Forget the TPP there’s a trans-pacific partnership in New Zealand motorsport that could consolidate the growth of single-seaters for many years to come and give young Kiwi’s and American racers alike the opportunity to spread their wings into international motorsport.
The Toyota Racing Series of New Zealand is now in partnership with the three series “Road To Indy” in the USA. First announced in June the details of this initiative were set out more clearly to me when I met with the head of Business Development for the Road to Indy Jonny Baker at Mid Ohio Sports course last week.
Baker came to Highlands motorsports park last season to see TRS for himself. Quietly observing he returned to the states this season and came up with a plan that could have huge ramifications and be a massive opportunity for TRS and “The Road to Indy” drivers for years to come.
BAKER:
“I went down to New Zealand with no expectations, but to be honest I was so impressed with what I saw at Highlands -unbelievable venue – the cars were great , the competition was unreal and the operation of Nicholas Caillol and Andrew Davis clearly showed me how committed Toyota are to the programme and that thoroughly impressed me.”
Baker’s responsibility in the USA is growing the feeder series to Indy Car, the three series on the ladder to Indy. This is made up with the USF2000 National Championship, the Indy Pro 2000 Championship and Indy Lights.
Given that Indy’s number one star is a five-time champion Scott Dixon from New Zealand, its hardly surprising the Americans are now looking for talent in TRS and want to give their young drivers the opportunity to bang wheels with the world’s future Formula One stars, which TRS has nurtured over the last 15 years.
BAKER :
“I came back to the states and spoke to Dan Anderson who is the owner and CEO of Anderson Promotions who promote “The Road to Indy” and it became a no brainer so we took an idea to Nico at TRS and between us we put together an incentive programme.
“Basically, anyone who’s done all the rounds of TRS will get a waived entry fee and a free set of tyres. They are immediately eligible to come to either are Chris Griffiths Memorial official series test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 19th and 20th this year, or they can come to the spring training which is the week before the season opener at St Pete’s in Florida next March.
“In return, we want to see our Road to Indy Drivers come down to the Castrol Toyota Racing Series. We are in the business of driver development . We want our drivers to be not only good drivers but as prepared, educated and trained as well as possible. It gives them an opportunity and an incentive to go to New Zealand and race against the best in the world and get better, and that’s crucial.
“So anybody who finishes in the top three of the USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 or Indy lights gets a waived entry fee to TRS where you’ll be in a car for five consecutive race weekends, driving four days a week which is really an unbelievable opportunity.”
Ironically American interest in the Toyota Racing series has been fleeting over the last decade with the TRS dominated by Europeans, South Americans and of course Kiwis.
Santino Ferrucci, Ryan Tveter and Shelby Blackstock and most recently Juan Manuel Correa, Dev Gore and Parker Locke have all come down for the learning experience, but the series has never attracted an American series champions which it is bound to do now.
“I want to see some of the best talent in North America going down to New Zealand and kicking some butt and I think they can. If we send our best talent, they are going to ,they are going to be running at the front and I think they are going to surprise a lot of people, which is great for what we are trying to do.
“In doing so that it will raise the awareness and the profile of ‘The Road to Indy’ and make people realise there are some serious career opportunities here in the States.”
And America is also now understanding their part in the road to F1 and the key role TRS could play on that journey. Both the US F4 and F3 Americas are both FIA Super Licence points-scoring championship, as is TRS. Now drivers can do both a winter series and a traditional summer series towards their tally, which will be attractive to already established drivers as it did in the case of Lucas Auer and Marcus Armstrong last season.
Red Bull made the decision of sending their junior driver Auer, as did Ferrari with Armstrong. So now will Robert Schwartzman or Jahan Daruvala or even Mick Schumacher head south to the land of the long white cloud?
Perhaps the prospect that few may have considered is Mexico’s Pato O’Ward. The Monterey native, now living in San Antonio, was once on the Road to Indy programme winning the Indy Lights championship. He then competed in the last round of the IndyCar Series at Sonoma last year and finished in the top ten. Since then he’s been around the world from F2 to Super Formula in Japan and is the man who replaced Dan Ticktum as a Red Bull Junior.
So what’s to say that Red Bull won’t send the 20-year-old Mexican star down to New Zealand in 2020 just as they did with Auer. Heck, he could join defending champion Liam Lawson from the same stable to show him the ropes and the tracks. Now that would be a mouth watering prospect.
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BAKER:
“The FIA Licensing points available in TRS are now very valued and by acquiring those points it can be a huge advantage to any drivers future career.
” Then on the American side, I can point to British driver Toby Sowery in Indy Lights. He knew about a week before the start of the season that he’d be racing. He’s a great example of taking the Road to Indy with a limited budget and performing well with a podium in his first race. Now people are helping him and wanting him to do well. He’s a great example of what drivers can achieve in ‘The Road to Indy’.”
So the Road to Indy is now also the road to Manfeild. It may not seem as glamorous at first, but for the young drivers wanting to become either the next Scott Dixon or Lando Norris, then the New Zealand Grand Prix or a Road to Indy test may well be the best starting point to that the road to success on the journey to the top.
The new initiative begins this October 19th -20th at the iconic home of American Racing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Castrol Toyota Racing begins January 17th-19th at Highlands with an all-new car.
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