AV Formula is based in Granollers, close to the Barcelona circuit and was founded by former Spanish racing driver Adrián Vallés, and currently fields a two car team in the World Series by Renault 3.5 Series for Arthur Pic and Jan Cunha; and a two car team in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup for Victor Sendin and Fran Rueda.

Renault Sport has granted the team an entry for the Motorland Eurocup race where they will run Cassidy as a wild card the first of their home races.

Most of the Eurocup teams and drivers have completed the full Formula Renault winter test programme permitted before the season opener, whereas Cassidy will have his first taste of the new Formula Renault 2.0 in next week, which will make it a challenging weekend for the young Kiwi and his new team.

Cassidy is looking forward to the challenge at Motorland despite not having driven the 2013 Formula Renault chassis, “I know I’ll be in at the deep end, and that the new car will take a bit of getting used to, but the opportunity to race with AV Formula who have great ambitions is too good to pass up. I like the circuit and it will be good to get back into race mode.”

AV Formula Team Principal, Adrian Valles has offered Nick the drive after following his performances in the Toyota Racing Series this year, “I have been watching Nick’s performances for some time and his TRS performances really impressed me and convinced me that his race-craft and technical feed-back would make him a real asset to have in our team. We’re looking forward to working with Nick in Motorland and to an exciting weekend.” 

Since wrapping up the 2013 Toyota Racing Series, Cassidy has tested with the Marussia Manor Gp3 team and the new 400 bhp Dallara chassis at Estoril, Barcelona and Silverstone, where he was immediately on the pace.

 Ends

Four aspiring TRS racers took the opportunity to try current-season cars on-track after a briefing from category manager Barrie Thomlinson.

The group were three Christchurch drivers: current Formula Ford champion James Munro, Tom Alexander and Matt Williams; they were joined by Macauley Jones, son of V8 Supercar team owner Brad Jones.

The four drivers had 40 laps each at Hampton Downs, completing the four sessions without incident.

Recent racing form among the four racers is impressive: NZ FF champion James Munro took his title with ten wins, four poles, 12 podiums and six fastest laps. Tom Alexander was fourth in Formula Ford 2013 with one win, ten podiums and five fastest laps. Matt Williams returns to racing after a couple of seasons away, was third in Formula Ford in 2009-2010 and sixth in 2010-2011. In his most recent season he scored three wins, six podiums and three fastest laps. Macauley Jones moved up from karting in 2012 and was fifth in the 2012 Australian Formula Ford Championship with four podiums and three fastest laps.

Barrie Thomlinson says the strong early interest in the category ahead of its tenth anniversary season is impressive and the quartet showed their professionalism on-track and between sessions, analysing their performance and the basics of car set-up with the TRS and M2 Competition staff who were supporting the test.

“With such strong early interest and some very encouraging performances from these four I think we can be encouraged as we look forward to our tenth season of TRS. In particular, the career progression of the Formula Ford racers and the commitment of Macauley Jones in coming to New Zealand to test is a real endorsement of the results we are seeing from many of the graduates over the past nine seasons of TRS.”

In addition, motorsport fans wanting a taste of the action will soon be able to get their hands on a fully customisable entry level 86 online, and build their own unique car suitable for road, race or rally.

Toyota CEO Alistair Davis says the company will replace their fleet of TRS cars within the next two to three years. Changes will include the latest technologies in driver safety with both chassis and engine upgrades.

At the same time, the company says there has already been significant interest in a special series designed around the newly developed race car, the TR 86 (Toyota Racing 86). It has
been indicated that a field of 15 could be set to start at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell in late 2013, with 15-20 races per year across seven meetings. The events will be sanctioned by Motorsport NZ and supported by Toyota Racing.

Following positive feedback received after the TR 86 concept car was displayed at race tracks this season, competitors will now be able to buy the TR 86 for $70,000 plus GST with a series
pack consisting of spare race wheels and a competition data dash adding an extra $8,000 plus GST.

All-in-all, the two developments comprise a significant investment by Toyota in the local motorsport scene. The company says the TRS, which has just completed its ninth season,
garners interest from fans across the world as well as providing a springboard for up-and-coming local talent.

In 166 races held since 2005, almost half of the 109 competitors have been locals, several of whom have gone on to high-profile careers in motorsport like Brendon Hartley, now a test driver
for Mercedes F1 GP, two time TRS and 2012 GP3 champion Mitch Evans now competing in GP2, and Nick Cassidy the current TRS champion who looks set to compete in Europe in 2013.

