Cromwell-based driver Brendon Leitch is set to race in the opening round of the Castrol Toyota Racing Series.
Leitch is one of 20 drivers from 11 countries that will contest the event at Ruapuna, near Christchurch, from January 13-15. The 21-year-old finished third in last year’s championship and is one of three New Zealanders at the event: Marcus Armstrong and Taylor Cockerton are also competing.
Armstrong is one of six 16-year-olds in the field and has recently been selected for the Ferrari Driver Academy, the Formula 1 team’s elite programme that helps develop young drivers.
Among the other drivers is Dutch 16-year-old Richard Berschoor, a member of the Red Bull junior team. Other 16-year-olds are Jean Baptiste Simmenauer, from France, Keyvan Andres, from the US, Enaam Ahmed, from Great Britain, and Luis Leeds, from Australia.
At the more experienced end of the spectrum are 26-year-olds Nikita Lastochkin and Shelby Blackstock.
The event will see drivers use the same Tatuus single-seater powered by a 1.8-litre Toyota engine that produces about 160kW running on an 85% ethanol biofuel.
Each car is fitted with the same Michelin tyres, gearbox, suspension and brakes. That is intended to ensure as much close racing as possible and allow driver skill to be the deciding factor.
The series consists of five rounds. It moves to Invercargill from January 20-22 before heading to the North Island. Each round will feature a practice day on the Friday, before one race on the Saturday and two on the Sunday.
