2010 Toyota Racing Series (Round 1, Race 3)

Like many other junior formula's that exist currently in motor racing, the Toyota Racing Series employs a Sprint race to follow its earlier feature event and like many other sprint races, the grid line-up in their finishing positions from the previous run, but with the top six reversed. With that in mind Earl Bamber and Andrew Waite lead the field ahead of Lucas Foresti, Daniel Jilesen, Mitch Evans and feature race victor Sten Pentus.

The lights go out to start the 12 lap sprint race and Waite jumps straight into the lead as Bamber gets a bad start again, while behind them Jilesen squeezes Evans off onto the grass before the first turn - the you New Zealander gets back on track, but drops to 8th place.
Foresti has enough speed to get by Bamber into 2nd place, just as the stewards rule that Waite jumped the start, thereby handing the race leader a 5 second penalty. All Foresti has to do from here is stay close and the victory is his whether he passes Waite or not.

As the laps tick by, challenges are offered, by all asunder, but it is not until the 5th tour that a move is completed as Evans, Jamie McNee and Alastair Wootten go three-wide into the first corner - the de facto overtaking place for the weekend at Teretonga Park. Evans goes down the inside of Wootten and makes the pass stick, but in a brilliant piece of opportunistic racing McNee gets by both of them and into 6th. By the start of lap 8, McNee has already set his sights on Sten Pentus, but cannot get a move on the Estonian, who is now determined to finish the weekend with the Championship lead.

Behind this group, Wootten falls into the clutches of Stefan Webling, who once again is trundling around in 9th place. A quick battle between the two leaves Wootten with a broken front wing, thereby compounding a poor weekend for the Dart International driver. He trails around for a lap, but is black flagged and made to retire.
Up front and nearing the end of the race, Waite still leads, but the all the cars down to seventh place are within 4 seconds of him - his inability to pull out a lead could see him fall well back in the final standings. As the cars cross the line, second place Foresti celebrates the victory despite being second on the road - he knows he has done enough.
This race definitely had a lot less going on than the previous event, as it consisted of a number of challenges, but little actual passing. Not the finest victory Foresti will ever take - he had to just sit behind Waite, while Bamber never looked like challenging him at any stage.

Following Andrew Waite's 5 second penalty for a jump start, the young New Zealand driver falls down to seventh place, thereby promoting everyone from Foresti to Evans up one position.
So after Round 1, Sten Pentus leaves Teretonga Park with the series lead ahead of Evans and Jilesen, but can the Estonian maintain his run of results for the rest of the season.

1. Sten Pentus (196 points)
   
2. Mitch Evans (187)
   
3. Daniel Jilesen (180)
4. Lucas Foresti (178)
5. Earl Bamber (157)
   
6. Andrew Waite (145)
   

Race Quality: 2.5 out of 5
Source Quality: B+ (TV Rip, but lots of compression)
(February 2010)