Armstrong joins the winner’s list at Teretonga

With two rounds and four races locked away, Christchurch driver Marcus Armstrong has clawed his way back to the front of the points table.

He won the first race at round two of the 2019 Castrol Toyota Racing Series, maintaining a clean sweep of Kiwi winners across all four races to date. With the Sunday races at Teretonga postponed due to high winds, he and Liam Lawson now carry equal points – 113 – into the championship’s mid-point round this coming weekend at Hampton Downs in the northern Waikato.

Race wins at the previous weekend’s opening round went to Liam Lawson and Invercargill’s Brendon Leitch, with Armstrong taking two podiums and a fourth. On Saturday, though it was Marcus Armstrong who took the lead on a wet but drying track. Lawson on pole didn’t get the grip he sought, letting Armstrong shoot into a three-car lead. The biggest improver off the start was Russian Artem Petrov who shot from P8 to also overtake Lawson, sitting second overall as the race progressed and forcing Lawson to use up both tyre grip and time.

Once clear of Petrov, Lawson attacked again and again but the more experienced Armstrong covered the young Pukekohe driver’s challenges, forcing him to try the wide line in order to find overtaking opportunities. The podium at race end was Armstrong from Lawson and Petrov. Armstrong’s team, M2 Competition, also recorded its 60th TRS Championship race win.

With German touring car (DTM) driver Lucas Auer once again crashing at Teretonga and now fourth on points, Armstrong and Lawson have a comfortable margin over both Auer and third placed Raoul Hyman (Southeast Asian Formula 3 Champion). The championship is likely to be fought out between these four.

The design of the fast and flowing 2.63 km Hampton Downs circuit is expected to suit Armstrong, who has been racing in Europe in 2018 and was top rookie at November’s Macau Grand Prix. There are four races in the coming weekend for TRS: the postponed race two and the schedules races for the third round.

In the 2019 CTRS championship, Marcus Armstrong is sponsored by Auckland City Toyota and the Armstrong Motor Group.