The TRS is now beamed in to 39 countries across Europe, North and South America and Australasia, with broadcasts in six languages.

Ends

For more information, please contact:

John Fowke
Toyota New Zealand General Manager
john.fowke@toyota.co.nz, (06) 350 3500 or 029 243 1412

Vanessa Millard
Toyota New Zealand, Manager Communications
press@toyota.co.nz, (06) 351 3216 or 027 511 8622

European Formula 3 season guide
By Marcus Simmons, Chief sub-editor

While other F3 series struggle the recently-revived FIA Formula 3 European Championship is in rude health, boasting a 30-car field brimming with talent. Mar…cus Simmons runs the rule over this year’s cast.

The Formula 3 Euro Series is dead after its 10-year run; the British Formula 3 International Series is emasculated after 34 years as one of motorsport’s best talent generators. But here’s the good news: the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, which was put into deep-freeze at the end of 1984 and revived last year, kicks off this weekend at Monza with a 30-car field brimming with quality.
Well, that’s assuming the weather clears, because at the time of writing the F3 teams and drivers were kicking their heels at the Lombardy temple of speed, snow having caused the cancellation of the first of two days of testing. Luckily it looks like getting a bit warmer before the end of the week – not much warmer, mind you.
Based on last year’s form, the natural picks for main title contenders are Raffaele Marciello and Felix Rosenqvist, with both likely looking nervously over their shoulders towards Alex Lynn and Will Buller. But it’s going to be unpredictable, so let’s have a look at all the runners and riders…

Prema Powerteam
#1. Raffaele Marciello (I)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 2nd in European F3; 3rd in F3 Euro Series; 9th in Toyota Racing Series
#2. Alex Lynn (GB)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2013 so far: 2nd in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 4th in British F3
#24. Lucas Auer (A)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2013 so far: 3rd in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 2nd in German F3; 6th in Toyota Racing Series
#25. Eddie Cheever (I)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 2nd in Italian F3

European titles in 2011 (with Roberto Merhi) and ’12 (Daniel Juncadella) mean the storied Italian squad is top of the heap, and there’s no reason to assume that’s going to change this year.
Prema quickly got on top of the latest-generation Dallara last year and, while others caught up by the end of the season, it was Ferrari protege Marciello and British F3 convert Lynn – each in their second year of F3 – who burst out of the blocks to top the opening day of official testing at Barcelona earlier this month.
Auer and Cheever step up to this level, and the Austrian – his mum is Gerhard Berger’s sister – looks easily capable of taking race wins before too long.

Carlin
#3. Harry Tincknell (GB)
Age: 21
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2012: 5th in British F3
#4. Jordan King (GB)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2013 so far: 2nd in MRF Challenge
2012: 2nd in Formula Renault NEC; 13th in FRenault Eurocup; 5th in Toyota Racing Series
#26. Nicholas Latifi (CDN)
Age: 17
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2013 so far: 9th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 7th in Italian F3
#27. Jann Mardenborough (GB)
Age: 21
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2013 so far: 10th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 6th in British GT

The Hampshire team’s bid in European F3 last year was very much a last-minute effort, and as a result it’s fair to say that it’s taken time to get on top of the Hankook tyres.
For all its success in British F3 last year – 20 wins in 28 races – Carlin knew it had to step up a level on aero and mechanical work, and Antonio Felix da Costa proved in Macau that some great progress had been made. Carlin’s line-up is all-rookie at this level apart from Tincknell, who needs confidence rebuilding in qualifying.
For that reason few are expecting a consistent title push for the team, although there have been some great testing performances and all four drivers have the potential to spring a few surprises this year. Both Tincknell and King could win races, and don’t rule out Latifi or Nissan GT Academy sensation Mardenborough for podiums.

Mucke Motorsport
#5. Pascal Wehrlein (D)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 2nd in F3 Euro Series; 4th in European F3
#6. Felix Rosenqvist (S)
Age: 21
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 3rd in European F3; 4th in F3 Euro Series
#28. Mitchell Gilbert (AUS)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 4th in German F3
#29. Roy Nissany (IL)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 9th in ADAC Formel Masters

The Berliners’ dour mainly-white livery has gone in favour of a lurid orange, and there’s every reason to expect a lot of success this year.
Mucke got left behind a little with the new-generation car at the start of last season, but Rosenqvist – who enters his third year in Euro F3 – was the form man at the end of it, and both the Swede and Wehrlein were superb in Macau. This is a crucial season for Rosenqvist, while Wehrlein is only in for Monza at present before he moves onto the bigger stage of the DTM, freeing up a very desirable F3 seat. Gilbert did a respectable job on his top-level F3 debut in Macau, but this is a learning year for both him and Nissany.

