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.
| 2011 New Zealand Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3, Round 4 of 5 of the 2011 Toyota Racing Series | |||
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| 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 miles) | ||
| Distance | 35 laps, 106.16 km (65.96 miles) | ||
| Weather | Fine | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Giles Motorsport | ||
| Time | 1:04.141 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Mitch Evans | Giles Motorsport | |
| Time | 1:04.509 on lap 31 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Giles Motorsport | ||
| Second | Victory Motor Racing | ||
| Third | ETEC Motorsport | ||
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 edit
Qualifying edit
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mitch Evans
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:03.965 | 1 |
| 2 | 7 | Nick Cassidy
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:04.131 | 2 |
| 3 | 19 |  Scott Pye
|
ETEC Motorsport | 1:04.177 | 3 |
| 4 | 13 | Nick Foster
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:04.244 | 4 |
| 5 | 29 |  Daniil Kvyat
|
Victory Motor Racing | 1:04.616 | 5 |
| 6 | 20 |  Josh Hill
|
ETEC Motorsport | 1:04.660 | 6 |
| 7 | 36 | Alex Lynn
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:04.695 | 7 |
| 8 | 5 | Ivan Lukashevich
|
M2 Competition | 1:04.699 | 8 |
| 9 | 87 | Damon Leitch
|
Victory Motor Racing | 1:04.788 | 9 |
| 10 | 48 |  Mario Farnbacher
|
Giles Motorsport | 1:04.820 | 10 |
| 11 | 8 | Jamie McNee
|
ETEC Motorsport | 1:04.898 | 11 |
| 12 | 17 | Alastair Wootten
|
DART International | 1:04.955 | 12 |
| 13 | 2 | Earl Bamber
|
Earl Bamber Motorsport | 1:04.999 | 13 |
| 14 | 4 |  Kotaro Sakurai
|
M2 Competition | 1:05.228 | 14 |
| - | 11 | Ken Smith
|
Ken Smith Motorsport | no time | PL |
| - | 22 | Jordan Skinner
|
M2 Competition | no time | PL |
| Source(s):[5] | |||||
Race edit
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mitch Evans
|
Giles Motorsport | 35 | 38min 55.818sec | 1 |
| 2 | 29 | Daniil Kvyat
|
Victory Motor Racing | 35 | + 3.229 s | 5 |
| 3 | 19 | Scott Pye
|
ETEC Motorsport | 35 | + 5.882 s | 3 |
| 4 | 20 | Josh Hill
|
ETEC Motorsport | 35 | + 13.970 s | 6 |
| 5 | 13 | Nick Foster
|
Giles Motorsport | 35 | + 14.338 s | 4 |
| 6 | 48 | Mario Farnbacher
|
Giles Motorsport | 35 | + 16.463 s | 10 |
| 7 | 5 | Ivan Lukashevich
|
M2 Competition | 35 | + 16.870 s | 8 |
| 8 | 7 | Nick Cassidy
|
Giles Motorsport | 35 | + 21.363 s | 2 |
| 9 | 4 | Kotaro Sakurai
|
M2 Competition | 35 | + 24.581 s | 14 |
| 10 | 22 | Jordan Skinner
|
M2 Competition | 35 | + 26.444 s | 16 |
| 11 | 11 | Ken Smith
|
Ken Smith Motorsport | 35 | + 39.627 s | 15 |
| 12 | 8 | Jamie McNee
|
ETEC Motorsport | 32 | + 3 laps | 11 |
| Ret | 2 | Earl Bamber
|
Earl Bamber Motorsport | 18 | Retired | 13 |
| Ret | 17 | Alastair Wootten
|
DART International | 14 | Retired | 12 |
| Ret | 36 | Alex Lynn
|
Giles Motorsport | 13 | Retired | 7 |
| Ret | 87 | Damon Leitch
|
Victory Motor Racing | 1 | Retired | 9 |
| Source(s):[6] | ||||||
References edit
- ^ "Toyota GAZOO Racing New Zealand".
- ^ "Formula One's Next Big Thing". Forbes. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Toyota GAZOO Racing New Zealand" (PDF).
- ^ Martinez, Peter (13 February 2011). "Mitch Evans youngest NZ Grand Prix winner". Stuff. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ "Q7c - TRS Qualifying session Super Pole". Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "R20 - TRS (3) NZ Grand Prix 35 laps". Retrieved 6 June 2022.