• Three winners from three races at Hampton Downs
• First ever Estonian driver to take iconic trophy
• Car trouble slows Evans

Estonian racer Sten Pentus made good on a troubled morning race when he dominated this afternoon’s 20-lap New Zealand Motor Cup race at Hampton Downs.

Pentus said the key to his win was getting a good start.

“Getting off the line cleanly with not too much wheelspin and then into the first corner was so important. I was able to go around Mitch [Evans] there and then could drive the race my way,” he said.

Evans chased Pentus but also found himself defending against an attack from Tauranga’s Richie Stanaway.

Stanaway was trying everything he knew to overtake Evans and get a chance to close on Pentus, darting from one side of the track to the other and twice stepping onto the grass at the track side.

As the race continued, the Evans car developed an electrical misfire that slowly dropped him back and allowed Stanaway to challenge for second.

On lap 10 Stanaway made his move and took second place.

Brazilian driver Lucas Foresti followed suit, and Evans began a soul-destroying tumble down the race order. The electrical misfire did not clear before race end.

Next through was Earl Bamber, and Evans found himself defending his place from Stefan Webling.

“It wasn’t anything we could have foreseen, just something that happens,” Evans said afterward.

The finish order was Pentus, then Stanaway, with a 2.151 second gap between them, then Lucas Foresti another three seconds adrift.

Pentus said the race win was a “huge highlight” of his New Zealand campaign.

The Hampton Downs track, he said, was “excellent”.

“I think all my favourite tracks and corners are in New Zealand! From the first turn at Invercargill through the left-right corners at Timaru and now to such a good track here at Hampton Downs, it has been great.”

“Hampton Downs is very, very good. To make a new track such as this that is safe and yet still gives the drivers a challenge is very tricky.”

Evans retains the championship lead and holds the Toyota Racing Series – and outright – lap record at Hampton Downs with a 1:01.846, set on lap 12 of the second race with a best speed of 153.090 km/h.

The points battle is closer than ever, with Evans’ lead narrowed to 25 points with Earl Bamber still second overall on 533 and Sten Pentus moving back into contention second equal with Bamber and Lucas Foresti a close fourth on 491.

The Toyota Racing Series now moves south to Manfeild near Feilding in the lower North Island for next weekend’s New Zealand Grand Prix, the final round of the International Series.
-End-

7 February 2010.

Toyota Racing Series Race Three
Sten Pentus, Estonia, 1
Richie Stanaway, Tauranga, 2
Lucas Foresti, Brazil, 3
Earl Bamber, Wanganui, 4
Mitch Evans, Auckland, 1
Stefan Webling, Oakura, 6
Andrew Waite, Auckland, 7
Andy Knight, Christchurch, 8
Daniel Jilesen, Taumarunui, 9
Jamie McNee, Wellington, 10
Alistair Wootten, Auckland, 11
Ken Smith, Auckland, 12

Championship points
Mitch Evans 558
Earl Bamber 533
Sten Pentus 533
Lucas Foresti 491
Andrew Waite 463
Daniel Jileson 405
Alistair Wootten 356
Stefan Webling 352
Jamie McNee 251
Nathan Morcom 219
Richie Stanaway 166
Ken Smith 106
Andy Knight 78
Chris Wootton 66
Sam MacNeill 0

Note to journalists: History of the NZ Motor Cup

The New Zealand Motor Cup was donated by the Auckland Automobile Association to mark what are regarded as the first organised motor races in New Zealand in 1921 were held.
Muriwai Beach, north of Auckland, was chosen for the New Zealand Motor Cup Race. In those days beaches were still regarded as the most suitable venues for motor racing.
The inaugural event was simply a 25-mile dash along the beach which the winner – Howard Nattrass driving a Caddilac – covered in 17 minutes at an average speed of 88 m.p.h.
The distance was doubled in 1922 and the race was made up of four 12½-mile laps.
It became an annual event and touring cars gave way to more specialised machines, though the most successful car of the twenties was an American Stutz in which Bob Wilson won the 1926, 1927, and 1928 events to become the outright winner of the trophy. Beaches continued to provide the main circuits for motor racing until 1949.
The first Grand Prix for the New Zealand Motor Cup, donated by Bob Wilson, of Stutz fame, and a prize of £1,000 was held at Ardmore (near Auckland) on a 2.1-mile airfield circuit. The race attracted overseas entries, including the famous 16-cylinder 1½-litre BRM. This race was won by Stan Jones, of Australia, driving a German-Australian hybrid, the Maybach Special.

Issued by Mark Baker on behalf of Toyota Racing Series.
For more information please contact:

Series Manager Barrie Thomlinson
09 270 2759
barrie.thomlinson@toyotaracing.co.nz

Murray Taylor
09 445 0209
027 2947930
murray.taylor@xtra.co.nz

Mark Baker
021 2120607
mark.baker@ihug.co.nz