Ma-con Motorsport
#7. Sven Muller (D)
Age: 21
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2012: 6th in F3 Euro Series; 8th in European F3
#8. Andre Rudersdorf (D)
Age: 17
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2012: 1st in Austrian F3; 1st in German F3 Trophy class

Like Carlin, this German team had a last-minute Euro F3 programme thrown together last year, with a lot of help from Volkswagen. With hardly any testing pre-season, Ma-con took time to hit its stride, although there were flashes of promise from its Anglo-Scandinavian duo of Blomqvist and Bernstorff.
For this year, Muller returns to the fold – he won races in ADAC Formel Masters with Ma-con before moving to Prema for his rookie F3 season last year. He looked pretty handy in Barcelona testing, and will surely lead the team. Rudersdorf has had success in old-spec F3 cars but it’s a big step up for him.

URD Rennsport
#9. Lucas Wolf (D)
Age: 18
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 11th in European F3; 11th in F3 Euro Series

URD is still best-known to 1980s Group C2 fetishists, which is surprising bearing in mind that team principal Harald Ungar is the brother of AMG Mercedes chief Gerhard. It’s had success in German F3, but the transition to the category’s top level is proving a little more difficult. Unfortunately its driver (pictured in action last year) is operating again as a ‘lone Wolf’. He’s a competent pedaller, but has his work cut out without a team-mate to learn from.

Jo Zeller Racing
#10. Sandro Zeller (CH)
Age: 21
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 2nd in Austrian F3; 12th in F3 Euro Series; no points in European F3

The Swiss Zeller family has spent most of its past four decades with the air-restricted drone of an F3 engine as a soundtrack. Jo was an indefatigable racer who claimed squillions of Swiss and Austrian titles, and son Sandro seems to have inherited the desire.
Last year (as pictured) he operated with an older-spec chassis and results weren’t great. Whether they will improve with a new car is a moot point; there’s little to suggest that the current-generation machine is any quicker than the old.

Fortec Motorsport
#11. Felix Serralles (USA)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2013 so far: 6th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 3rd in British F3; 8th in Toyota Racing Series
#12. Pipo Derani (BR)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2013 so far: 7th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 8th in British F3
#30. Josh Hill (GB)
Age: 22
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 3rd in Formula Renault NEC; 4th in Toyota Racing Series
#31. Dmitry Suranovich (RUS)
Age: 17
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: no points in GP3; 12th in Toyota Racing Series

It’s been a frustrating winter for Fortec, which put Serralles and Derani to bed well in time but had to wait ages to grab Hill and Suranovich.
Led by senior engineer Mick Kouros, the team has ploughed a lone furrow over the past two or three years, keeping its powder dry in testing and concentrating on set-up work and teaching the drivers. That worked a treat in 2012, and arguably had either Lynn or Serralles been in their second year of F3 we could have been feting one of them as British champ.
Don’t rule Serralles out for Monza pole this weekend – he flew there in British F3 last year – and bear in mind that Fortec has also kept more private test days in hand than some others.

T-Sport
#14. Will Buller (GB)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Nissan
2012: 5th in F3 Euro Series; 6th in European F3; 15th in GP3
#15. Spike Goddard (AUS)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Nissan
2013 so far: 17th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 1st in British F3 National Class

Brackley’s second-biggest racing team has struggled over its decade of existence, thanks mainly to usually having rookie drivers with little previous track record.
This time around it has secured Buller, already a race winner at this level, and combined with the potent ThreeBond Nissan engine there is every reason for the German manufacturers to be quaking in their boots – and potentially regretting stalling on the new engine regulations. Goddard didn’t have too much in the way of opposition in the National Class of British F3 last year but at least he now has a team-mate to learn from.

Double R Racing
#16. Tatiana Calderon (CO)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2013 so far: 12th in Toyota Racing Series
2012: 9th in European F3 Open
#17. Antonio Giovinazzi (I)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 1st in Formula Pilota China
#32. Sean Gelael (RI)
Age: 16
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 4th in Formula Pilota China

Another ‘old-school’ F3 team in the same vein as T-Sport, Double R – Woking’s second-biggest racing team – has fallen down the pecking order of fashionableness in recent years.
That could be about to change…early reports suggest that Giovinazzi is the real deal, although he is the veteran of just eight car-race meetings, all in Formula Abarth machinery. He has effectively been taken under the wing of Gelael’s family, and the 16-year-old – the youngest driver in the series – should not be too far away either. Calderon steps into a far tougher arena than she’s used to but has looked respectable in testing.

