Now that the 2012 Toyota Racing Series (TRS) is underway the Class of 2012 has arrived. With a full grid of twenty single-seaters, the field is full of class drivers, many with the potential of a future in F1. Couple this with the high standard that Toyota sets for the paddock (pit) and hospitality area and you have a world class series.
This season is undoubtedly a watershed year for many of the traditional classes. Unfortunately the pressures of the current recession combined with the continual evolvement of motor racing in NZ have affected the grids at the first three meetings this season.
The Porsche GT3 Series decided to ‘pull the plug’ during the winter, Formula Ford has struggled to fill a competitive grid while the Suzuki Swift and V8 Utes have continued their successful categories.
The creation of Sports GT and Production GT classes has been a good idea but currently lack a truly national championship with no South Island competitors racing at the first round at Pukekohe. Few North Island drivers have ventured south for the next three rounds with the grids being filled with local drivers.
The flagship class of NZ motor sport is the V8 class which is undergoing a transition from an aging chassis into a truly world class super car. Unfortunately this has resulted in a split within the category and two rival series being formed. This has resulted in less than satisfactory grids in the three rounds of the BNT V8s Championship so far with only nine cars turning up to compete at Teretonga. However that is the way it is right now as the transition takes place. Why and how the split has occurred is not for this commentary and one hopes that it will eventuate into one series for the greater public to view.
Seemingly unaffected is the TRS with their strongest line up since their inaugural season in 2005. One could argue that the current economic climate is reflected in the small number of Kiwi drivers compared with other years (five) but the purest will surely look at the incredible standard of competition.
The TRS vision from the outset has always been a series with a major international component and now the hard work has paid off. With the momentary demise of the NZV8s the TRS has now become the primary class of 2012.
