The 2021 Castrol Toyota Racing Series was the seventeenth running of the Toyota Racing Series, the premier open-wheel motorsport category held in New Zealand. The series consisted of nine races at three meetings. It began on 24 January at Hampton Downs, in Waikato, and concluded on 14 February at Manfeild, Feilding. [1] The season opener also hosted the 66th running of the New Zealand Grand Prix. [2] The 2021 Toyota Racing Series was the first season in which no individual race teams were running and all drivers were under a Toyota Racing banner. This was due to the COVID situation. [3]
Team | No. | Driver | Rounds |
---|---|---|---|
M2 Competition | 3 | Chris Vlok [4] | All |
7 | Matthew Payne [5] | All | |
14 | Billy Frazer [6] | All | |
15 | Kaleb Ngatoa [7] | All | |
32 | Josh Bethune [8] | 1 | |
97 | Shane van Gisbergen [9] | 1 | |
TGR NZ | 11 | Conrad Clark [10] | All |
Giles Motorsport | 22 | Tom Alexander [11] | 1–2 |
24 | Andre Heimgartner [12] | 1 | |
50 | Ken Smith [13] | 1 | |
84 | Peter Vodanovich [14] | All | |
Tasman Motorsports | 27 | Daniel Gaunt [15] | 1 |
31 | Chris van der Drift [16] | 1 | |
Kiwi Motorsport | 51 | Greg Murphy [17] | 1 |
86 | Brendon Leitch [18] | 1 | |
87 | Damon Leitch [19] | 1 | |
To compensate for the shortened calendar, the race distances were increased, from 50 and 70 kilometers to 70 and 80 kilometers respectively. [20]
The 2021 calendar was announced on 17 November 2020. Heavy border restrictions in New Zealand because of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a shortened calendar compared to traditional seasons, with only three race weekends at two circuits, limited to the North Island. [21]
Round | Circuit | Date | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Race Winner | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | R1 | Hampton Downs Motorsport Park (Hampton Downs, North Waikato) | 23 January | Chris van der Drift | Shane van Gisbergen | Shane van Gisbergen |
R2 | 24 January | Shane van Gisbergen | Shane van Gisbergen | Shane van Gisbergen | ||
R3 | Kaleb Ngatoa | Shane van Gisbergen | Shane van Gisbergen | |||
2 | R1 | Hampton Downs Motorsport Park (Hampton Downs, North Waikato) | 30 January | Matthew Payne | Peter Vodanovich | Matthew Payne |
R2 | Matthew Payne | Matthew Payne | Matthew Payne | |||
3 | R1 | Manfeild: Circuit Chris Amon (Feilding, Manawatū District) | 13 February | Matthew Payne | Matthew Payne | Matthew Payne |
R2 | Matthew Payne | Matthew Payne | Matthew Payne | |||
R3 | 14 February | Matthew Payne | Matthew Payne | Billy Frazer [a] | ||
R4 | Matthew Payne | Matthew Payne | Matthew Payne | |||
Source: [21] |
|
Bold – Pole |
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