Van Amersfoort Racing
#18. Dennis van de Laar (NL)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2012: 9th in German F3
#19. Mans Grenhagen (S)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Volkswagen
2012: 3rd in European F3 Open

The Dutch squad returns to the top flight of F3, and had hoped to graduate with Auer, who the team carried to the runner-up spot in German F3 last year. Then the Austrian got tucked under the wing of Mercedes, leaving Frits van Amersfoort’s team needing someone to partner van de Laar.
That is Grenhagen, whose career has been generally underfunded but who some people rate highly. Certainly his results were good in F3 Open last year. Van de Laar didn’t set the world alight in German F3 and was accident-prone in Macau, but seems to have improved in testing.

EuroInternational
#20. Tom Blomqvist (GB)
Age: 19
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 7th in F3 Euro Series; 7th in European F3; 5th in German F3

This Italian team is hoping to add a second car from round two at Silverstone, but for now it’s making do with just the one for Blomqvist. Like Van Amersfoort, the team only returned to the top echelon of F3 at the end of 2012. Not only that, but it has changed engine supplier from VW to Merc since then.
Still, Blomqvist – for whom team boss Antonio Ferrari has enormous regard – has gone well in testing and it would be a surprise if he wasn’t towards the front, especially as with Red Bull patronage for the first time he no longer has budget worries.

Romeo Ferraris
#22. Gary Thompson (IRL)
Age: 20
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 4th in Japanese F3 National Class
#23. Michela Cerruti (I)
Age: 26
Car: Dallara-Mercedes
2012: 15th in German F3; 16th in Toyota Racing Series; 7th in Italian GT

Romeo Ferraris may sound like a made-up name from one of those lower-level series on the career mode of the TOCA Race Driver PlayStation game, but it’s pretty fabled in Italian tin-top circles.
Cerruti, who won in the Superstars series with the team in a Mercedes, was the team’s first driver to be signed up for 2013, but it’s been a struggle to get a second pilot in. Irishman Thompson was named on the entry list at the last minute. Don’t expect miracles, but with an engineering staff that includes ex-RC Motorsport chief Francesco Ravera – whose team had a lot of success in the 1990s – progress should be made.

Team principals Mark Pilcher and Jonathan Moury saw M2 Competition stage a mid-season onslaught to secure six pole positions and six race wins with Nick Cassidy claiming his second successive TRS title.

M2 Competition also saw the highly rated English driver Alex Lynn secure runner-up in the driver’s title while Dutch driver Steijn Schothorst secured fourth in the points.

In only its third year in the super competitive series, M2 Competition also won the teams title after the team added a sixth car to its arsenal for three out of the five rounds.

“I think it was a breakthrough year for us. We had an incredibly strong engineering department with half of our team coming down from Europe for the intensive five-week race program,” Pilcher said.

“We were clearly the strongest team in the series and we can comfortably say we are the new leaders of the category.”

Pilcher is already overseeing the squad’s preparation to defend its place at the top of the TRS tree for 2014.

“Our engineering group led by Jonathan Moury are already back in Europe and our 2014 driver search is underway.”

Cassidy recently put in some solid performances during a test for the Marussia Manor team in GP3 as he tries to take the next step of his career in Europe.

There is strong interest from Norway’s Dennis Olsen and Schothorst to return for 2014.

“We’ll be looking to build on our 2014 performance and do even better in 2014.”

Source: Speedcafe

http://www.speedcafe.co.nz/2013/03/18/m2-competition-begin-driver-search-for-2014-trs-quest/

After finishing fourth in last year’s British Formula 3 Championship, the 19-year-old Englishman is contesting the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and is among a field of 30 of the world’s best young drivers.

The season kicks off at the historic and high-speed Monza circuit in Italy on 22nd-24th March, before which Lynn will have completed eight days of testing with Prema Powerteam, the top Italian team he is driving for in 2013. This represents a big change for Alex, who until now has spent virtually his entire career with British team Fortec Motorsport.

“I think I’ve settled in quite well,” he said. “Prema have a completely different approach to Fortec so I had to get used to it, but after spending some time with them I’m really enjoying it. We’re moving along quite nicely.”

Lynn is using the same-spec Dallara chassis and Mercedes engine as he did last year in Britain. He ended last year on the crest of a wave after taking his maiden top-class F3 win at Silverstone and scoring pole position for the prestigious Macau Grand Prix. Added to an impressive runner-up ranking in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand at the beginning of this year, he is being tipped by many as a prime contender for the European F3 title.

