Racing1:03.50820
Source(s): [4]

Race

Daruvala led a flag-to-finish victory to win his first New Zealand Grand Prix and become the first Indian to do so. Marcus Armstrong finished a strong second, staying in contention for most of the race. Thomas Randle finished third and in doing so, won the 2017 Toyota Racing Series championship, with a five-point margin over nearest contender, Pedro Piquet. The first lap saw a major incident where Christian Hahn and Luis Leeds collided at turn seven - causing the former to roll and crash heavily.

PosNoDriverTeamLapsTime / RetiredGrid
19 Jehan DaruvalaM2 Competition3538min 43.048sec3
28 Marcus ArmstrongM2 Competition35+ 0.855 s1
349 Thomas RandleVictory Motor Racing35+ 1.213 s1
45 Pedro PiquetM2 Competition35+ 2.304 s1
522 Richard VerschoorGiles Motorsport35+ 8.142 s1
665 Enaam AhmedGiles Motorsport35+ 16.641 s1
762 Ferdinand HabsburgM2 Competition35+ 20.531 s1
847 Keyvan Andres SooriGiles Motorsport35+ 23.483 s1
926 Harry HayekGiles Motorsport35+ 23.987 s1
1011 Taylor CockertonMTEC Motorsport35+ 24.846 s1
1124 Ameya VaidyanathanMTEC Motorsport35+ 25.600 s1
1251 Shelby BlackstockVictory Motor Racing35+ 25.982 s1
1383 Kami LalibertéM2 Competition35+ 27.439 s1
1410 Thomas NeubauerMTEC Motorsport35+ 28.758 s1
1533 Kory EndersMTEC Motorsport35+ 29.449 s1
1680 Nikita LastochkinVictory Motor Racing35+ 38.638 s1
1727 Jean Baptiste SimmenauerM2 Competition35+ 54.619 s1
183 Brendon LeitchVictory Motor Racing32+ 3 laps1
Ret96 Luis LeedsGiles Motorsport0Accident1
Ret12 Christian HahnGiles Motorsport0Accident1
Fastest Lap: Thomas Randle (Victory Motor Racing) – 1:03.426
Source(s): [5]

Championship standings

Drivers' Championship standings
DriverPoints
1 Thomas Randle855
2 Pedro Piquet850
3 Richard Verschoor843
4 Marcus Armstrong792
5 Jehan Daruvala781

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Castrol Toyota Racing Series - TRS - Qualifying 4 . toyota.co.nz . 11 February 2017.
  2. Web site: SpeedWorks Motorsport Championship - Toyota Racing Series - RACE 1 . race-monitor.com . 11 February 2017.
  3. Web site: SpeedWorks Motorsport Championship - Toyota Racing Series - RACE 2 . race-monitor.com . 12 February 2017.
  4. Web site: Castrol Toyota Racing Series - TRS - Qualifying 5 . toyota.co.nz . 11 February 2017.
  5. Web site: SpeedWorks Motorsport Championship - Toyota Racing Series - Grand Prix . race-monitor.com . 12 February 2017.