Two up to Evans

Mitch Evans took over the lead in the International Toyota Racing Series in the opening race at Timaru today, shattering the lap record as he led home Estonian driver Sten Pentus. The only doubt about his second win from the first four races of the 2010 season came in a post race inquiry into an incident on the starting grid.

At the end of the warm up lap Evans came to a stop ahead of his allocated start box on the track. Brazilian Lucas Foresti and Aucklander Andrew Waite were also caught up in the confusion. The three cars, in line astern on the grid, were quickly moved back into their correct positions and after considering the matter, race officials decided to take no further action.

Evans made a lightning start from pole position and was already clear when his team mates Pentus and Foresti touched coming out of the esses just moments after the start. Pentus had been slower off the line and the Brazilian, starting third on the grid, leapt at the chance to sneak inside him on the run to the long left hand sweeper.

“He squeezed me and we touched wheels. It bent a steering arm but I kept going with the steering wheel out of line,” said Foresti.

That clash allowed Pentus to power through into second place in pursuit of Evans. Foresti recovered quickly but the fourth Giles Motorsport car of Daniel Jilesen was able to snatched third place. Foresti was shuffled back to fourth.

After qualifying with wet tyres on a damp track, virtually everyone started on new unscrubbed tyres and that accounted for some sizzling lap times as the 12 lap race unfolded.

Evans was quickly under the 58.89s TRS lap record and put in three even faster laps leading up to lap six when he obliterated the old record with a superb lap at 57.997s. At the same time Pentus recorded his best lap at 58.273s.

Also under the old lap record in a closely matched field were Foresti, Wootten and Stefan Webling.

However, the leaders had to back off for full course yellow flags after Jamie McNee dropped a wheel off the kerb at the esses on lap 7.

The safety car was scrambled and only just managed to accelerate out of the pit road in time to get ahead of Evans before he reached the stranded car.

The fight resumed after two laps behind the safety car, Evans getting a clean break and continuing to lead Pentus, Jilesen, Foresti and Alistair Wootten who had a strong run in fifth. Earl Bamber was struggling to hold sixth place, still unhappy with the handling.

At flag fall Evans was 0.697s ahead of Pentus with the consistent Jilesen taking yet another third placing.

Andrew Waite qualified fifth and enjoyed a good tussle with Wootten before the restart when he ran wide at the first corner. Also delayed after a good early run was Webling who spun in the closing laps.

Nathan Morcom finished eighth, the Australian continuing to improve his times and staying within 6.6s of Evans after the restart.

Last lap pole for Evans

A tense last lap showdown on a drying track saw Mitch Evans wrest pole position from Sten Pentus in qualifying for the second round of the International Toyota Racing Series at Timaru today.

With times tumbling lap by lap, the fall of the chequered flag was the decider as the Auckland teenager flashed across the line 0.187s faster than his Estonian rival Sten Pentus.

Evans recorded a 1m 6.74s final lap to snatch fastest time. Pentus thought he had the advantage until he understeered wide at the hairpin in the frantic last lap scramble.

“It was just unbelievably slippery and very difficult conditions,” said Pentus. “I thought it was going to be fastest, right up until that corner…”

Light drizzle eased just before the start of the 20 minute qualifying and with a drier line developing it was crucial to be run strong at the flag fall.

Evans judged it perfectly and will head Pentus on the front row of the grid for the second weekend running. Both drivers scored a win and a second placing the previous Sunday and it is only a better result in the reverse grid third race at Invercargill that gives Pentus a slender overall championship points total going into the Timaru round.

The sensation of Timaru qualifying was the 17-year-old Brazilian Lucas Foresti. The South American has only ever raced once in the wet but he traded fastest laps with Evans and Pentus and ended up a fine third fastest. The fourth Giles Motorsport entry of Daniel Jilesen gave the team the first four grid spots for this afternoons 12 lap race on the 2.4km circuit.

The smiling Brazilian Foresti seemed unfazed by the damp track but admitted it had been “scary.”

The third row of the grid will comprise Aucklanders Andrew Waite and Alistair Wootten, while Earl Bamber on his return to TRS will line up seventh.

“We lost the balance we had in the dry testing and the car was hard to drive,” explained a frustrated Bamber. “I was feeling more confident but now we have to start all over again if it stays wet.”

Australian Nathan Morcom had a steady run in the tough conditions and continues to improve. He out qualified Stefan Webling who showed well in the early laps, then slid off the track damaging the nose and front wings of his car. Jamie McNee’s initiation to driving a TRS car in damp conditions saw him struggling to find grip and unusually off the pace.