“That’s something I quite enjoy,” he said. “It feels nice to go into a championship with people expecting me to do well – especially as I’m with the team that won the title the past two years. It brings out the best in me.”

With a new French engineer at the Italian Prema team, Alex has no problem with operating in such an international environment. “It reminds me a lot of my karting days,” he added. “And as far as people wanting to get the job done properly while still enjoying their racing, which is very important, an Italian team is probably the closest you could get to British.

“I get on well with all my team-mates [Italian Ferrari protégé Raffaele Marciello, Austrian Lucas Auer, who is the nephew of ex-F1 star Gerhard Berger, and Italian-American Eddie Cheever, son of the Indy 500 winner of the same name]. Raffaele is another of the championship favourites and won a lot of races in European F3 last year, and in last week’s Barcelona test we worked really well together. We are singing off the same hymn sheet as far as balance of the car is concerned, and that allows us all to move forward quite a lot. We’re really strong from that point of view.”

That could be crucial. Competition is fierce this season and there are two circuits – the A1-Ring in Austria and Germany’s Nurburgring – where Lynn has never driven. “It’s going to be tough but really good fun,” said Alex, who is a member of the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy, the MSA’s Team UK and the British Racing Drivers Club’s SuperStars programme.

“What is particularly exciting is that the two British rounds are early in the season – April on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit and May on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit – and I’ve had quite a bit of success on both. And the last time Prema raced at Silverstone they were pretty dominant. Without trying to jinx it, I’m feeling pretty confident!”

ENDS

For further information, please contact info@alexlynnracing.com

Please check Alex Lynn’s website, www.alexlynnracing.com, for further updates.

Copyright free image of Alex Lynn attached for editorial use – please credit Jakob Ebrey when used.

Click on the article to view…

From the ‘class of 2013′ at TRS, there are now eight graduates confirmed to race in this year’s in European Formula Three Championship.

There are a further three previous-season graduates in the 2013 field, meaning almost half of the driver signings in the championship confirmed to date are TRS graduates.

The latest announcement is Colombian racer Tatiana Calderon (pictured) who raced to 12th place in TRS this year.

2013 European F3 Championship – TRS graduates in the team line-up so far:

Alex Lynn (current and 2011) – Prema Powerteam
Lucas Auer (current and 2012) – Prema Powerteam
Raffaele Marciello (2012 graduate) – Prema Powerteam
Jann Mardenborough – Carlin
Nicholas Latifi – Carlin
Jordan King (2012 graduate)
Felix Serralles (current and 2012) – Fortec
Pipo Derani – Fortec
Spike Goddard – T-Sport
William Buller (2009 graduate) – T-Sport
Tatiana Calderon – Double R Racing

Cassidy, racing this year with M2 Competition, now has two back to back championship titles, two consecutive Grand Prix wins and on the way to his 2013 victory logged two outright wins.

He said the Grand Prix, finishing ahead of a determined Alex Lynn, was hard work.

Three safety car periods bunched the field during the 35 lap race, forcing Cassidy to focus on his restart technique in order to keep Lynn and third-placed Steijn Schothorst behind him.

At the start, Cassidy surged ahead of pole man Lynn and set about building a strong lead that extended to a second or more in the opening laps, though Lynn then chased him down. They repeated their battle through each of the three safety periods, though Lynn was not able to get close enough to attempt a pass on the New Zealander.

Rookie Jann Mardenborough pushed through to be an impressive seventh, Tatiana Calderon was circulating twelfth while behind them ETEC Competition racers Andrew Tang and Tanart Sathienthirakul were locked in a battle with Victory Motor Racing’s Michael Scott and Damon Leitch.

The drive of the event for many was Lucas Auer’s attack from 13th on the grid through the field and as high as fourth before Pipo Derani and Bruno Bonifacio both slipped past him into the fast Higgins corner.

Cassidy’s Grand Prix win set the seal on a tough season that had seen him majoring on consistent performance but only able to secure one win before the Grand Prix. He set fastest lap of the race, a 1:04.631 was outside the existing lap record 1:03.820 of set in 2008 by Earl Bamber.

The championship title went to Cassidy with a final points tally of 915, 112 clear of Alex Lynn who narrowly overtook Lucas Auer, 803 points to 797. Cassidy, Auer and fourth placed Steijn Schothorst sealed the teams’ championship for M2 Competition.

Gamer-turned-racer Jann Mardenborough was rookie of the season.